POLI 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Dependent And Independent Variables, Scientific Method, Participant Observation
21 Feb 2018
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Document Summary
The scientific approach to politics chapter 1. Use critical thought and evidence to help us determine when and why political perceptions differ. Independent variables: the values that can be changed in a given model or equation. They provide the "input" which is modified by the model to change the "output. " Dependent variables: the values that result from the independent variables. Factor that influences the independent: for ex: a scientist studies the impact of a drug on cancer. The independent variables are the administration of the drug - the dosage and the timing. The dependent variable is the impact the drug has on cancer. Unit of analysis: what or who is being studied. Normative and empirical analysis: normative: addresses how society and political life should be. Theory: empirical: goal is to describe and explain the political world as it is rather than how it should be. Intersubjective: empirical facts must be independently observed and agreed upon by many people.
