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poli 397 > midterm 1 > Flashcards

midterm 1 Flashcards

1
Q

6 steps of the research process

A
  1. forming a question
  2. reviewing relevant literature
  3. advancing a hypothesis
  4. constructing a theoretical framework
  5. defining concepts, variables and relationships
  6. creating a research design
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2
Q

empirical vs. normative and how they interact

A

empirical- research what is
normative- research what ought to be
they cross paths because empirical is shaped by normative thinking and normative is validated by empirical evidence

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3
Q

positivism

A

ontological- there is no difference between the natural and social world
epistemology- we can gain an objective understanding of the social world through observation
methodology- we can find law-like generalizations that the social world runs on

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4
Q

historical context of positivism

A

behavioral revolution- was the application of positivism and empiricism to the field of political research, and encouraging researchers to go beyond stats and numbers (i.e voting) there an objective way through application of methods to understand the behaviour of individuals.

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5
Q

classical vs. logical positivism

A
  • used in positivism
  • classical-> inductive looks “in” to answer questions about the world, goes from a specific case to making a generalization
  • logical-> deductive, is looking to a general theory to explain a specific hypothesis
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6
Q

Popper argument against inductive reasoning

A

observation is limited so therefore we can’t make generalizations without having observed everything, but we can falsify and confirm laws; black swan; stick to logical reasoning

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7
Q

how do we use deductive reasoning to find general laws

A

deductive-nomological model: something can be explained when attached to a law like generalization; deducing from a theory to explain a particular event

hypothetico-deductive model: treating a law-like generalization like a hypothesis and testing it to verify the law; deduce a hypothesis from a law and test it.

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8
Q

scientific realism

A

ontological- the social and natural world is the same
methodology- you learn about society through observable and unobservable
methodology- causality; for unobservable, we look at their observable outcomes

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9
Q

causality in scientific realism

A

they focus on causality to explain unobservable vairalbes

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10
Q

what is causal mechanism

A
  • the system or process by which an effect is produced
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11
Q

3 types of causal mechanisms

A
  • environment- social is influenced by external forces
  • cognitive- changes in human’s perceptions
  • relational- interpersonal connections among people
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12
Q

what is the structure-agency problem

A

how do we relate individuals to instiutions; is society deducible to individuals or are individuals part of a bigger collective; which avenue should analysis take; individual or institutions

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13
Q

how do you verify theories of unobservable phenomena

A

‘interference to best explanation’- which every has the best explanation/justification is the right one.

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14
Q

interpretivism

A

ontological- the social world and the natural world are two separate entities, and the social world doesn’t exist independent of our perception s

epistemology- can’t use the same methods used in the natural science because they don’t apply

methodology- we understand human behaviour through interpretation and finding meaning behind action

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15
Q

argument of interpretivists

A

brute data isn’t enough, you need to interpret and look the believes, values and meanings taking place behind the action

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16
Q

posivitivism vs. interpretivism

A

both use the hypothetic- deductive model

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17
Q

can we have separate facts and values in social science; max weber

A

max weber- you can have separate questions of fact (because it is different from knowing the facts of something and knowing the value), in this way researchers can focus on questions of fact.

at the same time it is impossible because values influence virtually every aspect of research process

can avoid this by fact and value mixing by stating which was made by observation, logical deduction and empirical analysis- here we make references to values without making value judgements

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18
Q

can we have separate facts and values in social science; Ernest Nagel

A

one way to diminish the effects of influence of value is recognizing that you have a bias, in order to combat it you have to acknowledge its existence

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19
Q

different influences of value

A
  • enthography-> getting so immersed in the community you are studying, you identify with them and loose your sense of objective judgement
  • Rosenthal effect-> expectations of the researcher affect the conclusions of the observation
  • Heinseberg effect-> people change their behaviour when being watched.
  • self-fulfilling prophecy-> telling people about the theory which makes them act the way the theory suggests
  • values within social science research->
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20
Q

Thomas Kuhn value argument

A

nothing is without value or bias, even researchers have an agreed upon way to conduct research and fall into a norm (society encourages conformity): the cycle: pre-science (fact finding/no paradigm), turns into normal science, a crisis comes which starts a new paradigms, and leads to a new norm)

