A numeric measure with a different structure than its concept measures a different concept.

Evidence

The idea of concept-measure consistency is very similar to the relationship between theory and testing. If the theory predicts a U-shaped relationship between dependent and independent variables then a statistical test that is linear in form will not be appropriate. The statistical test must allow for the possibility of a U-shaped form in order to test the theory. The same is true of concepts and numeric measures: if the measure has a different structure from the concept then it is a measure of a different concept. — Gary Goertz, Social Science Concepts, 622

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes ‘concept-measure consistency’ by analogy to the theory-testing requirement that a test’s functional form match the theory’s predicted form.
• XREF: Parallels the general validity requirement that operationalizations must instantiate the theoretical construct, not merely correlate with it.