answering

theory

simplified account of complex reality which links causes and effects state probabilistically

what does theory indicate

links an outcome (dv) to a set of factors (ivs) whose values (presence, absence, or amount) make that outcome more or less likely

regression table

all variables in a table are independent variables, and youre being asked the effect of all the things in the table on this thing

what does it mean for variables to be postiively or negatively affected

• Positive = they move in the same direction.

• Negative = they move in opposite directions

bivariate analysis

looks at relationship between 2 variables. the goal is to see whether and how the two variables are associated

replication crisis

researchers try to recreate previous studies with significant findings

3 steps for when you have your research question and hypothesis

1. conceptualize

2. operationalize

3. measure

conceptualize

define something

operationalize

how will we know when we see it

• we identify things through indicators. concrete things whose presence or absence can be determined through observation

identify each step as abstract and observable or not:

• conceptualization

• operationalization

• measure

number vs proportion

• number— tells you how many.

• proportion— tells you how big the part is compared to total (usually percentage)

What is Colin Kahl’s main focus in States, Scarcity, and Civil Strife in the Developing World (2006)?

• explores how environmental pressures contribute to civil conflict in developing countries

• organizes and sorts through arguments about the relationship between environmental pressures and civil conflicts

proposition

a statement that identifies key factors that are thought to be related in some way (way to start an argument, further develops intoa. hypothesis)

a good theory is

• parsimonious: attempts to explain as much as possible with as little as possible (parsimony)

  • allso generalizable

2 approaches to building theory

• induction

• deduction

Inductive Approach (Bottom-up)

From observation → generalizations/hypotheses → broader theory.

• Begin with question or basic proposition.

• Examine cases.

• Develop more specific propositions.

deductive approach (top-down)

From theory → hypotheses → testing with data.

• Start with theory.

• Derive specific, testable hypotheses.

• Test with logical/empirical evidence.

which approach is

a) hypothesis generation/exploratory research

and which one is

b) hypothesis testing and confirmatory

a) inductive.

b) deductive