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21
Q

Imre Lakatos reaction ot Kuhn’s agrument

A

Kuhn doesn’t recognize the rational and methodology involved in research and boils it down to mob-mentality. Lakatos says that there is a method: there is a core of info that scientists agree not to challenge (negative heuristic), and that those are the basis of the foundation then the questions around the core they question, change as necessary (positive heuristic)

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22
Q

3 criteria for a good research question

A

it is significant, it is researchable, has not yet been answered

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23
Q

how to find a research question

A
  1. look for wholes in existing argument
  2. look for topics that are in debates (politically significant)
  3. survey literature for other questions that have been asked in that field
  4. research grants suggest research questions
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24
Q

research vase

A

reps. different parts of the research process and question formulation
top- a broad question or topic relating to the subject
middle- specific researchable question
bottom- conclusion of the research question and what it tells us about the roader question or topic

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25
Q

types of questions

A

you have to make sure your asking the questions you want answers to

  • descriptive question: characteristics of something and how to works
  • explanatory question: causes of something, what caused it and why something exists or happened
  • predictive question: future outcomes of current conditions
  • normative question: what ought to be done to bring about certain outcomes
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26
Q

characteristics of unanswerable questions

A
  • they beg other questions
  • present a false dichotomy
  • ask about fictional events
  • are metaphysical
  • are tautology
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27
Q

what are the functions of a literature review

A
  1. explains why a definite answer to your question doesn’t exist
  2. sets the stage for your own argument
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28
Q

what are the stages of a literature review

A
  1. analysis of the literature
  2. summarizing the literature
  3. what still needs to be done
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29
Q

3 criteria for creating a hypothesis

A
  1. it is appropriate to the type of question being asked
  2. adds to existing knowledge
  3. it is clearly and fully specified- states all the factors that must be considered in order to answer the question
30
Q

2 functions of a hypothesis

A

confirmatory research- test an existing theory

exploratory research- act as a guide to research process

31
Q

theory

A

attempt to make sense of the world by indicating that some factors are more important than others and specifying relations among them.

32
Q

types of theories

A

grand theory- theories that are collectively exhaustive and attempt to explain all observed social phenomena

theories of middle range- theories that attempt to understand a specific section of social life

deductive theory- hypothesis is deduced from a theory

inductive theory- hypothesis leads to a general conclusion

grounded theory- theory grounded in data

empirical theory- concerned with questions answerable with empirical data

normative theory- concerned with right and wrong

33
Q

3 step process to theory

A

proposition-> idea/hunch that needs investigation
hypothesis-> tentative argument you wish to develop
theory-> defines the factors that are involved in answering the question and how they relate with the outcome

34
Q

theoretical framework

A

set of assumptions on which the variables connect and have significance

35
Q

criteria and importance of variables in a hypothesis/argument

A
  • without clearly defined variables and their relations a hypothesis cannot be tested,
  • independent and dependent variable and proposition
36
Q

intervening variable + types

A
  • variable that affects the relations between x and y
  • moderating variable: variable that affects the relations between x and y
  • mediating variable: a variable that transmits the effect form the independent to dependent variable.
37
Q

2 types of relationships between variables

A

correlation- x and y are going in the same direction

causation: change in x causes changes in y

38
Q

4 criteria for causality

A
  1. x precedes y
  2. x and y are correlated
  3. causal mechanism can be identified through links between x and y
  4. correlation between x and y is not spurious
39
Q

research design

A

constructing a design or strategy for undertaking research for investigating the research in a coherent and logical way

40
Q

criteria for good research design

A
  1. specific on research technique used during data collection
  2. shows the logic they used to come to their conclusions
  3. evidence confirms hypothesis, and gives a convincing test to the hypothesis
  4. decrease threats to internal and external validity
    (someone should be able to retrace your steps and end up at the same conclusions)
41
Q

internal vs. external validity

A

internal- confidence that x caused y not, z caused y

external- to what extent can your research be applied generally

42
Q

reliability

A

on repeat will we get the same results

43
Q

3 types of studies in research design

A

small-n, large-n, single-n

44
Q

small n vs. large n

A

small- more detailed and good for understanding casual mechanisms because large n studies may be too large that you may see correlation but you arent’ sure whether what is causing it is what the theory says is causing it , depth gives it internal validity, hard to have external validity because its a stretch to use small number of cases to apply to the world generally

large n- external validity because of large cases more likely to apply more broadly

