political research and statistics 8/26/2013. readings bring your cd's and a flash drive to...
TRANSCRIPT
Readings
• Bring your cd's and a flash drive to class on Thursday
• Pollack Textbook– Introduction– Ch: 10 Thinking Empirically, Thinking
Probabilistically– Ch: 1 The Measurement of Concepts (6-13)
Office Hours
• When– Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10-12– Tuesday and Thursday 8-12– And by appointment
• Where– Doyle 226B
• Phone – 428-1294• Email- [email protected]
What’s New for 2013
• Four Exams instead of three– Less high-stakes testing
– Less information to study for each exam
– Exams will be shorter in length
• That means we will have class today
Electronic Device Policy
• The use of cell phones, smart phones, or other mobile communication devices is disruptive, and is therefore prohibited during class. Except in emergencies, those using such devices must leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period.
About the Computers
• Use them for class, not for personal business
• If you can only use them for evil, turn them off.
The Textbooks
The Textbook• 4th Edition (older editions
are different)
The Workbook• 4th Edition (older editions
will not work)
We need to cover a lot of ground
• This is the only methods/stats class for POLS and ENSP
• It counts for your computer class
• Math is not hard, if it was you wouldn’t be in college
Asking Questions
• Don’t Be afraid
• Assume someone else has the same question
• Don’t ask your friends
• Come to office hours
Course overview
In this class we cover the essential statistics used in the social sciences • The goal of this course is to prepare you for a
career in the social sciences or a related field. • The class begins with research design and
culminates with multivariate regression.
Course Overview
• Methodological proficiency is ascertained in three ways – computer competency assignments– statistical computation and interpretation homework– in-class examinations.
• The Class culminates with a semester length research paper in which you formulate and empirically test a hypothesis using the appropriate methodology.
Course Learning Objectives
1. Students will learn the research methods commonly used in behavioral sciences and will be able to interpret and explain empirical data.
2. Second, as this course fulfills the Computational Skills portion of the University degree plan, students will achieve competency in conducting statistical data analysis using the SPSS software program.
Course Learning Objectives
3. Students will learn the basics of polling and be able to analyze and explain polling and survey data.
4. Students will learn the basics of research design and be able to critically analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different types of design.
5. Students will be able to use the statistical tools learned in class to test a political research hypothesis and present these results in a research paper.
We focus on empirical research
• actual objective observation of political and social phenomena.
• Things that can actually be measured
The Opposite of Empirical is Normative
• judgments about what should be.
• The answers depends on who is answering the question.
• Normative statements are unscientific.
What is a Social Science
• The application of empirical research in which the researcher adheres to certain well-defined principles for collecting, analyzing and evaluating political information
• Examples– Psychology– Sociology– Economics– Political Science– Public Policy
What is Science?
• It has to do with the way questions are formulated “Political Research”
• And Tests these through a set of rules and forms “and statistics”
The Goal is Scientific Knowledge
• Study society scientifically and empirically
• Develop answers to questions about society
Scientific Knowledge is Non-Normative
• Based on What We Think
• The pepsi challenge
Subject to Empirical Verification
• Nixon-Kennedy Debate
• Top Party Schools or is it?
• If you can’t measure/prove it, it isn’t scientific knowledge
Generalizable
• Applies to more than one case
• Covers a wide range of phenomenon
• They wouldn’t announce them if they didn’t happen…
Good Social Science Research
• Pertains to the discipline
• Significant
• Simple
Bad Social Science research
• Not-germane to the discipline
• Normative
• Based on discrete facts
• Who won the 2012 Election?
What are Concepts?
• Concepts are the words we use to describe political, social and environmental behaviors
• They name and describe the external world
The Conceptual Definition
• This is the conceptual definition takes abstract things and make them real.
• States the concept in unambiguous terms
• Must communicate– The variation within a concept– The subject to which the concept applies
The Operational Definition
• Turning your concept into something that can be measured
• Must be precise and accurate
• This can be very difficult
The Concept of Poverty
Absolute Depravation• The Federal Government
sets the poverty guidelines
• This is then used to determine eligibility for benefits
Relative Depravation