Class 10 Research Design Lab Time for Term Project Class 11 Remaining Research Design Introduce paper that uses multiple regression Note: T erm project reports are due Wednesday, Nov. 10 by 11 pm at and at Subject line “Last Name First Name Term Project Thursday Section” URBP 204 A Class 11

Paper Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis What does the paper aim to do? What are the data sources? What is the dependent variable? What are the main independent variables of interest? Is the data for dependent variable ratio level, or is it ordinal/nominal level? Review Table 5 very carefully. What does negative sign for the coefficient mean? For example, does increase in property tax rate (shown by the variable TAXRATE) lead to an increase or to a decrease in housing prices?

RESEARCH DESIGN 3 purposes of research Exploration (what is growth management?) - Satisfy curiosity; opportunity for in-depth study; develop methods for further study Description – what, when, where and how (description of state growth management programs- tools used, intensity of use, how wide spread is the use, since when, etc. ) Explanation – why (why growth management affects affordable housing?) (why students choose to study Urban and Regional Planning?) Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Explanation why? The Nomothetic Way Criteria for a “Cause” Correlation Think University is good value for money correlated with choosing to study Time order Must first think that the university is good value for money and then choose to study Nonspurious (non coincidental) Spurious – among students, more white hair increases chances of getting admission into an university. Here the key variable is “educational attainment” which is correlated with “age” and “white hair” is correlated with “age” Types of causes Necessary (have to take the exam to pass it; however just taking the exam does not mean you would pass it) Sufficient ( Ideographic – explains the sufficient causes but not necessarily all; the reasons you do well in exams - sufficient but not all the reasons) Best scenario – cause is necessary as well as sufficient Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Units of Analysis Units of analysis vs. aggregation for generalization e.g. 1. unit of analysis- household; aggregated at the neighborhood level 2. Whether a person is a democrat or a republican Unit of analysis – individual Aggregation – political views Unit of analysis – individual, group, organizations, social artifacts (books, paintings, traffic accidents, court cases, etc.) Unit of analysis = Unit of observation (Mostly) Exceptions: observe: individual spouse’s income; unit of analysis: household income Unit of analysis: Faulty reasoning Ecological Fallacy – observe corporations; draw inferences about its workers - study neighborhoods; draw conclusions about specific residents Reductionism – making complex things simple. Just study physical dimension of QOL Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Temporal Dimensions of Research Cross sectional studies - Single point in time - effect of square footage of built area on housing prices; does not take into account temporal dimension like changing market conditions Longitudinal studies - Trend studies ( examine housing prices over a period of time) - Cohort studies (study the same group; participants may vary; people of the same neighborhood; people born between ) - Panel studies (effect of urban form on travel behavior; a panel of participants; same participants tracked over time) Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

The Research Proposal Problem/ objective of research Relevance of research Literature review Research question Hypothesis Variables of interest Research method/s Types of data to be collected - methods, sources Plan for data analysis Outline of research report - main chapters, sub-chapters References/ Bibliography Schedule Budget Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Index, Scale, and Typology Some concepts can’t be captured/ represented by a single variable that’s why we need index and scale. IQ Most livable city Quality of life Index Comprises of various items/variables without measuring their degree of intensity. May consist of disparate items measuring some general dimension. Example: Dow Jones Index; QOL Index Scale Comprises of various items that have a logical structure among them (Babbie, pg. 152) and may be ranked based on their intensity E.g. intensity of environmental pollution (based on the aggregate effect of the mix of pollutants ranked. Aggregate effect ranked from least harmful to most harmful). Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Index Construction QOL Index - Sidewalks, - LOS of road - Traffic congestion - Proximity to Work Face validity Unidemensionality (just one concept) Variances (do not include variable that no one considers important, or everyone does!) General or specific (all QOL or just one aspect) Index Validation Item Analysis/ Internal Validation (each item should have independent contribution – should not be perfectly correlated with other another item) External Validation (consistent with other external criteria/indicator) Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Scale Construction Bogardus Social Distance Scale - Measures degree of social closeness. More close assumes less close acceptable (e.g. race – your family, your neighbor, in your city, in your state, in your country, in the world) Thurstone Scale - Measures intensity structure among indicators by use of judges to assign scores. Likert Scale - Weightage for each measure is derived from the average index score of the respondents agreeing to that measure. Guttman Scale - “anyone who gives a strong indicator of some variable will also give the weaker indicator” (Babbie, pg. 171). Shops should recycle. Recycle in office. Recycle at home. Semantic Differential - 2 opposite positions and gradations in between Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4 and 6.

Typology Classification of observations based upon 2 or more attributes. For example: Typology of Single Family Houses Unit of observation: Single Family (SF) House Attribute A: old or new Attribute B: low quality or high quality Thus 4 types of observations: New low quality SF House Old low quality SF House New high quality Old high quality Note: the class notes summarize Babbie (2004) Chapters 4, and 6.