Question 1

Which of the following is not a source of theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  Inductive reasoning 
B)  Deductive reasoning 
C)  Other scholars' literature 
D)  Hypothesis 
A)  Inductive reasoning 
B)  Deductive reasoning 
C)  Other scholars' literature 
D)  Hypothesis D

Question 2

What word is often useful in the writing of theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because 
B)  Prove 
C)  Null 
D)  Always 
A)  Because 
B)  Prove 
C)  Null 
D)  Always A

Question 3

What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  A theory is a testable mechanism for determining causation, whereas a hypothesis is an explanation for a theory 
B)  A theory consists of variables whereas a hypothesis consists of ideas 
C)  A theory is a generalized explanation for an observable outcome, and a hypothesis is an expectation of how two or more variables are related 
D)  A theory is an expectation, whereas a hypothesis is a generalized expectation 
A)  A theory is a testable mechanism for determining causation, whereas a hypothesis is an explanation for a theory 
B)  A theory consists of variables whereas a hypothesis consists of ideas 
C)  A theory is a generalized explanation for an observable outcome, and a hypothesis is an expectation of how two or more variables are related 
D)  A theory is an expectation, whereas a hypothesis is a generalized expectation C

Question 4

Where do research hypotheses come from?

Accepted Answer

A)  From a theory about the relationship between two variables 
B)  From spurious relationships among variables 
C)  From observed correlations 
D)  From the null hypothesis 
A)  From a theory about the relationship between two variables 
B)  From spurious relationships among variables 
C)  From observed correlations 
D)  From the null hypothesis

Question 5

Causal explanations establish:

Accepted Answer

A)  cause and effect 
B)  correlation 
C)  generalizability 
D)  inductive observations 
A)  cause and effect 
B)  correlation 
C)  generalizability 
D)  inductive observations

Question 6

What is the abbreviation for a null hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  H1 
B)  N1 
C)  H0 
D)  N0 
A)  H1 
B)  N1 
C)  H0 
D)  N0

Question 7

Because we accept we cannot correctly predict all social behavior, theories in political science are:

Accepted Answer

A)  deterministic 
B)  generalizable 
C)  probabilistic 
D)  testable 
A)  deterministic 
B)  generalizable 
C)  probabilistic 
D)  testable

Question 8

Probabilistic theories suggest:

Accepted Answer

A)  that an outcome is by definition the only possible result associated with a particular cause 
B)  that the likelihood of an event occurring is either higher or lower for a particular reason 
C)  the absence of a certain value of one or more independent variables 
D)  that a theory should be applicable to as many contexts as possible and not only to the set of observations that were included in the original study 
A)  that an outcome is by definition the only possible result associated with a particular cause 
B)  that the likelihood of an event occurring is either higher or lower for a particular reason 
C)  the absence of a certain value of one or more independent variables 
D)  that a theory should be applicable to as many contexts as possible and not only to the set of observations that were included in the original study

Question 9

What is explanatory power?

Accepted Answer

A)  The power of a theory to explain as much of an outcome as possible 
B)  The actual theory itself 
C)  A series of research hypotheses derived from a theory 
D)  The comparison of the null hypothesis to the research hypothesis 
A)  The power of a theory to explain as much of an outcome as possible 
B)  The actual theory itself 
C)  A series of research hypotheses derived from a theory 
D)  The comparison of the null hypothesis to the research hypothesis

Question 10

A testable hypothesis is one that can be:

Accepted Answer

A)  evaluated based on empirical data 
B)  applied to as many contexts as possible 
C)  free of ecological fallacies 
D)  free of individualistic fallacies 
A)  evaluated based on empirical data 
B)  applied to as many contexts as possible 
C)  free of ecological fallacies 
D)  free of individualistic fallacies

Question 11

What is a deterministic theory?

Accepted Answer

A)  One that posits that an outcome is the only possible result associated with a particular cause 
B)  One that posits that an outcome is more or less likely given a particular cause 
C)  One that posits that outcomes are not predictable 
D)  One that posits that outcomes are usually spurious 
A)  One that posits that an outcome is the only possible result associated with a particular cause 
B)  One that posits that an outcome is more or less likely given a particular cause 
C)  One that posits that outcomes are not predictable 
D)  One that posits that outcomes are usually spurious

Question 12

A generalized explanation for an observable outcome is known as a/an:

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothesis 
B)  individualistic fallacy 
C)  theory 
D)  ecological fallacy 
A)  hypothesis 
B)  individualistic fallacy 
C)  theory 
D)  ecological fallacy

Question 13

An individualistic fallacy is inferring a characteristic about:

Accepted Answer

A)  a group based on observations from only one case 
B)  a group based on observations from multiple cases 
C)  one case based on trends from multiple cases 
D)  one case based on trends from only one case 
A)  a group based on observations from only one case 
B)  a group based on observations from multiple cases 
C)  one case based on trends from multiple cases 
D)  one case based on trends from only one case

Question 14

Insights from the literature:

Accepted Answer

A)  are not helpful in developing theory 
B)  should not be used in developing theory since an original theory must come from the researcher 
C)  should only be in the literature review 
D)  can help a researcher shape the theory about the relationship between the variables in an analysis 
A)  are not helpful in developing theory 
B)  should not be used in developing theory since an original theory must come from the researcher 
C)  should only be in the literature review 
D)  can help a researcher shape the theory about the relationship between the variables in an analysis

Question 15

When a relationship is spurious:

