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Research Methods > Chapter 4 > Flashcards

Chapter 4 Flashcards

1
Q

Concepts

A

Abstract ideas that represent qualities in the world

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2
Q

Parsimonious

A

Theory should be as simple as possible

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3
Q

Theory building research

A

Also referred to as inductive research or exploratory research, seeks to obtain real-world observations sufficient to develop a simple (parsimonious), generalizable (general), and testable (falsifiable) explanation of the variation of interest

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4
Q

Theory testing research

A

Also referred to as deductive research, is research that deliberately sets out to test the hypotheses established by theory.

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5
Q

Casual Mechanism

A

A plausible explanation of why the concepts are related.

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6
Q

Typology

A

Cases are categorized based on their characteristics

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7
Q

Continuum

A

Order a concept’s values along a dimension, ranging from low to high or from less to more

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8
Q

Action (or advocacy) research

A

A reflective and iterative process of research focused on solving specific “real world” problems; typically practised by individuals who are deeply committed to an issue, often with a goal of marshalling evidence to heighten public debate and discussion of the issue and to influence the policy process. (p. 53)

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9
Q

Applied Research

A

A term that is often used in contrast to pure research or basic research to indicate that the research addresses a topic or problem in the real world. (p. 51)

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10
Q

Basic Research

A

Research conducted to increase understanding of the world, whether or not the results of the research have immediate or obvious applications; often used in contrast to applied research. (p. 51)

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11
Q

Bivariate

A

Involving two variables

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12
Q

Causality

A

The relationship between two events, in which one is a consequence of the other (i.e., a cause-and-effect relationship). (p. 55)

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13
Q

Control Variable

A

A variable that is kept constant

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14
Q

Correlation

A

The measurement or observation of a common variation among multiple concepts or measures; can exist without a causal relation. (p. 55)

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15
Q

Deductive reasoning

A

A type of reasoning that shows or attempts to show that a conclusion necessarily flows from a set of premises; in political science, often used in rational choice analysis. (p. 57)

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16
Q

Ecological fallacy

A

The assumption that group-level patterns imply individual-level patterns. (p. 64)

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17
Q

Hypothesis-testing

A

A method used in statistics to test the validity of a statement by comparing expected results with empirical or observed results. (p. 57)

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18
Q

Ideal type

A

Concept formulation based on a notion of its “true form” rather than in relation to how it operates in the real world. (p. 55)

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19
Q

Inductive reasoning:

A

A type of reasoning that bases conclusions on the presence of empirical evidence. (p. 57)

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20
Q

Intervening variable:

A

A situation in which a third variable comes between an independent and dependent variable; the independent variable influences the intervening variable, which in turn influences the dependent variable. (p. 64)

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21
Q

Multivariate

A

Involving three or more variables. (p. 62)

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22
Q

Negative correlation

A

A relationship between two variables in which increases in one are associated with decreases in the other. (p. 55)

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23
Q

Positive correlation

A

A relationship between two variables in which an increase in one is associated with an increase in the other. (p. 55)

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24
Q

Prior condition

A

The nature or status of a situation before the inclusion of an independent effect. (p. 62)

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25
Q

Proposition

A

A statement expressing the truth or falseness of a situation. (p. 53)

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26
Q

Reinforcing variable

A

A variable that strengthens or magnifies the relationship between the two other variables. (p. 65)

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27
Q

Spurious

A

The relationship between the independent and dependent variables that, while initially thought to be causal, is non-causal and is a function of the presence of a third variable, which causes the variation in both variables. (p. 63)

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28
Q

Typology

A

The classification of things on the basis of their characteristics. (p. 55)

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29
Q

hypothesis

A

a prediction that allows us to test our theory through real-world observations that we use to gather empirical evidence

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30
Q

Theory-oriented research

A

also referred to as basic research, aims to broaden our understanding of political life

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31
Q

causal mechanism

A

which is a plausible explanation of why the concepts are related

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32
Q

typology

A

in which cases are categorized based on their characteristics

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33
Q

conceptual definition

A

which is an explicit description of the concept in question

34
Q

multidimensional concept

A

one in which more than one factor, or dimension, exists within a concept

35
Q

Conceptualization

A

the process of choosing the conceptual definition for a study

36
Q

operational definition

A

which is a concrete, measurable version of the concept

37
Q

operationalization

A

the process of moving from abstract concepts (conceptual definitions) to concrete measures (operational definitions)

38
Q

inductive reasoning

A

using empirical evidence to draw a conclusion—to help form the definition of a concept

39
Q

measure

A

is a tool by which we obtain observable evidence about our concept of interest

40
Q

themes

A

which are recurring patterns of importance to the topic found in the data.

