rules of correspondence

rules of correspondence A major problem for empirical researchers is the nature of the connection between the language of theory and the language of observation. Rules of correspondence is a term sometimes applied to the means, criteria, and assumptions underlying attempts to connect these two levels, by means of common expressions (see B. Hindess The Use of Official Statistics in Sociology, 1973
). In sociology, the passage from observation to conceptualization and back again requires a close examination of the manner in which our observations are organized and categorized (for example according to statistical criteria, tacit knowledge, or background expectancies), as well as to the operationalization of the concepts deployed to organize data.