The Elements of Social Scientific Thinking

by Hoover, Kenneth R.

• ISBN13: 9780312208622
• ISBN10: 0312208626
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-10
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

A concise introduction to the fundamental concepts of social scientific thinking, this classic text - a favorite with students of political science, psychology, and sociology for over 25 years - makes research methods and statistics accessible to undergraduates.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
About the Authors	xv
Thinking Scientifically	1	(12)
Why Bother to Be Systematic?	4	(1)
The Role of Reasoned Judgment and Opinion	5	(2)
The Role of Imagination, Intuition, and Custom	7	(4)
Questions for Discussion	11	(2)
The Elements of Science	13	(30)
The Origin and Utility of Concepts	13	(4)
What Is a Variable?	17	(4)
Quantification and Measurement: Turning Concepts into Variables	21	(3)
Validity and Reliability of Variables	24	(3)
The Hypothesis	27	(4)
The Scientific Method	31	(2)
The Many Roles of Theory	33	(7)
Questions for Discussion	40	(3)
Strategies	43	(20)
Thinking Over the Problem	45	(5)
Reality Testing	50	(4)
Understanding the Results	54	(6)
Questions for Discussion	60	(3)
Refinements	63	(24)
Hypotheses	64	(16)
Variables	80	(4)
Questions for Discussion	84	(3)
Measuring Variables and Relationships	87	(44)
Measuring Variables: Levels of Measurement	88	(6)
Measuring the Significance and Representativeness of Data: Probability, Sampling, and Problems in Polling	94	(8)
Measuring Relationships between Variables: Association and Correlation	102	(11)
Regression Analysis	113	(13)
Computers and Statistics	126	(2)
Questions for Discussion	128	(3)
Reflections: Back to the Roots	131	(22)
Factuality, Reality, and Actuality	131	(6)
Morality and the Limits of Science	137	(6)
Of Scientists, Science, and Paradigms	143	(2)
Making Social Science Serve Human Needs	145	(3)
The Radicalism of Science	148	(2)
Science and Politics	150	(3)
Appendix A ``Schematic Assessments of Presidential Candidates'' by Arthur H. Miller, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Oksana Malanchuk	153	(18)
Appendix B ``Minority Representation under Cumulative and Limited Voting'' by David Brockington, Todd Donovan, Shaun Bowler, and Robert Brischetto	171	(22)
Index	193