POLS 6386 MEASUREMENT THEORY

Spring Semester AY2002-2003
Department of Political Science
University of Houston
Houston, TX, 77204-3011

Classroom: 344 PGH
Time: 1:00PM - 4:00PM Tuesdays

Instructor: Keith T. Poole

Office: 441A Hoffman Hall
E-Mail: kpoole@ucsd.edu
WebSite: Voteview Home Page

Requirements

Prob-Stat II 1997-98: First Homework Assignment
Prob-Stat II 1997-98: Answers For First Homework Assignment

1. A Geometric Theory of Data
   
   
1. Clyde Coombs' Theory of Data: Similarities and Preferential Choice
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Coombs, Chapter 1
  
  
• Gill, Chapter 1
  
  
• Borg and Groenen, Preface and Chapter 1
  
  
• Carroll, J. Douglas and Phipps Arabie. 1980. "Multidimensional Scaling." Annual Review of Psychology. M. R. Rosenzweig and L. W. Porter, eds., vol. 31, 1980.
  
  
First Homework Assignment


2. A Review of Linear Algebra
   
   
2. Multidimensional Scaling: Introduction
   
   
   1. What Latent Dimensions are and Why they are Important
      
      Assignment:
      
      
   • Borg and Groenen, Chapters 2, 3, and 4
     
     
   • Poole, Chapter 1
     
     
   • Gill, Chapter 2
     
     
   • Weisberg, Herbert F. 1984. "Scaling Objectives and Procedures." In Theory Building and Data Analysis in the Social Sciences. Edited by Herbert Asher, Herbert F. Weisberg, John Kessel, and W. Phillips Shively.
     
     
   • Weisberg, Herbert F. 1974. "Dimensionland: An Excursion into Spaces." American Journal of Political Science, 18:743-776.
     
     
   • Rabinowitz, George. 1975. "An Introduction to Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling." American Journal of Political Science, 19:343-390.
     
     
   Second Homework Assignment
   
   Third Homework Assignment
   
   
   R Program To Plot Eigenvalues (Illustrates Customized Axes For Plot)
   
   Data That R Program To Plot Eigenvalues Reads (Data From OC)
   
   
   Fourth Homework Assignment
   
   
   R Program To Plot 107^thSenate
   
   Data That R Program To Plot 107^th Senate Reads
   
   
   2. An Introduction to Simple Unfolding Analysis
      
      
      • Poole, Chapter 2
        
        
      • Borg and Groenen, Chapters 4, 6 - 8
        
        
      • Poole, Keith T. 1984. "Least Squares Metric, Unidimensional Unfolding." Psychometrika, 49:311-323.
        
        
      Fifth Homework Assignment
      
      
      R Program To Double Center Squared Distance Matrix -- Homework 4 Example
      
      Squared Distance Matrix From Homework 4
      
      R Program To Illustrate Eigenvector Extraction
      
      R Program To Illustrate Two-Line Plot and Two-Line Title
      
      R Program To Plot Shepard Gradient of Generalization from KYST Output
      R Program To Plot Shepard Diagram -- D-Hats and Distances vs. Observed Data
      
      Color Distances, D-HATS, and DATA from KYST Output
      
      
   3. Issue Scales and Perceptual Data
      
      Assignment:
      
      
   • Aldrich, John H. and Richard D. McKelvey. 1977. "A Method of Scaling with Applications to the 1968 and 1972 Presidential Elections." American Political Science Review, 71:111-130.
     
     
   • Poole, Keith T. 2001. "The Relationship Between the Aldrich-McKelvey Scaling Solution and the Individual Differences Problem." Manuscript, University of Houston.
     
     
   Sixth Homework Assignment
   
   
3. Multidimensional Unfolding Analysis
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Borg and Groenen, Chapters 9 - 18
  
  
• Poole, Keith T. 1997. "Non-Parametric Analysis of Binary Choice Data." Manuscript, University of Houston.
  
  
• How The Optimal Classification (OC) Program Works.
  
  
• Poole, Chapters 3, 4, and 5
  
  
Seventh Homework Assignment

R Program To Illustrate Effect of Correlated Dimensions on the Corresponding Singular Values

R Program To Plot Humphrey, Nixon, and Wallace Voters from 1968 Feeling Thermometer Scaling

Coordinate File For 1968 Thermometer Scaling


R Program To Produce Density Plots of Yea and Nay Voters on Ending Estrada Filibuster

Agreement Scores for 107^th Senate
Estrada Roll Call


Epsilon Macro To Insert Party ID From ELEC2000.DAT into Aldrich-McKelvey Coordinate Output File

KEITH.DAT -- Coordinate Output File From Aldrich McKelvey Scaling Program
ELEC2000.DAT -- 2000 Election Data
See this Page for Specific Instructions on How to Run the Macro


Eighth Homework Assignment

Ninth Homework Assignment


4. Why Are There So Few Dimensions?
   
   Assignment:
   
   
• Poole, "Changing Minds? Not in Congress!"
  
  
• Ekman, Gosta. 1954. "Dimensions of Color Vision." Journal of Psychology, 38:467-474.
  
  
• Converse, Philip E. 1964. "The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics." In David E.Apter, ed., Ideology and Discontent. New York: Free Press.
  
  
• Miller, George A. 1956. "The Magical Number Seven, Plus Minus One: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information." Psychological Review, 63:81-97.
  
  Tenth Homework Assignment
  
  Eleventh Homework Assignment
  
  Twelveth Homework Assignment