chapter 1 vocabulary

3. the issue that cause and effect are not often clear, in that variables may be both cause and effect in relationship to one another
4. the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group
5. the ability of an individual to act independently without fear of restriction or punishment by the state or other individuals or group in society
9. Choice approach that assumes that individuals weigh the costs and benefits and make choices to maximize their benefits
10. Method the means by which social scientists make comparisons across cases
11. Reasoning research that works from case studies in order to generate hypotheses
14. study through an in depth investigation of a limited number of cases
15. an organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own stake
17. Politics the study and comparison of domestic politics across countries
18. the ability to influence others or impose one’s will on them

1. Reasoning research that works from a hypothesis that is then tested against data
2. Revolution a movement within political science during the 1950s and 1960s to develop general theories about individual political behavior that could be applied to across all countries
6. Theory a theory asserting that as societies develop, they would take on a set of common characteristics, including democracy and capitalism
7. an apparent relationship between two or more variables
8. study through statistical data from many cases
12. the shared material standard of individuals within a community, society, or country
13. Theory an approach that emphasizes how actors or organizations behave in their goal to influence others. Built upon assumptions of rational choice
16. Bias a focus on effects rather than causes, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions about correlations and causations