Measurement Across the Sciences: Developing a Shared Concept System for Measurement

A conceptual framework for understanding measurement across scientific fields and areas of application is proposed in this open-access book, addressing contemporary issues and controversies. It supports understanding measurements work in different domains, using examples in the physical and human sciences. The second edition includes a new analysis of analogies and differences between physical and psychosocial measurement, and introduces measurand identification/definition.

Format: Hardback
Length: 307 pages
Publication date: 26 February 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This open-access book presents a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding measurement across a diverse array of scientific fields and applications, including physics, engineering, education, and psychology. It addresses contemporary issues and controversies within measurement, considering the framework's implications in light of operationalism, definitional uncertainty, and the relationships between measurement and computation. The book elucidates how the framework operates as a shared concept system, facilitating an understanding of measurement processes across different domains, using illustrative examples from the physical and human sciences.

In this revised and expanded second edition, the book delves into a new analysis of the analogies and distinctions between the error/uncertainty-related approach commonly employed in physical measurement and the validity-related approach adopted in psychosocial measurement. Furthermore, it offers a more comprehensive examination and presentation of measurement, particularly regarding its interconnections with quantity units. Additionally, the book introduces the concept of measurand identification/definition as an integral part of the Hexagon Framework, alongside new examples drawn from the physical and psychosocial sciences.

Researchers and scholars from various disciplines, including biological, physical, social, and behavioral scientists, as well as experts in measurement and philosophy, value this book's innovative and thought-provoking approach to the field, recognizing the growing importance of reliable measurements of complex scientific systems in addressing pressing global challenges.

Weight: 688g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031224478
Edition number: 2nd ed. 2023