PO218 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Intersubjectivity, Operational Definition, Internal Consistency
Document Summary
My tutorial tutorial 2 11:00-11:50 ba 206. The scientific method: the goal of the scientific method is explanation, a political phenomenon is explained by showing how it is related to something else. Operational definitions: every concept must be given a, nominal (conceptual) definition, operational definition. January 5, 2016: theories tie concepts together by stating relationships between them, a theory consists of a set of propositions (or empirical generalizations) that are all logically related to one another. Internal consistency (logical soundness) cannot contradict itself: testability, communicable, generality, simplicity (or parsimony, predictive accuracy. What is a variable: any property that varies (i. e. takes on different values) can potentially be a variable. Variables vs. concepts: variables require more specific than concepts, one concept may be represented by several different variables, variables must be: exhaustive and exclusive. Reliance on a limited number of trading partners.
