Quiz 1 Flashcards
A data set that compiles information collected at different time intervals to study properties that vary over time is a times series data set
True
The structure of data sets varies substantially.
False
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?
reliable
Two or more distinct groups of empirical characteristics are known as a
multidimensional concept
Liberalism is the extent to which individuals express support for increased government spending for social programs is an example of an operational definition.
False
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
random error
Democratization is an example of a(n) ______ in political research.
concept
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
economic liberalism
______ introduces consistent, chronic distortion into an empirical measurement
Systematic error
A concept is an idea or mental construct that represents phenomena in the real world.
True
A survey instrument intended to measure presidential approval ratings that produce drastically different numbers each time it is administered lacks reliability
True
One way to test the reliability of a measure is the ______ method.
test-retest
A group of research subjects who modify their behavior in response to being studied will likely lead to ______ being present in the measurement.
systematic error
A(n) ______ describes clearly the concept’s measurable properties and specifies the units of analysis
conceptual definition
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 ______.
concept
Every concept must have two essential properties, concreteness and variability.
True
The entity that researchers want to describe and analyze is known as a ______.
unit of analysis
Conservatives tend to oppose same-sex marriage. Paul is a conservative. Therefore, Paul opposes same-sex marriage.
False
A measure is said to be reliable when it accurately measures the concept being studied.
False
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 ______.
construct validity
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 ______.
ecological fallacy
A survey that measures exactly the characteristic it is designed to measure is considered to be valid.
True
A researcher uses his judgment to determine whether support for welfare spending measures economic liberalism. This is an example of ______.
face validity
A measure that “picks up” an unintended characteristic when studying human subjects is known as the Hawthorne effect.
True
Data sets are always large and tend to contain large numbers.
False
A measure that records the true value of an intended characteristic is said to be?
validity
When studying the passage of Civil Rights legislation by Congress each bill is an example of a(n) _____.
individual unit of analysis
An interviewer who records a respondent’s answer incorrectly has introduced random measurement error into the research.
True
In a study of the presidency, presidential speeches are an example of a unit of analysis.
True
Economic liberalism and social liberalism comprise a single dimension of the concept liberalism.
False
The primary goals of political research are to describe ______ and ______ the relationship between them.
concepts; analyze
A question that may be answered empirically using tangible properties is called a ______.
concrete question
A researcher is studying political ideologies and includes a question about an individual’s views on same-sex marriage as one of the ______.
characteristics
A measure that provides inconsistent readings of a concept probably suffers from______.
random error
An operational definition describes the instrument to be used in measuring a concept and putting the conceptual definition to work.
True