41
Q

variable

A

which is a more concrete representation of the concept that has within it variations

42
Q

indicator

A

which is the means by which we assign each individual case to the different values of the variable

43
Q

index

A

a single measure of the concept or variable in question

44
Q

correlation

A

a state in which two entities change in conjunction with the other

45
Q

independent variable

A

ariable believed to be causing the change is known as

46
Q

dependent variable

A

gets changed by independent

47
Q

positive correlation

A

occurs when the direction of change is the same for each variable (both increase or both decrease)

48
Q

negative correlation

A

occurs when the direction of change is inverse (one increases and one decreases).

49
Q

temporal order

A

which is the time sequence of events

50
Q

prior conditions

A

the nature or status of a situation before the inclusion of an independent effect

51
Q

spurious

A

which means the relationship between two variables can be accounted for by a third variable

52
Q

Confounding variables

A

are factors that are correlated with both the independent and the dependent variable

53
Q

bivariate relationship

A

one dependent and one independent

54
Q

multivariate relationship

A

multiple independent variables in a complex causal chain.

55
Q

intervening variable

A

is one that comes between the independent and dependent variables

56
Q

conditional variables

A

which strengthen the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable for some categories (subgroups) of the conditional variable, while weakening the relationship for others

57
Q

reinforcing variables

A

which strengthen and magnify the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable

58
Q

categorical concepts

A

the variations within the concept indicate differences of kind, and cases are grouped into categories according to descriptive types.

59
Q

continuous concepts

A

the variations within the concept indicate differences of degree, the concept’s characteristics are sequentially connected, and categories are placed on a continuum

60
Q

level of measurement

A

the precision used in interpreting the numerical values of the measures used in the research project; distinction is made among nominal, ordinal, and interval/ratio measures.

61
Q

nominal variables

A

Categorical concepts are operationalized

62
Q

Ordinal variables

A

The categories are distinct, but they cannot logically be ordered.
• Ordinal:

63
Q

Interval variables

A

are those that can be ordered and for which the categories are separated by a standard unit

64
Q

Ratio variables

A

have the same qualities as interval variables, with the additional quality of an absolute zero (that is, a value of zero means that there are none of the variable’s values).

65
Q

Concept qualities

A

Many concepts of interest do not have a natural or set standard unit of distance between categories, and imposing such a scale onto such concepts can seem inauthentic. (Point in favour for ordinal variables.)

66
Q

Measurement error

A

is the difference between the true value and the measured (observed) value of a quantity

67
Q

random error

A

which is naturally occurring, non-systematic error,

68
Q

non-random error

A

also referred to as systematic error, which is error that results from faults in the measures

69
Q

reliability

A

which is the extent to which the measurement of a quantity yields consistent results.

70
Q

measurement validity

A

which refers to the extent to which the measurement of a concept matches the conceptual definition.

71
Q

Internal validity

A

refers to the degree to which a study demonstrates a trustworthy assessment of causality

72
Q

external validity

A

which is the extent to which the findings from the cases under examination may be used to make generalizations beyond the original study).

73
Q

High-income earners are more likely to support conservatism than low-income earners.” This statement is an example of a ____

A

hypothesis

74
Q

The textbook notes that a theory argues that there is

A

a relationship between concepts

75
Q

A variable that can strengthen and magnify the relationship between an independent and a dependent variable is known as a ___

A

reinforcing variable

76
Q

The “A–B–C–D–F” grading system is an example of ordinal ranking.

A

True

77
Q

the variable, unlike the concept, can take on different _____, thereby capturing the variation within the concept.

A

Values

78
Q

Interval variables ____________________________________________________________.

A

can be placed on a continuum where categories are separated by a standard unit.

79
Q

Multiple indicators rarely give us more insight into a variable

A

False

80
Q

In the question, “What impact does education have on voting?”, education is the____________ and voting is the ________.

A

independent; dependent.

81
Q

One way to accurately capture concepts and reduce loss of meaning is to use ______________.

A

multiple variables to tap the same concept

82
Q

__________ concepts result in the selection of nominal variables, whereas _________ concepts lend themselves to either ordinal or interval variables.

A

categorical; continuous

Research Methods (6 decks)

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