Political Systems and Behavior Flashcard

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Which characteristic best describes political science as a scientific discipline? Options: Perfectly predictable, Always producing absolute truths, Completely deterministic

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Probabilistic rather than deterministic

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What do normative political scientists primarily seek to understand?

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The meaning, purposes, and goals of politics

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What are the three main approaches normative political scientists use to answer questions about good citizenship? Options: Party affiliation, education, and income, Economic impact, social status, and legal compliance, Consequences, moral rules, and virtue, Voting, protesting, and lobbying

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Consequences, moral rules, and virtue

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How do empirical political scientists approach their research?

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Based on what is

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Why might facts in political science be disputed?

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Due to motivated reasoning and self-interest

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What is a hypothesis in political science?

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A tentative statement about reality that can be tested.

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What makes political science different from other sciences?

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Virtually nothing is always the case

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What is the primary goal of the scientific method in political science?

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To understand the world by testing hypotheses

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What distinguishes a good citizen according to normative political science? Options: Never challenging existing laws, Maximizing personal political power, Acting in ways that benefit society, Always obeying laws

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Acting in ways that benefit society

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Power in political science is best described as:

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The ability to compel someone to do something they would not otherwise choose