Deck 4: The Building Blocks of Social Scientific Research: Hypotheses, Concepts, and Variables

Question 1

A ______________ relationship is one where the values of one variable increases (or decreases) as the values of another variable increases (or decreases).

Answer 1

Positive

Question 2

In a(n) ______________ researchers use data collected for one unit of analysis to make inferences about another unit of analysis.

A) Cross-level analysis
B) Ecological inference
C) Ecological fallacy
D) Arrow diagram

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Using information that shows a relationship for groups to infer that the same relationship exists for individuals when in fact there is no such relationship at the individual level is called a(n) ____________.

Answer 3

Ecological fallacy

Question 4

The particular type of actor whose political behavior is named in a hypothesis is the __________ for the research project.

A) Cross-level analysis
B) Unit of analysis
C) Ecological analysis
D) Inferential analysis

Question 5

The use of aggregate data to study the behavior of individuals is called ________________.

Question 6

Identify the unit of analysis in this hypothesis: Civil wars that are halted by negotiated peace agreements are less likely to re-erupt than are those that cease due to the military superiority of one of the parties to the conflict.

A) Peace agreements
B) Military
C) Civil wars
D) Negotiations

Question 7

__________ concepts should be defined very carefully because they can mean different things to different people.

A) Abstract
B) Concrete
C) Political
D) Tautological

Question 8

Explain why a tautological statement is problematic for an empirical analysis and provide an example.

Question 9

A variable that occurs closer in time to the dependent variable and is itself affected by other independent variables is called a(n) _________ variable.

A) Independent
B) Dependent
C) Antecedent
D) Intervening

Question 10

A _______________ relationship is one where the values of one variable increases as the values of another variable decreases.

Question 11

The words that we choose to describe political behaviors or attributes are called _________.

A) Operations
B) Hypotheses
C) Values
D) Concepts

Question 12

Hypotheses should be a __________ rather than a ____________ statement.

A) Nonempirical, empirical
B) Empirical, nonempirical
C) Isolated, general
D) General, isolated

Question 13

A(n) _______________ specifies the phenomena of interest; indicates which variables are independent, alternative, antecedent, intervening, and dependent; and shows which variables are thought to affect which other ones.

A) Arrow diagram
B) Hypothesis
C) Research question
D) Contingency table

Question 14

A ____________ is a guess (but of an educated nature) that represents the proposed explanation for some phenomenon and that indicates how an independent variable is thought to affect, influence, or alter a dependent variable.

A) Theory
B) Arrow diagram
C) Hypothesis
D) Ecological analysis

Question 15

A variable that occurs prior to all other variables and that may affect other independent variables is called a(n) ______________ variable.

A) Independent
B) Dependent
C) Antecedent
D) Intervening

Question 16

What is the difference between an antecedent variable and an intervening variable?

Question 17

A(n) __________ variable is thought to be caused, to depend upon, or to be a function of a(n) _________ variable.

A) Independent, dependent
B) Dependent, independent
C) Antecedent, intervening
D) Intervening, antecedent

Question 18

A phenomenon that we think will help us explain the political characteristics or behavior that interests us is called a(n) __________________.

A) Independent variable
B) Dependent variable
C) Antecedent variable
D) Intervening variable

Question 19

What is the difference between a variable and a constant and why is the difference important for testing hypotheses?

Question 20

Please provide a hypothesis then identify the independent variable, the dependent variable, the direction of the relationship and the unit of analysis.

Question 21

Please explain how the unit of analysis plays a part in ecological inference and ecological fallacy.

Question 22

What is the difference between an independent and dependent variable? How are they related? In your answer please give an example.

Question 23

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a theory? In your answer please define each and explain the role each would play in a research project.

Question 24

Why are clear definitions of concepts important in developing specific hypotheses?

Question 25

In the space below, please write three hypotheses; one should represent a positive relationship, one should represent a negative relationship, and one should represent a relationship with no direction. Label each hypothesis as positive, negative, or no direction.