Lecture+3

Page 7: Variables in Research

• Understanding Variables:

  • Political scientists utilize variables to clarify relationships among phenomena.

  • Types of Variables:

    • Independent Variable: Influences or causes changes in another variable (X in X → Y).

    • Dependent Variable: The outcome affected by independent variables (Y in X → Y).

    • Example: Education (Independent) → Income (Dependent).

Page 8: Constants and Variability

• Characteristics of Variables:

  • Variables are expected to change; constants do not.

  • A researcher may discover expected variables are constants in their context.

• Case Example:

  • Survey examining military service's impact on attitudes found no variable respondents (constant).

Page 9: Types of Variables Explained

• Antecedent and Intervening Variables:

  • Antecedent Variable: Affects independent variables before they influence the dependent variable.

  • Intervening Variable: Affected by independent variables and occurs nearer to the dependent variable.

• Example Scenario:

  • Adequacy of Health Insurance → Attitudes Toward National Health Insurance → Presidential Voting.

Page 12: Good Hypothesis Traits

• Six Characteristics of a Good Hypothesis:

  1. Empirical: Must be testable.

  2. Stated as a Generality: Covering broader phenomena, not specifics.

  3. Plausible: Logically grounded.

  4. Specific: Directional understanding of relationships (e.g., changes in X lead to changes in Y).

  5. Correspondence: Outlines how the hypothesis will be tested with concrete examples.

  6. Realistic: Attainable and justifiable for testing purposes.