45
Q

historical design

A

helps to understand certain events and their influence on others, by contextualizing the events to understand the relations between events, and explain how timing and sequence of actions affect the nature of certain events

46
Q

experimental design

A

researcher has direct control over the subject and its environment through lab experiments, field work, and natural occurrences

47
Q

experimental design trade off

A

the more controlled the experiment i.e lab the more internal validity the less external validity

48
Q

experimental data

A

when there researcher can directly intervene in data results

49
Q

cross-sectional design vs. longitudinal design

A

cross- sectional- looks at the differences between people and places at a specific point in time; doesn’t look at changes within individuals

longitudinal- shows how individuals development changes over time and answering questions on dynamics of change

50
Q

two type of longitudinal design studies

A

cohort- looking at individuals from a particular section

panel- nation wide random sample and collects infor on it at two or more points in time

51
Q

historical process research vs. comparative historical research

A

historical- a series of events in a single case to understand how the process changed over time

comparative- multiple events in many cases and how process in time and between places

52
Q

purpose of historical research

A

to answer the questions of the present by looking at how the past helps answer them, and even predict the future

53
Q

important gathering strategy

A

set boundaries for the data you need to collect
temporal (what time), spacial (where from), actors that are relevant, variables that are important to arriving to your answer

54
Q

3 elements of ethical research

A
  1. voluntary participation- can withdrawal without penalty at anytime
  2. informed consent- purpose, process, risks and benefits of the study
  3. privacy- securing the identity of the participant
55
Q

data research process

A
  1. conceptualization- clearly define the term/defintion has to be valid
  2. operalization- determining the indicators of the topic, when will we know the topic is there
  3. measurement- how do we measure these indicators
56
Q

3 types of validity

A
  • face validity- is there broad consensus on this measure
  • content validity- to what extent are the indicators
  • construct validity- comparing it to other valid measures
57
Q

selection bias

A

choosing cases that directly give you the outcome you want

58
Q

good data=?

A

transparency; allowing for verification and replication of data

59
Q

what two elements does a good argument require

A

rhetoric: skill of persuasive speaking or writing
research: system of investigation in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions

60
Q

history of “science” in political science

A

science was first applied to political science with Aristotle and Plato who used methods and systems to understand how the world works while trying to build the concept of the perfect society

61
Q

natural vs social science

A

natural science is found to be more objective because it studies inanimate objects

62
Q

criteria for a thesis

A
  • significant
  • contestable
  • specific/focused
  • clear, reader should tell exactly what you plant to argue
  • assertions are to be supported with evidence
63
Q

reliability vs. validity- on outcomes

A

reliability- outcomes are consistent and can be repeated

validity- outcomes meet objectives

64
Q

reliability vs. validity- proof

A

reliability- proof is found in past events

validity- proof is found in ability to predict future events

65
Q

reliability vs. validity- variables

A

reliability- limited number of objective variables

validity- broad number of diverse variables

66
Q

what’s to evaluate facts/evidence

A
  1. authorship
  2. date/currency
  3. relevance
  4. intended audience
67
Q

what is statistics

A

scientific methods of collecting and analyzing numerical data

68
Q

types of stats methods

A

descriptive- seek to describe what the data is saying without making inferences

inferential- seek to reach conclusions that go beyond simple interpretation

predictive- draw predictive conclusions from statistical data

69
Q

questions for evaluation statistics

A
  1. what is the source
  2. possibility of bias
  3. margin of error
  4. age of statistic
  5. purpose
70
Q

pitfall of making generalizations

A
  1. its hard to know where to start and stop with a social phenomena
  2. social changes can occur that change the results
71
Q

qualities of ethical research

A
  1. honesty/transparency
  2. objectivity
  3. competence- accurate and efficient
  4. respect for participants and colleagues

poli 397 (2 decks)

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