Study Questions for Sanders

  1. What are the main premises of the behavioralist approach?
  2. Why does the author think that behavioralism is important to political science research?
  3. What are the levels of analysis that behavioralism attempts to study? How does it attempt to study each?
  4. What is the relationship between behavioralism and positivism?
  5. What is the difference between and empirical theory and an explanation? Why are they significant to the behavioralist approach?
  6. Why is falsifiability important?
  7. What is tautology?
  8. How is it possible for the core propositions of a behavioralist theory to not be falsifiable? What are the circumstances for this to happen as explained by the author?
  9. What does the author point to as the two main points for emphasis of the behavioralist approach?
  10. What are three key criticisms against behavioralism? Analyze the strength of each. How convincing are they in their attempts?
  11. How do the author and other behavioralists refute these criticisms? How convincing are their refutations?
  12. What are the main strengths of behavioralism that the author points to? How well do they compensate for the discussed weaknesses?
  13. How did the Whitley and Seyd study illustrate the strengths of the behavioralist approach? Why did the author include it?
  14. Describe the significant implications behavioralism holds for the study of American Politics. Why is it pertinent to this class?

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

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