Chapter 4 - Concepts

Question 1

Ambiguity

Answer 1

When a term has more than one acceptable interpretation

Question 2

Semantic Ambiguity

Answer 2

Word has more than one interpretation (ex.: woman stoned at public rally)

Question 3

Syntactic Ambiguity

Answer 3

Phrase has more than one interpretation (Police kill man with chainsaw)

Question 4

Continuum of Abstraction

Answer 4

Abstract, somewhat abstract, concrete

Question 5

Abstractions

Answer 5

Things on which there is little consensus amongst those who define it
- As level of abstraction increases, the need for clear conceptualizations are more important.

Question 6

3 Reasons Why Conceptual Definitions Matter

Answer 6

1. Acceptance - conceptualization is art, involving one in an ongoing set of choices.
2. Measures
3. Clarity/Ethics

Question 7

3 Strategies in Terms of Judging Conceptualizations

Answer 7

1. Consistent within literature and the article itself
2. Is relatively understandable and doesn’t use more ambiguous terms (accessibility)
3. Does it make sense for the argument or subject of the article? Contextual? (Partisanship in Can v US)
4. Is it too operationalizationable and falsifiable?
5. Parsimony - short, sweet, to the point

Question 8

2 Things about Acceptance as they relate to Conceptual Definitions

Answer 8

1. Root concept exists and can move up (more general/all-encompassing) or down (more specific) the ladder
2. They must be appropriate for the context

Question 9

The Effects of Conceptualization and Why It matters

Answer 9

Conceptual definition lead to certain measures being used, which leads to different results, which leads to the building of theory.

Question 10

Measurement (Construct validity)

Answer 10

The extent to which the measurement of a particular concept matches its operation definition

Question 11

Clarity as it relates to Conceptualizations

Answer 11

Main problem: Conceptual Innovation
- This should be avoided as it leads to
Potential for confusion
Proliferation of concepts that mean the same thing

Question 12

Ethics and Conceptual Innovation

Answer 12

Ethics:
The definition of Metis in the census could skew public policy.
If we understood tolerance as a continuum instead of a binary, it could have very different results.
Because of these concerns it’s necessary that researchers state explicity why certain properties and terms were chosen or excluded.

Question 13

Endogenous Variance

Answer 13

Variations of the dependent variable are endogenous to the model (within).

Question 14

Exogenous Variance

Answer 14

Variations in the independent concept are hypothesized to depend upon outside factors (Exogenous) to the model.

Question 15

Categorical v Continuous

Answer 15

A continuous variable is one who responses can be arrayed along the entire range of the measure, with no gaps or breaks in the distribution (aka ordinal or interval??)
A categorical variable is one that is given numerical values (1,2,3) that represent a difference in kind rather than degree (2 is not higher than one, just different) (aka nominal)

Question 16

Multidimensional Concepts

Answer 16

A concept which has more than one factor, or dimension. (In Canada, partisanship included strength, consistency, and stability)

Question 17

Inductive Reasoning

Answer 17

Using empirical evidence to help form the definition of a concept

Question 18

Deductive Reasoning

Answer 18

When one identifies one or more postulates, followed by the derivation of expectations and conclusions based on the claims.