Study Questions for Dahl

  1. Where and how did the behavioral approach originate? How has it evolved along with contemporary political science?
  2. What level of analysis do behavioralists attest to? How can this apply to American political science?
  3. What are the six factors that led to the development of the contemporary behavioralist approach? How did each contribute to the general approach that behavioralists employ?
  4. What does Dahl mean in referring to the behavioral approach as a “protest movement”?
  5. What is the distinction between political behavior and political science? What implications do the study of political behavior have for American political science?
  6. What are the two main premises/requirements for the study of political behavior? How can the two help lead to progress in political science?
  7. How is quantitative research directly related to qualitative methods in the study of political behavior?
  8. How is behavioralism scientific? What does Dahl mean by “the scientific outlook”?
  9. What are the roles of attitudes, beliefs, predispositions, and personality factors in the behavioral method? What implications do such assumptions have for political science in general? for American political science?
  10. What path does Dahl predict that the behavioral approach will take in the future? How convincing is he in his arguments?
  11. What are the two basic problems that behavioralists face as identified by Dahl? What do such problems imply for progression?
  12. What are Dahl’s suggestions for “empirical political science?”

Things to look for/keep in mind for future readings:

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