Essentials of Political Analysis

Name: Essentials of Political Analysis
Price: 3.47 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781608716869

ISBN-10: 1608716864

ISBN-13: 9781608716869

Edition: 4th 2012 (Revised)

Authors: Philip H. Pollock

List price: $65.00

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Description:

Political science students need to get comfortable using the tools of political analysis. For stats-phobic undergrads, the research methods course need not need be nerve wracking, especially with Pollock#x19;s bestselling text to help them along the way. His brief, accessible guide walks students through the basics-measuring concepts, formulating and testing hypotheses, describing variables-while using key terms, chapter-opening objectives, 80 tables and figures, and class-tested exercises to get them using and applying their new skills. The new fourth edition features enhanced treatment of research design and logic controlled comparison and illustrates complex relationships with more…

Book details

List price: $65.00
Edition: 4th
Copyright year: 2012
Publisher: CQ Press
Publication date: 7/21/2011
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 280
Size: 7.00" wide x 10.00" long x 0.50" tall
Weight: 1.100
Language: English

Matthew J. Streb is professor and chair in the Department of Political Science at Northern Illinois University. He specializes and teaches in areas of political parties, elections, polling and public opinion, and Congress. Streb is the author, editor, or co-editor of several books, including Law and Election Politics (2013), Rethinking American Electoral Democracy (2011), and Running for Judge (2007), and has published articles in journals, including Political Research Quarterly, Public Opinion Quarterly, Political Behavior, Social Science Quarterly , and American Politics Research . Streb has been recognized by the NIU Foundation for "Faculty Excellence".



Tables, Figures, and Boxes


Preface


Introduction


What This Book Is About


Facts and Values in Perspective


The Scientific Approach


Conclusion


Notes



The Definition and Measurement of Concepts


Conceptual Definitions


Clarifying a Concept


A Template for Writing a Conceptual Definition


Operational Definitions


Measurement Error


Reliability and Validity


Evaluating Reliability


Evaluating Validity


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Measuring and Describing Variables


Measuring Variables


Levels of Measurement


Additive Indexes


Describing Variables


Central Tendency and Dispersion


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Proposing Explanations, Framing Hypotheses, and Making Comparisons


Proposing Explanations


Framing Hypotheses


Common Mistakes in Hypothesis Writing


Intervening Variables


Making Comparisons


Cross-tabulations


Mean Comparisons


Graphing Relationships and Describing Patterns


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Research Design and the Logic of Control


Experimental Designs


Random Assignment


A Laboratory Experiment


A Field Experiment


Controlled Comparisons


Three Scenarios


Spurious Relationships


Additive Relationships


Interaction Relationships


The Many Faces of Interaction


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Making Controlled Comparisons


Cross-tabulation Analysis Control Tables


Partial Effect


Identifying the Pattern


Graphing Controlled Comparisons


An Example of Interaction


Mean Comparison Analysis


An Example of Additive Relationships


Another Example of Interaction


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Foundations of Statistical Inference


Population Parameters and Sample Statistics


Random Sampling


Sample Size and Random Sampling Error


Variation Revisited: The Standard Deviation


n and ï¿½


The Standard Error of a Sample Mean


The Central Limit Theorem and the Normal Distribution


Inference Using the Normal Distribution


Inference Using the Student's f-Distribution


What About Sample Proportions?


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Tests of Significance and Measures of Association


Statistical Significance


Comparing Two Sample Means


Comparing Two Sample Proportions


The Chi-square Test of Significance


Measures of Association


Lambda


A Problem with Lambda


Somers'd<sub>yx</sub>


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Correlation and Linear Regression


Correlation


Bivariate Regression


R-square


Adjusted R-square


Dummy Variable Regression


Multiple Regression


Interaction Effects in Multiple Regression


Multicollinearity


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Logistic Regression


The Logistic Regression Approach


Finding the Best Fit: Maximum Likelihood Estimation


Logistic Regression with Multiple Independent Variables


Working with Probabilities


The Probability Profile Method


The Sample Averages Method


Summary


Key Terms


Exercises


Notes



Thinking Empirically, Thinking Probabilistically


Thinking Empirically


Thinking Probabilistically


Notes


Index