Text: Babbie, Earl. The Practice of Social Research (6th edition).

Question: Distinguish between concepts which we can observe directly
or indirectly, and concepts which are in reality, constructs (i.e.,
concepts which we have socially constructure. What difficulties arise
when we attempt to measure constructs, and how would those
difficulities affect operationalim?

Notes: Based upon the research that I have conducted, here are some of
the definitions:
Direct Observables - Those things that we can observe simply and
directly, like the color of an apple or the check mark made on a
questionnaire.

Indirect Observables - Require relatively more subtle, complex or
indirect observations. For example, we note a person's check mark
beside female in a questionnaire and have indirectly observed that
person's sex. A history book or minutes of corporate board meetings
provide indirect observations of past social actions.

Constructs - Theoretical creations based on observations but which
cannot be observed either directly or indirectly. IQ is a good
example. It is constructed mathematically from observations of the
answers given to a large number of questions on an IQ test.

Concept - Kaplan defines concept as a family of conceptions. A concept
is, as Kaplan notes, a construct. The concept of compassion, then, is
a construct created from your conceptions of it, my conceptions of it
and the conceptions of all those who have ever used the term. It can't
be observed directly because it doesn't exist. Concepts are derived
from mental images (conceptions) that summarize collections of
seemingly related observations and experiences.

Conceptualization - The process through which we specify precisely
what we will mean when we use particular terms. Suppose, for example,
that we want to find out whether women are more compassionate than
men. We can't meaningfully study the question let alone agree on the
answer, without some precise working agreements about the meaning of
the term. They are working agreements in the sense that they allow us
to work on the question. We don't need to agree or even pretend to
agree that a particular specification might be worth using. The end
product of this conceptualization process is the specification of a
set of indicators of what we have in mind, indicating the presence or
absence of the concept we are studying. For example, we may agree that
visiting children's hospitals at Christmas is an indicator of
compassion. Very often, when we take our concepts seriously and set
about specifying what they mean, we discover disagreements and
inconsistencies. Not only do you and I disagree but each of us is
likely to find a good deal of muddiness within our own individual
mental image.

I have a great deal more research on this. But, I am having difficulty
concisely outlining the difficulties that arise when we attempt to
measure constructs and how those difficulties affect operationalism.

I assume that the terms operationalism and operationalization are used
interchangeable.