POLSCI 1G06 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Dependent And Independent Variables
12 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
The type of experimental method used in the natural sciences simply cannot be replicated for many of the questions that we have in the social sciences. A statement that one or more variable(s) (independent variable(s)) will cause a particular outcome (dependent variable) x + y = z. However, there is a problem with testing the hypothesis. We cannot simply isolate and combine social variables (unlike the case for chemistry or physics) The variables we are interested in always exist in a larger social context that contains many many other simultaneously coexisting variables. Any one of the alternative variables, or perhaps some. Any one of the alternative variables, or perhaps some combination of the alternative variables, could be responsible for the outcomeyou are interested in understanding. So if we are interested in developing a science of politics: One model for conducting a scientific political science:
