To a problem on theoretical aspects of measurement of qualitative performances in
Sociological research
SmoleninovA.P.Smoleninov
Each subject represents unity of qualitative and quantitative determinancies and consequently the most fruitful appears study of a subject in unity of his two parties which interdependent and constantly pass each other. If the object of research "not will uncover" the quantitative features and it will not manage to be measured in mathematical sense of this word the knowledge of it will not be the complete. For this reason the modern explorers in range of the humanities, especially sociologists and psychologists, all are wider some steel to use the quantitative performances.
Development of the methods intended for measurement of quality or. That is exacter, for expression of a qualitative determinancy of a subject in the quantitative performances under influence of requests of practice has reduced even in a birth of new scientific - applied mathematical discipline - qualimetries, (this term means « measurement of quality» literally). Have taken on this path and historians because also they came to a breeding, what even for the most composite historical phenomena and processes, at least for many of them, it is possible to find such parameters which in the quantitative form will express nature given the phenomena or process.
Measurement of quality, except for independent value - to supply the complete knowledge about, a subject, - has also applied value: historians can use mathematical methods at the analysis of only such data which are evaluated. Therefore application of mathematical methods to concrete historical materials, as a rule, demands their preliminary transfer in the quantitative form.
Philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, the historians researching a spiritual, social, cultural and political history, history of official bodies, wars, reforms, revolutions, mostly deal with qualitative characters. An attribute perceive properties, the reference features or features of objects (phenomena). The quantitative differ and qualitative characters. Quantitative characters have direct numerical expression, i.e. are initially evaluated, for example age of the person, a commodity price, volume of trade, etc. Separate values of a quantitative character differ from each other determined magnitude. Qualitative characters as against the quantitative cannot directly express number because separate values of a qualitative character differ from each other not an amount, not determined magnitude, and the qualitative content.
Explorers should analyze mainly qualitative characters, using thus basically not in numerals, and words, concepts, grades. That is the numeral could render the explorer the important service if it has taken possession of art of a quantification, i.e. skill to express numbers, and has tried to transfer even some qualitative characters in the quantitative form. Having extended a technique of transfer of qualitative characters in the quantitative form, we come to a breeding, that transfer was performed by three ways: by calculation, by statistical measurement and a partition of concept on elements. Calculation of a recurrence rate of historic facts in time or space is the most simple way of transfer of qualitative characters in the quantitative form. Transfer of qualitative characters in the quantitative form demands of the explorer of excellent knowledge investigated concrete historical the phenomena and at the same time knowledge of methods of a determination of the quantitative determinancy of the phenomena.