Accepted Answer

A)  the two variables under investigation are not empirically correlated 
B)  the relationship is deterministic 
C)  the two variables cannot be included as independent variables 
D)  the correlation between two variables is not a causal one 
A)  the two variables under investigation are not empirically correlated 
B)  the relationship is deterministic 
C)  the two variables cannot be included as independent variables 
D)  the correlation between two variables is not a causal one

Question 16

Observational studies attempt to:

Accepted Answer

A)  establish causality among variables after events have already occurred 
B)  establish causality by using an experimental design 
C)  support null hypotheses 
D)  create spurious results 
A)  establish causality among variables after events have already occurred 
B)  establish causality by using an experimental design 
C)  support null hypotheses 
D)  create spurious results

Question 17

Inductive observations involve:

Accepted Answer

A)  a general premise that is used to generate expectations about how variables are related to one another 
B)  inferring a characteristic about a group based on observations from only one individual or case 
C)  information you have at your immediate disposal 
D)  devising a number of plausible explanations that might have some power in explaining why there is variation in the dependent variable 
A)  a general premise that is used to generate expectations about how variables are related to one another 
B)  inferring a characteristic about a group based on observations from only one individual or case 
C)  information you have at your immediate disposal 
D)  devising a number of plausible explanations that might have some power in explaining why there is variation in the dependent variable

Question 18

Which of the following is not a requirement to establish causality?

Accepted Answer

A)  The observed caused and the observed effect must be empirically correlated 
B)  The observed cause must precede the effect 
C)  The correlation between the two variables cannot be explained away by a third variable 
D)  The relationship between the two variables must be spurious 
A)  The observed caused and the observed effect must be empirically correlated 
B)  The observed cause must precede the effect 
C)  The correlation between the two variables cannot be explained away by a third variable 
D)  The relationship between the two variables must be spurious

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of a null hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  There is no relationship between political corruption and violence. 
B)  People who have less information about the political process are less likely to be interested in politics than people who have more information about the political process. 
C)  People who were not politically socialized as children will exhibit a lower interest in politics as adults than people who were politically socialized as children. 
D)  People who are intimidated by the political process are less likely to be interested in politics than people who are not intimidated by the political process. 
A)  There is no relationship between political corruption and violence. 
B)  People who have less information about the political process are less likely to be interested in politics than people who have more information about the political process. 
C)  People who were not politically socialized as children will exhibit a lower interest in politics as adults than people who were politically socialized as children. 
D)  People who are intimidated by the political process are less likely to be interested in politics than people who are not intimidated by the political process.

Question 20

What is the difference between a null hypothesis and a research hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  The former only applies to antecedent variables and the latter to intervening variables 
B)  The null hypothesis establishes that there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables and the research hypothesis is the expectation of how two or more variables are related 
C)  The research hypothesis establishes that there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables and the null hypothesis is the expectation of how two or more variables are related 
D)  The null hypothesis and the research hypothesis are the same 
A)  The former only applies to antecedent variables and the latter to intervening variables 
B)  The null hypothesis establishes that there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables and the research hypothesis is the expectation of how two or more variables are related 
C)  The research hypothesis establishes that there is no relationship between the independent and dependent variables and the null hypothesis is the expectation of how two or more variables are related 
D)  The null hypothesis and the research hypothesis are the same

Which of the following is not a source of theory?

What word is often useful in the writing of theory?

What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

Where do research hypotheses come from?

Causal explanations establish:

What is the abbreviation for a null hypothesis?

Because we accept we cannot correctly predict all social behavior, theories in political science are:

Probabilistic theories suggest:

What is explanatory power?

A testable hypothesis is one that can be:

What is a deterministic theory?

A generalized explanation for an observable outcome is known as a/an:

An individualistic fallacy is inferring a characteristic about:

Insights from the literature:

When a relationship is spurious:

Observational studies attempt to:

Inductive observations involve:

Which of the following is not a requirement to establish causality?

Which of the following is an example of a null hypothesis?

What is the difference between a null hypothesis and a research hypothesis?

Introduction

Reviewing the Literature

Asking Questions in Political Science

Research Design

More on Measurement

Getting Started With SPSS and Descriptive Statistics

Basic Bivariate Analysis

Introduction to Regression

Qualitative Analysis Through Case Studies

Writing a Final Research Report

Your Future in Research

Filters

Exam 4: Theory and Hypotheses

Which of the following is not a source of theory?

What word is often useful in the writing of theory?

What is the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

Where do research hypotheses come from?

Causal explanations establish:

What is the abbreviation for a null hypothesis?

Because we accept we cannot correctly predict all social behavior, theories in political science are:

Probabilistic theories suggest:

What is explanatory power?

A testable hypothesis is one that can be:

What is a deterministic theory?

A generalized explanation for an observable outcome is known as a/an:

An individualistic fallacy is inferring a characteristic about:

Insights from the literature:

When a relationship is spurious:

Observational studies attempt to:

Inductive observations involve:

Which of the following is not a requirement to establish causality?

Which of the following is an example of a null hypothesis?

What is the difference between a null hypothesis and a research hypothesis?

Introduction

Reviewing the Literature

Asking Questions in Political Science

Research Design

More on Measurement

Getting Started With SPSS and Descriptive Statistics

Basic Bivariate Analysis

Introduction to Regression

Qualitative Analysis Through Case Studies

Writing a Final Research Report

Your Future in Research

Filters