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Manifest functions are the consequences that people see, observe or even expect. It is explicitly stated and understood by the participants in the relevant action. The manifest function of a rain dance, according to Merton in his 1957 Social Theory and Social Structure, is to produce rain, and this outcome is intended and desired by people participating in the ritual.
The book introduced many important concepts in sociology, like: manifest and latent functions and dysfunctions, obliteration by incorporation, reference groups, self-fulfilling prophecy, middle-range theory and others. [3]
In distinguishing between manifest and latent functions, Merton argued that one must dig to discover latent functions. His example from his 1949 piece, "Manifest and Latent Functions", was an analysis of political machines. Manifest and latent functions were devised to prelude the inadvertent confusion between conscious motivations for social ...
A latent variable model is a statistical model that relates a set of observable variables (also called manifest variables or indicators) [1] to a set of latent variables. Latent variable models are applied across a wide range of fields such as biology, computer science, and social science. [ 2 ]
Other latent variables correspond to abstract concepts, like categories, behavioral or mental states, or data structures. The terms hypothetical variables or hypothetical constructs may be used in these situations. The use of latent variables can serve to reduce the dimensionality of data. Many observable variables can be aggregated in a model ...
The term latent is used to emphasize that discrete item responses are taken to be observable manifestations of hypothesized traits, constructs, or attributes, not directly observed, but which must be inferred from the manifest responses. Latent trait models were developed in the field of sociology, but are virtually identical to IRT models.
The International Business Communication Standards (IBCS) are practical proposals for designing business communication, available for free use under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA). IBCS are used to optimize reports, presentations, and dashboards in terms of their conceptual design, visual perception, and semantic notation.
A model of communication is a simplified presentation that aims to give a basic explanation of the process by highlighting its most fundamental characteristics and components. [16] [8] [17] For example, James Watson and Anne Hill see Lasswell's model as a mere questioning device and not as a full model of communication. [10]