POLS 385 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Causal Inference, Confounding, Random Assignment
6 Feb 2017
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Statement that is true by definition, not falsifiable (unscientific) What are myths about science: science proves things and leads to certain and verifiable truth, science can be done only when experimental manipulation is possible, science is value-neutral, politics cannot be studied in a scientific manner. The independent variable is the cause and the dependent variable is the outcome. This definition is counterfactual (what if scenario, can never know for certain) Kw suggests that we adopt a probabilistic rather than a deterministic conception of causality. I go to quee(cid:374)"s so i (cid:449)ill probably earn a high income. What are the 4 hurdles of establishing a causal relationship: causal mechanism (or process) A logical story as to why a change in x results in a change to y. Why does studying get you higher grades. Not just (cid:862)stud(cid:455)i(cid:374)g (cid:373)ore gets (cid:373)e a higher grade(cid:863: ruling out reverse causation. Can we rule out the possibility that y causes x.
