midterm exam

Question 1

political science

Answer 1

the idea that we systematically observe political or social phenomenon to identify and explain patterns

Question 2

empirical

Answer 2

using data, making conclusions

Question 3

non-normative

Answer 3

statements that are not value-laden; not concerned with “what ought to be”; an argument based off of the facts

Question 4

transmissible

Answer 4

very clear in describing our processes

Question 5

replicable

Answer 5

in order to guarantee that the same conclusion can and will be reached

Question 6

cumulative

Answer 6

positioning our work within a whole body of work; makes the lit review important

Question 7

general

Answer 7

aim to be able to contribute to generalizability; applicable to many/some other case studies

Question 8

explanatory

Answer 8

empirically verifiable argument as to why; provide systematic explanation; more than description

Question 9

parsimonious

Answer 9

arguments should be as simple as they can be, with still being full

Question 10

falsifiable

Answer 10

possible to be proven wrong; not tautological; able to be observed

Question 11

verifiable

Answer 11

independent verification; able to come to the same conclusion

Question 12

the research process

Answer 12

define the problem; map a hypothesis; develop a research design; measuring tools; collect data; analyze data; generalize

Question 13

literature review process

Answer 13

introduce puzzle/RQ; summarize what we already know; critique existing lit/find gaps; link to your theory/argument

Question 14

theory

Answer 14

a systematic explanation of phenomenon or relationships, general explanation of why something happens; explaining a causal relationship

Question 15

casual mechanism

Answer 15

the why! necessary for a solid theoretical foundation

Question 16

hypothesis

Answer 16

a statement of your expectation of the relationship between two variables in relation to your theory

Question 17

variable

Answer 17

empirical property that takes on a value

Question 18

independent variable

Answer 18

the variable that influences the other variables; explanatory; the cause

Question 19

dependent variable

Answer 19

the variable being acted upon; what you’re trying to explain; the effect

Question 20

intervening variable

Answer 20

the variable between independent and dependent; has an effect on the dependent variable and affected by the independent variable

Question 21

antecedent variable

Answer 21

act upon the independent variable and temporally precede the independent variable

Question 22

conditional variable

Answer 22

affects the relationship between the dependent and independent variable; condition under which IV and DV are affected

Question 23

control variable

Answer 23

variables that could affect the DV yet not the ones we’re studying; control for these variables so we can isolate the variable we want

Question 24

arrow diagrams

Answer 24

visual representation of concepts in your hypothesis and the relationship between them

Question 25

conceptualization

Answer 25

specifying and defining variables; telling the reader what you mean

Question 26

operationalization

Answer 26

moving towards an empirical definition; defining your concepts and the empirical ways of measuring them

Question 27

nominal measurement

Answer 27

two or more categories which have no intrinsic order

Question 28

dichotomous variables

Answer 28

only have two variables and look for the presence or absence of those categories; categories should be mutually exclusive

Question 29

ordinal measurement

Answer 29

two or more categories but they can be in rank order; can have intrinsic order

Question 30

interval measurement

Answer 30

two or more categories but they are rank ordered with equal distance between levels

Question 31

ratio measurement

Answer 31

0 is the absence of the variable; percentages

Question 32

experimental design

Answer 32

you take action to manipulate the independent variable and observe how your manipulation is affecting the outcome

Question 33

observational design

Answer 33

go out and observe behavior on IV and collect data on DV; observe control variables

Question 34

null hypothesis

Answer 34

the absence of a hypothesized result and relationship