Which of these is an example of using a quantitative method to look for cross-case patterns?
a. Comparing birth rates in countries with a similar GDP
b. Examining an individual's voting history over multiple decades
c. Studying variations in religious belief in different countries in the Middle Eastd. Calculating the average number of new regulations passed in a legislative session
Question 2
Which statement explains why qualitative methods are more useful than quantitative methods in testing an ideational explanation?
a. Ideational explanations are usually articulated by political psychologists, who are not well trained in statistical analysis.
b. Ideational explanations typically involve people's beliefs and perspectives, which can be difficult to express in numerical data.
c. Ideational explanations are useful only for within-case processes, and quantitative methods are used for examining cross-case patterns.
d. Ideational explanations depend upon the ideological perspective of the observer, so they introduce biases in the calculations made by a quantitative analysis.