Quiz 1

Question 1

A data set that compiles information collected at different time intervals to study properties that vary over time is a times series data set

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The structure of data sets varies substantially.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

A recent public opinion poll found that 47 percent of respondents approve of the job the president is doing. Subsequent polls found approval ratings of 46 percent, 48 percent, and 49 percent. Based upon this we can say the questions in the poll are what kind of measurement of presidential job approval?

Answer 3

reliable

Question 4

Two or more distinct groups of empirical characteristics are known as a

Answer 4

multidimensional concept

Question 5

Liberalism is the extent to which individuals express support for increased government spending for social programs is an example of an operational definition.

Answer 5

False

Question 6

A research assistant is entering data into a data set on individual attitudes regarding social issues. He did not get enough sleep the night before and occasionally enters the wrong code for some individuals. This is an example of

Answer 6

random error

Question 7

Democratization is an example of a(n) ______ in political research.

Answer 7

concept

Question 8

Which of the following concepts is defined as the extent to which states exhibit the characteristic of having residents who support government spending for social programs

Answer 8

economic liberalism

Question 9

______ introduces consistent, chronic distortion into an empirical measurement

Answer 9

Systematic error

Question 10

A concept is an idea or mental construct that represents phenomena in the real world.

Answer 10

True

Question 11

A survey instrument intended to measure presidential approval ratings that produce drastically different numbers each time it is administered lacks reliability

Answer 11

True

Question 12

One way to test the reliability of a measure is the ______ method.

Answer 12

test-retest

Question 13

A group of research subjects who modify their behavior in response to being studied will likely lead to ______ being present in the measurement.

Answer 13

systematic error

Question 14

A(n) ______ describes clearly the concept’s measurable properties and specifies the units of analysis

Answer 14

conceptual definition

Question 15

An idea or mental construct that organizes, maps, and helps us understand phenomena in the real world and make choices is referred to as a ______.

Answer 15

concept

Question 16

Every concept must have two essential properties, concreteness and variability.

Answer 16

True

Question 17

The entity that researchers want to describe and analyze is known as a ______.

Answer 17

unit of analysis

Question 18

Conservatives tend to oppose same-sex marriage. Paul is a conservative. Therefore, Paul opposes same-sex marriage.

Answer 18

False

Question 19

A measure is said to be reliable when it accurately measures the concept being studied.

Answer 19

False

Question 20

A researcher develops a survey to measure political ideology on a 7-point scale from strong liberal to strong conservative. The result provides an accurate measure of the ideology of the individuals in the study. This is an example of ______.

Answer 20

construct validity

Question 21

A researcher is studying the attitudes of liberals and determines that one characteristic of liberals is support for abortion rights. Joe describes himself as a liberal, so the researcher concludes that Joe supports abortion rights. This is an example of ______.

Answer 21

ecological fallacy

Question 22

A survey that measures exactly the characteristic it is designed to measure is considered to be valid.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

A researcher uses his judgment to determine whether support for welfare spending measures economic liberalism. This is an example of ______.

Answer 23

face validity

Question 24

A measure that “picks up” an unintended characteristic when studying human subjects is known as the Hawthorne effect.

Answer 24

True

Question 25

Data sets are always large and tend to contain large numbers.

Answer 25

False

Question 26

A measure that records the true value of an intended characteristic is said to be?

Answer 26

validity

Question 27

When studying the passage of Civil Rights legislation by Congress each bill is an example of a(n) _____.

Answer 27

individual unit of analysis

Question 28

An interviewer who records a respondent’s answer incorrectly has introduced random measurement error into the research.

Answer 28

True

Question 29

In a study of the presidency, presidential speeches are an example of a unit of analysis.

Answer 29

True

Question 30

Economic liberalism and social liberalism comprise a single dimension of the concept liberalism.

Answer 30

False

Question 31

The primary goals of political research are to describe ______ and ______ the relationship between them.

Answer 31

concepts; analyze

Question 32

A question that may be answered empirically using tangible properties is called a ______.

Answer 32

concrete question

Question 33

A researcher is studying political ideologies and includes a question about an individual’s views on same-sex marriage as one of the ______.

Answer 33

characteristics

Question 34

A measure that provides inconsistent readings of a concept probably suffers from______.

Answer 34

random error

Question 35

An operational definition describes the instrument to be used in measuring a concept and putting the conceptual definition to work.

Answer 35

True