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A construct in the philosophy of science is an ''ideal'' object, where the existence of the thing may be said to depend upon a subject's mind. This, as opposed to a ''real'' object, where existence does not seem to depend on the existence of a mind.〔Bunge, M. 1974. ''Treatise on Basic Philosophy, Vol. I Semantics I: Sense and Reference''. Dordrecth-Boston: Reidel Publishing Co.〕 In a scientific theory, particularly within psychology, a hypothetical construct is an explanatory variable which is not directly observable. For example, the concepts of ''intelligence'' and ''motivation'' are used to explain phenomena in psychology, but neither is directly observable. A hypothetical construct differs from an intervening variable in that it has properties and implications which have not been demonstrated in empirical research. These serve as a guide to further research. An intervening variable, on the other hand, is a summary of observed empirical findings. The creation of constructs is a part of operationalization, especially the creation of theoretical definitions. The usefulness of one conceptualization over another depends largely on construct validity. To address the non-observability of constructs, U.S. federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute has created a construct database termed Grid-Enabled Measures (GEM) to improve construct use and reuse. ==Construct versus object== Concepts that are considered ''constructs'' by this definition include that which is designated by the symbol "''3''" or the word "''liberty''". Scientific hypotheses and theories (e.g. evolutionary theory, gravitational theory), as well as classifications (e.g. in biological taxonomy) are also conceptual entities considered to be ''constructs''. Simple examples of real objects (that are not constructs) include lawyers, silver fish and undershirts. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Construct (philosophy)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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