Thinking Through Research Design

Question 1

Argument

Answer 1

Argument: series of logical
statements that lead to a
conclusion, with reasons offered to support the
conclusion
– Seek to persuade, justify,
or explain
• If reasons are shown to
be incorrect, or if
reasoning is faulty,
argument is flawed and
should be rejected

Question 2

evidence

Answer 2

• Evidence:
data/information that
provide basis for a
position/point of view
– Observations that we
measure in some way

Question 3

Examining research arguments takes 2 things

Answer 3

Quality of evidence:
examination of individual studies
– Trustworthiness of research

• Quantity of evidence:
examination of body of knowledge
– Argument lacks evidence à argument is not convincing
– Argument supported by small number of studies à argument somewhat convincing
– Argument supported by several different lines of evidence
àargument is convincing

Question 4

research nihilism

Answer 4

“...it is very easy to find flaws with all studies. It is much
more difficult, though, to
teach people to differentiate
between limitations and fatal
flaws; that is, to judge whether
the problems are serious
enough to jeopardize the
results or should simply be
interpreted with a modicum of
caution. Without this
judgment, it is easy to become
nihilistic, feeling that no study
can be believed...”

Question 5

Purposful use of Research Nihilism

Answer 5

Objectivity, cognitive biases and evidence utilization:
- People attribute more expertise to those whose findings are consistent with their pre-existing
beliefs, and less to those whose findings are inconsistent with their pre-existing beliefs
- Cherry-picking in use of information
- Impossible expectations for arguments/evidence that are are inconsistent with their preexisting beliefs

Question 6

define ontology, epistemology, and methodology

Answer 6

Ontology •What is out there to know?
-objectivism or interpretivism

Epistemology •What can we (hope to) know about
it?
-positivisms or interpretivism

Methodology •How can we go about acquiring that
knowledge?
-Quantitative and Qualitative

Question 7

Which is the depdent, which is the independent variable?

Immigrants

Voting Yes/No on a policy

Answer 7

• does voting yes or no make you an immigrant? No
• does being an immigrant affect you voting Yes or No? YES

SOOO
Independent: Immigrant
Dependent: Voting

Question 8

Different studies have different objective: 2

Answer 8

.Theory testing: aggressive in causal arguments
-Some studies are more exploratory, suggest
potential causal relationships for future hypothesis testing
-Tend to make more tentative causal arguments

. Exploratory: less aggressive by merely touching on causal arguments
-Some studies are theory testing, explicitly test
hypotheses to make or refute causal arguments
-Tend to make stronger causal arguments

Question 9

Characterisitics of a GREAT hypothesis

Answer 9

• Clear statement that relationship exists
– Correlation
• Statement of how concepts are related
– What is the effect?
– Which comes first? (temporal order)
• Falsifiable
– i.e., can be proven wrong

Question 10

portability

external validity

transferability

Answer 10

portability – results
applicable in some way to
other environments.

external validity: the extent
to which the findings drawn
from the cases under
examination may be used to
make generalizations about
phenomena outside the
original study.

transferability –the ability to
export lessons from one set of
cases to draw conclusions
about another set of cases

Question 11

Framework to a represesentative sample(3)

Answer 11

1. Sampling Frame
2. Sample Selection
3. Sample size