Robert Putnam’s research, which was discussed briefly in this chapter, stimulate

Question

Robert Putnam’s research, which was discussed briefly in this chapter, stimulated renewed interest in the role played by voluntary associations in American democracy. Putnam’s work seems to suggest that, when people get involved in groups and help make collective decisions for the group, they develop participatory skills. These participatory skills, in turn, cause people to participate more in politics—voting at higher rates than people who are not involved in any groups.

A.   This explanation says that the causal relationship between the independent variable, group membership, and the dependent variable, turnout, is mediated by an intervening variable. What is the intervening variable?

B.   Based on the explanation, write a hypothesis in which the intervening variable is the dependent variable.

C.   Based on the explanation, write a hypothesis in which the intervening variable is the independent variable.

Here is the data

Many interesting explanations in social science began in just the way the preceding example illustrated. A researcher observes a phenomenon, develops a causal explanation for it, and then asks, “What else should I find?” In his provocative book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam begins with a seemingly innocuous observation: Although the pastime of bowling has steadily increased in popularity among individuals over the past several decades, the number of bowling leagues has declined precipitously.4 So the individual enjoyment of the sport has increased, but the collective enjoyment of the sport has declined. This observation, as one reviewer of Putnam’s work says, may be “a matter of no small concern to bowling-alley proprietors whose revenues depend heavily on the convivial sharing of beer and pretzels.”5 But is the decline in organized bowling being produced by a general causal process that has other consequences? Putnam argues, in part, that generational change, the replacement of older generations with younger cohorts, is causally linked to the erosion of community and social groups of all kinds. People born in the years preceding World War II, the “long civic generation,” are more likely than younger generations to engage in organized social interaction. The effects of generational change can be seen in the lost vitality of all sorts of community groups—parent-teacher associations, civic booster groups, charitable organizations, religious congregations, and, of course, bowling leagues. Older cohorts are more likely than younger generations to favor these social activities. The effects can also be seen in the sorts of activities that are on the rise—memberships in far-flung groups that do not require social interaction, disembodied Internet chat, and, of course, the individual enjoyment of bowling. Older cohorts are less likely than younger people to favor these activities. Thus Putnam connects a dependent variable, the decline of bowling leagues, with an independent variable, the changing age composition of American society. He describes the tendency of the relationship: Older generations are more likely than younger generations to join bowling leagues. More important, Putnam develops a general explanation that suggests many other relationships between generation and membership in different sorts of organizations. Much of his book is devoted to examining these relationships to find out whether they are correct.6

Explanation / Answer

A. The intervening variable is participatory skills, specifically intensity of partcipation

B. Membership in a group is positively related to participation in that group

OR

The stronger is the membership in a group, the more is the participation in that group

C. Participation in a group is positively related to turnout during elections

OR

The stronger is the participation in a group, the more is the likelihood of turnout for voting.

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