Questions 1-3. Choose two of the causal questions on page 26 of the workbook. For each of the questions you selected:

a) Write a paragraph about what would be required to conduct an experiment in that particular research situation, being careful to refer to both halves of the two-part definition of an experiment in your answer.

b) For the two situations you described, name at least one Z variable that could potentially confound the X-Y relationship, and would need to be controlled for, in an observational study.

c) For the two situations you discussed above, describe an observational study you might conduct. In each case, is the study you envision a cross-sectional or time-series study? Why?

Question 4. Consider the following research question: Does exposure to stories in the news media shape an individual's policy opinions?

a) Write a short paragraph trying to explain the causal mechanism that might be at work here.

b) If we wanted to study this relationship using an experiment, what would the barriers to conducting the experiment be?

c) What, if any, are the ethical considerations involved in studying the relationship experimentally?

You do not have to complete parts d. or e. as described in the workbook.

Question 5.

Consider the relationship between level of democracy in a country and the country's respect for human rights.

Describe both a cross-sectional and time-series observational design that would help test the theory that an increase in level of democracy causes an increase in its respect for human rights.

What concerns do you have about crossing the four causal hurdles?

_______________________________________