In this chapter, you will learn how to:

4.1 Discern the role of explanations in political science research, understanding their limitations and value.

4.2 Develop the ability to construct well-grounded explanations for research phenomena, distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable explanations.

4.3 Write a hypothesis stating the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable.

4.4 Make meaningful comparisons between variables using cross-tabulation analysis and mean comparison analysis.