Chapter 2

Question 1

descriptive argument

Answer 1

particular description of the political world is accurate

Question 2

causal argument

Answer 2

particular explanation of a set of relationships or patterns in the political world is accurate

Question 3

abstract

Answer 3

a 100–250-word summary of the report’s research question, methodology, key findings, and implications

Question 4

executive summary

Answer 4

which is a short summary (typically 1–5 pages) of the same information

Question 5

literature review

Answer 5

which is a highly focused presentation of the existing academic research that is directly relevant to the research question and the report’s line of argumentation

Question 6

transmissible

Answer 6

methods can be explained

Question 7

replicable

Answer 7

can be replicated

Question 8

null findings

Answer 8

instances where the results do not match expectations and the data do not support the research hypothesis

Question 9

Grey literature

Answer 9

not peer-reviewed

Question 10

Authenticity

Answer 10

the extent to which the analysis of a phenomenon corresponds with reality.

Question 11

Confirmability:

Answer 11

the extent to which a study’s results may be verified by an independent researcher.

Question 12

Credibility

Answer 12

the extent to which the results of an analysis “fit” with the reality being depicted.

Question 13

Dependability

Answer 13

the extent to which a researcher has produced accurate results, based on precise methods.

Question 14

Equivocal

Answer 14

having the possibility of several different meanings; ambiguous.

Question 15

External validity:

Answer 15

the extent to which the findings drawn from the cases under examination may be used to make generalizations about phenomena outside the original study.

Question 16

Impartiality

Answer 16

the extent to which a study offers findings based on observation and evidence, as opposed to opinion or conjecture.

Question 17

Internal validity:

Answer 17

the extent to which the researcher has produced results reflective of reality, as measured within the confines of the study.

Question 18

Large-N study

Answer 18

research involving a large number of cases.

Question 19

Measurement validity:

Answer 19

the extent to which the measurement of a particular concept matches its operational definition.

Question 20

Member checks:

Answer 20

the process of verifying study results in consultation with its subjects. (p. 45) Mixed methods research: research that uses a variety of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in the confines of a single study.

Question 21

Objectivity:

Answer 21

the extent to which a study’s results are unbiased by the researcher’s predispositions.

Question 22

Plausibility

Answer 22

when compared with alternative accounts, the extent to which a study’s results offer a reasonable, believable account of reality.

Question 23

Portability

Answer 23

the extent to which a study’s results may be used to draw conclusions about other cases not immediately under investigation.

Question 24

Precision

Answer 24

the extent to which a study offers an accurate account of reality, based on the ability of other researchers to reach similar conclusions under similar circumstances.

Question 25

Probability

Answer 25

the mathematical likelihood that the results of a study apply beyond the cases under examination to other cases under the same general category.

Question 26

Qualitative research

Answer 26

the non-numerical examination of reality; typically conducted through the use of verbal depiction.

Question 27

Quantitative research

Answer 27

the numerical examination of reality; typically conducted through the use of statistical analysis.

Question 28

Reliability

Answer 28

the extent to which the measurement of a particular variable yields consistent results.

Question 29

Small-n studies

Answer 29

research involving a small number of cases.

Question 30

Transferability

Answer 30

the extent to which researchers can export the lessons drawn from one investigation to develop conclusions about another set of cases.

Question 31

Triangulation

Answer 31

the use of multiple approaches to data collection and analysis as a means of drawing trustworthy conclusions about reality

Question 32

Trustworthiness:

Answer 32

the extent to which a study produces legitimate knowledge.

Question 33

Univocal

Answer 33

having one meaning; unambiguous.

Question 34

With the advent of \_\_\_\_\_\_, quantitative approaches came to dominate the political science community
interpretivism 
computer technology
the scientific method
science

Answer 34

Computer technology

Question 35

In quantitative analysis, researcher \_\_\_\_\_\_ are actively minimized during the investigation because they are seen as contaminants of objective inquiry.
questions
critiques
opinions
biases

Answer 35

Biases

Question 36

In qualitative inquiry, the concept of \_\_\_\_\_\_ asks whether findings can be confirmed by someone else, independent of the original researcher’s biases.
authenticity
confirmability
portability
credibility

Answer 36

Confirmability

Question 37

Because \_\_\_\_\_\_ research involves numbers, frequencies, and intensities, it is particularly well-suited to questions of “how much?”, “how often?”, and “how many?”
quantitative
qualitative
determinist
normative

Answer 37

quantitative

Question 38

The primary purpose of most quantitative analysis is to \_\_\_\_\_\_.
collect data
conduct an investigation
test a hypothesis
develop broader research questions

Answer 38

test a hypothesis`

Question 39

\_\_\_\_\_\_ refers to a process through which researchers’ inferences are verified by the subjects of their analysis.
quantification
Triangulation
Member checking
Credibility

Answer 39

Member checking

Question 40

Peer assessment is critical to the research process for both qualitative and quantitative researchers because it ______.
ensures quantitative and qualitative researchers get along
ensures everyone gets a chance to publish
provides a check on the quality of research work
ensures triangulation of results

Answer 40

provides a check on the quality of research work

Question 41

The behavioural revolution spanned the \_\_\_\_\_\_.
first half of the nineteenth century
second half of the nineteenth century
first half of the twentieth century
second half of the twentieth century

Answer 41

second half of the twentieth century

Question 42

\_\_\_\_\_\_ researchers attempt to learn about politics through a thorough study of a small number of cases.
Qualitative
Determinist
Normative
Quantitative
.

Answer 42

Qualitative

Question 43

Internal validity is the extent to which ______.
the researcher has produced results reflective of reality
the results of quantitative studies can be generalized
the results of qualitative studies can be generalized
our variables measure our concepts

Answer 43

The researcher has produced results reflective of reality