POS 3713 FSU Exam 1 #Questions with correct
answers
What do political scientists do? - ✔✔They develop causal theories about the
political world and test those theories scientifically:
1. Create theories
2. Form hypothesis
3. Research
4. Evaluation
5. Modification and extension
Theory - ✔✔A model of the world
-A set of interconnected statements
-It identifies what causes something and why
What are models composed of? - ✔✔Dependent & Independent variables
Dependent variable - ✔✔The phenomenon the model seeks to explain
Independent variable - ✔✔The phenomena thought to cause the dependent
variable
Examples of IV and DV's - ✔✔People with more money tend to vote for
Republicans
-Independent variable: Money
-Dependent variable: Vote choice
,The rich, the men, and the religious tend to vote for Republicans
-Independent variable: Wealth, gender, religiosity
-Dependent variable: Vote choice
Hypothesis - ✔✔-A testable implication of the theory
-The relationship that we expect to observe
-A testable statement, derived from the theory, that indicates a cause and effect
between two concepts
Where do theories come from? - ✔✔Causal theory can be developed via
induction or deduction
-Induction: Empirics --> Theory
-Deduction: Theory --> Empirics
What do we need to understand to build our theory? - ✔✔-Actors or units of
interest?
-What motivates the actors?
-How to apply logic
-What assumptions are necessary for hypothesis to follow from theory?
-Generalize from specifics (empirics) to larger population of interest
Reviewing the existing research - ✔✔-How have others approached your
question?
, -What elements have they missed?
Why do we review the existing research? - ✔✔-Science is the accumulation of
knowledge
-Standing on the shoulders of giants
-The determine the agreed upon definition for concepts
-To determine the agreed upon measures
-Allows you to replicate past research and makes it easier for others to replicate
your research
Conceptual definitions - ✔✔-The meanings we assign to terms
-Concepts are a shared understanding
Concepts - ✔✔-Our perception of "things" with common characteristics
-Tools used to describe the world
-Do not confuse concepts with reality
Political Awareness - ✔✔-How attentive the individual is to politics
-Measured by:
-Civics knowledge
-Current events
Political Sophistication - ✔✔-Sophistication implies some ability to reason through
political questions
-Does the person think ideologically?
answers
What do political scientists do? - ✔✔They develop causal theories about the
political world and test those theories scientifically:
1. Create theories
2. Form hypothesis
3. Research
4. Evaluation
5. Modification and extension
Theory - ✔✔A model of the world
-A set of interconnected statements
-It identifies what causes something and why
What are models composed of? - ✔✔Dependent & Independent variables
Dependent variable - ✔✔The phenomenon the model seeks to explain
Independent variable - ✔✔The phenomena thought to cause the dependent
variable
Examples of IV and DV's - ✔✔People with more money tend to vote for
Republicans
-Independent variable: Money
-Dependent variable: Vote choice
,The rich, the men, and the religious tend to vote for Republicans
-Independent variable: Wealth, gender, religiosity
-Dependent variable: Vote choice
Hypothesis - ✔✔-A testable implication of the theory
-The relationship that we expect to observe
-A testable statement, derived from the theory, that indicates a cause and effect
between two concepts
Where do theories come from? - ✔✔Causal theory can be developed via
induction or deduction
-Induction: Empirics --> Theory
-Deduction: Theory --> Empirics
What do we need to understand to build our theory? - ✔✔-Actors or units of
interest?
-What motivates the actors?
-How to apply logic
-What assumptions are necessary for hypothesis to follow from theory?
-Generalize from specifics (empirics) to larger population of interest
Reviewing the existing research - ✔✔-How have others approached your
question?
, -What elements have they missed?
Why do we review the existing research? - ✔✔-Science is the accumulation of
knowledge
-Standing on the shoulders of giants
-The determine the agreed upon definition for concepts
-To determine the agreed upon measures
-Allows you to replicate past research and makes it easier for others to replicate
your research
Conceptual definitions - ✔✔-The meanings we assign to terms
-Concepts are a shared understanding
Concepts - ✔✔-Our perception of "things" with common characteristics
-Tools used to describe the world
-Do not confuse concepts with reality
Political Awareness - ✔✔-How attentive the individual is to politics
-Measured by:
-Civics knowledge
-Current events
Political Sophistication - ✔✔-Sophistication implies some ability to reason through
political questions
-Does the person think ideologically?
