Final answer:
Marissa is working on operationalizing her hypothesis by defining what "better" means in terms of driving, which makes research data collection consistent and replicable.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marissa is working on the operationalization of her research project when she tries to define "better" in her hypothesis, "women are better drivers than men." Operationalization involves specifying the exact criteria or measures that one will use to assess the components of a hypothesis, in this case, to define what "better" means in the context of driving skills. This could mean specifying operational definitions like the frequency of traffic violations, adherence to traffic laws, or results from controlled driving tests. Through operationalization, researchers like Marissa create objective and measurable criteria that provide a clear framework for data collection, ensuring consistency and replicability across different studies, as seen in Frances Heussenstamm's 1971 experiment on police prejudice.