In statistics and
research design
Research design refers to the overall strategy utilized to answer research questions. A research design typically outlines the theories and models underlying a project; the research question(s) of a project; a strategy for gathering data and info ...
, an indicator is an observed value of a
variable, or in other words "a sign of a presence or absence of the concept being studied".
Just like each color indicates in a traffic lights the change in the movement.
For example, if a variable is
religiosity, and a
unit of analysis is an individual, then that one of potentially more numerous indicators of that individual's religiosity would be whether they attend religious services; others - how often, or whether they donate money to religious organizations.
Numerous indicators can be aggregated into an
index
Index (: indexes or indices) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index''
* The Index, an item on the Halo Array in the ...
.
The complexity of biological systems makes evaluating them a challenge.
Bioindicators, such as
indicator bacteria, are
ecological indicators, sometimes requiring further consideration of
environmental indicator
Environmental indicators are simple measures that tell us what is happening in the Natural environment, environment. Since the environment is very complex, indicators provide a more practical and economical way to track the state of the environment ...
s. In
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...
study, one relies on
health indicators. In a given locality,
community indicators inform planners, while the
design quality indicator can be the basis of building permits. Assessment of social conditions relies on
sustainability indicators or the
genuine progress indicator. Standard measurements are given in the
OECD Main Economic Indicators OECD Main Economic Indicators, often simply called Main Economic Indicators and abbreviated MEI, is a monthly publication by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) of economic indicators worldwide (with a focus on OECD cou ...
. A famous popular science individual psychological assessment is the
Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a self-report questionnaire that makes pseudoscientific claims to categorize individuals into 16 distinct "psychological types" or "personality types".
The MBTI was constructed during World War II by ...
.
References
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Research methods