Updated according to comments (GH 17414)

Author: tp

pandas/core/indexes/base.py

@@ -2533,11 +2533,15 @@ def _get_level_values(self, level):
 
         Parameters
         ----------
-        level : int or level name
+        level : int or str
+            ``level`` is either the integer position of the level in the 
+            MultiIndex, or the name of the level.
 
         Returns
         -------
-        self : Index
+        values : Index
+            Because there is only one level when the index has one level,
+            the return value is always self in this case. 
 
         See also
         ---------

pandas/core/indexes/multi.py

@@ -886,7 +886,9 @@ def get_level_values(self, level):
 
         Parameters
         ----------
-        level : int or level name
+        level : int or str
+            ``level`` is either the integer position of the level in the
+            MultiIndex, or the name of the level.
 
         Returns
         -------
@@ -897,18 +899,15 @@ def get_level_values(self, level):
 
         Create a MultiIndex:
 
-        >>> i1 = pd.Index(list('abc'), name='level_1')
-        >>> i2 = pd.CategoricalIndex(list('def'), name='level_2')
-        >>> mi = pd.MultiIndex.from_arrays((i1, i2))
+        >>> mi = pd.MultiIndex.from_arrays((list('abc'), list('def')))
+        >>> mi.names = ['level_1', 'level_2']
 
         Get level values by supplying level as either integer or name:
 
-        >>> mi.get_level_values(1)
-        CategoricalIndex(['d', 'e', 'f'], categories=['d', 'e', 'f'],
-                         ordered=False, name='level_2',
-                         dtype='category')
-        >>> mi.get_level_values('level_1')
+        >>> mi.get_level_values(0)
         Index(['a', 'b', 'c'], dtype='object', name='level_1')
+        >>> mi.get_level_values('level_2')
+        Index(['d', 'e', 'f'], dtype='object', name='level_2')
         """
         level = self._get_level_number(level)
         values = self._get_level_values(level)

pandas/tests/indexes/test_base.py

@@ -1438,7 +1438,7 @@ def test_get_level_values(self):
         result = self.strIndex.get_level_values(0)
         tm.assert_index_equal(result, self.strIndex)
 
-        # test with name
+        # GH 17414
         index_with_name = self.strIndex.copy()
         index_with_name.name = 'a'
         result = index_with_name.get_level_values('a')