In statistics and
research design, 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
In sociology, the concept of religiosity has proven difficult to define. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests: "Religiousness; religious feeling or belief. ..Affected or excessive religiousness". Different scholars have seen this concept as b ...
, and a
unit of analysis
The unit of analysis is the entity that frames what is being looked at in a study, or is the entity being studied as a whole. In social science research, at the macro level, the most commonly referenced unit of analysis, considered to be a society ...
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 (or its plural form 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 a Halo megastru ...
.
The complexity of biological systems makes evaluating them a challenge.
Bioindicators, such as
indicator bacteria, are
ecological indicator
Ecological indicators are used to communicate information about ecosystems and the impact human activity has on ecosystems to groups such as the public or government policy makers. Ecosystems are complex and ecological indicators can help describe ...
s, sometimes requiring further consideration of
environmental indicator
Environmental indicators are simple measures that tell us what is happening in the environment. Since the environment is very complex, indicators provide a more practical and economical way to track the state of the environment than if we attempted ...
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 det ...
study, one relies on
health indicator
Health indicators are quantifiable characteristics of a population which researchers use as supporting evidence for describing the health of a population. Typically, researchers will use a survey methodology to gather information about a populati ...
s. In a given locality,
community indicators
Community indicators are "measurements that provide information about past and current trends and assist planners and community leaders in making decisions that affect future outcomes". They provide insight into the overall direction of a communit ...
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. Individual psychological preferences are assessed with the
Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
In Personality type, personality typology, the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspection, introspective self-report study, self-report questionnaire indicating differing Psychology, psychological preferences in how people perceiv ...
.
References
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Research methods