Chapt. 2

Question 1

What makes a good research question?

Answer 1

• Narrow in focus

- Should be empirical (not normative)

Question 2

What’s a causal relationship?

Answer 2

One or more concepts or variables leads to or “forces” changes in one or more other concepts or variables.

Question 3

What makes a good hypothesis?

Answer 3

• Must be testable
• Guided by a literature review (looks at findings of similar research)
• Is empirical
• ## Specifies if a causal relationship is +’ve of -‘ve

Question 4

What’s causal model?

Answer 4

Graphically specifies a set or relationships between concepts or variables such that change in one or more precedes and gives rise to change in another.
“Anything you can test, you should be able to draw.”

Question 5

What’s quantitative analysis?

Answer 5

Used when you have a large number of cases (large N). Lots of data.

Question 6

What’s qualitative analysis?

Answer 6

Used when you have a small number of cases (small N). Used to develop an understanding of causal processes. Deep into a few things.

Question 7

What’s a variable?

Answer 7

Essentially an operationalized concept.

Question 8

What is scientific method?

Answer 8

• Research Question
• Hypothesis
• Method
• Results/Analysis
• Conclusions

Question 9

Correlation and causation

Answer 9

Does one cause the other? no.

Question 10

What does does IV and DV?

Answer 10

Independent and Dependent variable.

Question 11

What does CV mean?

Answer 11

Confounding variable: A variable that can make it look like there’s a relationship.
….Spurious relationship. Close to omitted variable (ice cream sales example: textbook calls omitted + lecture uses confounding…