Pol 138 Quan Reasoning

Front 1

Research design is intended to test if one variable:

Back 1

1) causes another
2) causes change in another
3) requires 3 criteria

Front 2

The 3 criteria required for causality are:

Back 2

1) covariation
2) time order
3) nonspuriousness

Front 3

---------- is evidence that two phenomena tend to occur at the same time or for the same cases.

Back 3

COVARIATION

ex. everytime there is a crisis in foreign policy, the presidential popularity increases

*all types of resarch deisgn are intended to determine whether causatin exists and are set up to measure the extent of covariation.*

Front 4

---------- must have evidence the assumed cause (the independent variable) happened before the assumed effect (the depenedent variable)

Back 4

TIME ORDER

Front 5

------------- makes sure that any covariation we observe between the independent and dependent variable is not caused by other factors.

Back 5

NONSPURIOUSNESS

Front 6

What are the four types of research design?

Back 6

1) true experimental design
2) the quasi experiment (natural)
3) correlation design
4) designs lacking covariation

Front 7

How does the true experimental design start off?

Back 7

start with two groups (unit of analysis), divided randomly into a treatment group and a control group which is given a stimulus. both groups given posttest, results compared to hypothesis.

Front 8

What are some problems associated with the true experimental design?

Back 8

Impossible to manipulate many independent variables (age, race, gender or social phenomena like war or elections) Lack of representative samples (conducted in artificial settings, no control on outside influences like news, conversations, or experience)

Front 9

This is the comparison of the dependant variable before and after the independent variable has been applied. The subjects in this case are not assigned to groups.

Back 9

QUASI "NATURAL" EXPERIMENT

Front 10

In this experiment, researchers observe which subjects have something happen to them and then they put them into experimental and control groups. This requires a pretest of dependent variables so the amount of change is measured.

Back 10

THE QUASI "NATURAL" EXPERIMENT

Front 11

This is the collecting of data on an independant and dependant variable, and determining rather or not there is a pattern or relationship.

Back 11

CORRELATION DESIGN

Front 12

In a correlation deisgn, it is also advisable to what?

Back 12

Collect data from other potentially relevant variables and control for them

This is the most common approach in politcial science.

Front 13

This is descriptive work and it may serve to increase our knowledge but it can't "prove" anything in a scientific sense.

Back 13

DESIGNS THAT LACK COVARIATION

Front 14

What are the two basic types of survey items?

Back 14

Closed ended and open ended.

Front 15

This is a survey when respondents are given all possible answers.

Back 15

CLOSE ENDED

Front 16

This is a survey when respondents are given a general question and asked to provide their own answer.

Back 16

OPEN ENDED

Front 17

Are most surveys open or close ended and why?

Back 17

CLOSED

EASIER AND CHEAPER

Front 18

What are some advantages to open ended survey items?

Back 18

Better measurements of opinion, attitudes, and concerns

People may choose just for the heck of it on close ended... On OPEN ended, they can express their real feelings.

Front 19

What are some disadvantages to close ended survey items?

Back 19

More difficult to record responses

More difficult to classify responses

Front 20

What is a problem associated with survey item construction?

Back 20

The respondents must be competent enough to answer a question.

-You can present a summary of difficult info. before asking the questions
-Use a filter question to determimne if the respondent is familiar

Front 21

In survey construction, what are you to avoid?

Back 21

Using biased or emotional language.
--Do not allow phrasing of the question to sway respondents.

Avoid leading questions
--Alwyas ask "do you agree or disagree..."

Stating the question in a negative way

Front 22

In survey construction, what is best?

Back 22

Short and simple questions
--Longer questions are harder to understand
--If it's a complicated issue, provide background then ask a simple question

Front 23

Problem in survey construction:

Never use big words that are unfamiliar to the average person. If you must...

Back 23

If you must use them, explain them first.

Front 24

Problem in survey construction:

Avoid ambigous questions. Be what...

Back 24

Be as clear as possible.

Front 25

Problem in survey construction:

Avoid or minimize threats. Threats may what...

Back 25

If threats are personal or societal, they may lead to less than honest questions, if any at all.

ex. do you use illegal substances?
do you want to keep homosexuals out of ur neighborhood?

Front 26

How do you minimize the threats in survey construction?

Back 26

Stress confidentiality and anonymity

Change your language
--"would a less traditional family living next door bother you?"

Front 27

Problem in survey construction:

To avoid double barrelled questions,

Back 27

Ask only one question at a time.

Front 28

Published data is usually organized by what?

Back 28

UNITS OF ANALYSIS

--Be sure that published info. is for the unit of analysis needed

Front 29

Most political science data is ----.

Back 29

AGGREGRATE

--summary figures on population of geographic political units

Front 30

When analyzing units of analysis, what is something to avoid?

Back 30

ECOLOGICAL FALLACY

--do not draw conclusions about individuals from aggregarate info
ex. study says all ISU students are alcoholics. im in rantoul, person assumes im an alcoholic b/c i have an ISU shirt on.

Front 31

When dealing with political science data, you should ---- the information.

Back 31

STANDARDIZE

--ex. convert into percentages of total

Front 32

In units of analysis, "individual" information is sometimes available. This means..

Back 32

Not usually for "ordinary" people, rather senators, etc.

May include gov't agencies, political parties, etc.

Front 33

This is any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages.

Back 33

CONTENT ANALYSIS

--this is a data collection method, not a research design

Front 34

Content analysis can be used to analyze...

Back 34

Published verbal texts

--is news coverage of a political campaign biased

Front 35

Content analysis also provides...

Back 35

Answers to open ended survey questions

Historical perspectives

Front 36

One issue of content analysis is ----.

Back 36

OBJECTIVITY

Subjective placement of data into categories

Front 37

To reducse objectivity and subjective placement, ------.

Back 37

Have more than one person do the coding and compare results.

--intercoder reliability is the extent of similarity between difference coders

Front 38

Contigency tables are often presented as ------.

Back 38

PERCENTAGES

Front 39

What are the conventions of contigency tables?

Columns, rows..

Back 39

Columns: INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

Rows: DEPENDENT VARIABLES

--Calculate column percentages by dividing the frequency of each cell by the total for that column
---percentages for each column will = 100

Front 40

The missing zero point is one way not to lie with graphics, what is this?

Back 40

Exaggerates the difference between indepenedent variables categories.

Front 41

Why is their a need for standardization of graphics?

Back 41

-Aggregarate data only useful if standardizerd

-May otherwise be misleading

Front 42

Name some principles of good graphics.

Back 42

-Keep it simple
-Clearly label and provide units
-Provide title
-Provide source
-Describe the graphic in your text