Research Methods Exam 1 Study Guide

All but which of the following would be a unit of analysis? a. individuals b. groups c. organizations d. social sentiments

social sentiments

The main reason that experiments in criminal justice are so easy to complete is that the research need only secure one experimental and one control group for any project. a. True b. False

False

Value is a relative concept and cannot be settled by science a. True b. False

False

Which of the following is an example of a panel study? a. National Incident-based Reporting System b. U.S. Census c. National Crime Victimization Survey d. Uniform Crime Reports.

National Crime Victimization Survey

There may be legal reasons why randomization cannot be used in criminal justice research to assign subjects to either a control group or an experimental group. a. True b. False

True

Threats to internal validity result from nonrandom, systematic error. a. True b. False

True

A paradigm and a theory refer to two different things. The paradigm is a fundamental model or scheme that organizes our view of something. a. True b. False

True

In deductive reasoning, one starts from a general law and applies that law to a particular instance. a. True b. False

True

In scientific inquiry, in deduction we reason toward observations; in induction we reason from observations. a. True b. False

True

In the classical experiment subjects are measured on the independent variable before the experiment begins and again after the dependent variable has been manipulated by the researcher. a. True b. False

True

Research on criminal justice policy is an example of applied research. a. True b. False

True

Retrospective studies have the danger of faulty memories or even subjects lying. a. True b. False

True

Selective observation is a danger of overgeneralization. a. True b. False

True

Social artifacts refer only to paper documents, such as newspapers, court opinions and police crime reports. a. True b. False

True

The defining feature of an experiment lies in the control of the independent variable by the experimenter. a. True b. False

True

When the relationship between two variables is drawn from a theory, it is said to be: a. a fact b. a hypothesis c. a mini theory d. a paradigm

a hypothesis

This term represents a set of concepts and the proposed relationships among these; a structure that is intended to represent or model something about the world. a. a paradigm b. a law c. a theory d. a fact

a theory

Traditional beliefs about patrol effectiveness, response time, and detective work are examples of: a. known reality b. agreement reality c. experiential reality d. assumed reality

agreement reality

With respect to causation a. it is the focus of explanatory research b. it suggests a cause and effect relationship c. cause in social science is inherently probabilistic d. all of the above

all of the above

Social science researchers use a control group that hasn't received the experimental stimulus in order to do what? a. to measure the effect of the independent variable upon the control group b. as another measure of the effect the independent variable has upon the dependent variable in the experimental group c. as another measure of the effect the independent variable has upon the dependent variable in the control group d. to measure the effect of the dependent variable upon the independent variable in the control group

as another measure of the effect the independent variable has upon the dependent variable in the experimental group

With regard to experimentation and subject selection, what does random assignment serve to eliminate? a. systematic bias b. false positive results c. experimental morality d. ambiguity

systematic bias

Which of the following would be an example of a retrospective approach to longitudinal studies? a. asking how many victims of childhood abuse later abuse their own children b. asking how many child abuse victims' parents were also abuse victims c. asking how many offenders incarcerated in the state of New York have high school degrees d. none of the above is an example of a retrospective approach

asking how many child abuse victims' parents were also abuse victims

The central features of what experiment type include (1) independent and dependent variables, (2) pretesting and posttesting, and (3) experimental and control groups created through random assignment? a. casual experiments b. statistical experiments c. classical experiments d. cardinal experiments

classical experiments

Which of the following is not a central feature of the classical experiment? a. variables b. time order c. concepts d. groups

concepts

If randomization is not possible, what should the research do? a. pre and posttest b. use the classical design c. consider using a quasi-experimental design d. randomization is always possible

consider using a quasi-experimental design

The classical experiment makes it possible to satisfy this criterion for cause in two ways. First, the posttest measures for the experimental group (stimulus present) are compared with those for the: a. control group (stimulus not present) b. random group (stimulus not present) c. variable group (stimulus not present) d. none of the above

control group (stimulus not present)

In criminal justice experiments, what serves as a guard against the effects of the experiments themselves as well as events that may occur outside the laboratory during the course of experiments? a. variable groups b. control groups c. administrative groups d. posttest groups

control groups

Which of the following is not a type of longitudinal study? a. cross-sectional study b. panel study c. trend study d. cohort study

cross-sectional study

Which of the following would serve as a "snap shot" of a phenomenon at one point in time? a. panel study b. cross-sectional study c. cohort study d. trend study

cross-sectional study

Emma studied literature on binge drinking and discovered a pattern between gender and binge drinking that might be logically and theoretically expected. She then did her study of college students and drinking. Which approach is reflected: a. experiential b. deductive c. inductive d. applied

deductive

You observe police activity in your city for one week, and then you describe what you observed. What type of study have you performed? a. explorative b. descriptive c. explanative d. applicative

descriptive

What is the science of knowing? a. methodology b. entomology c. modality d. epistemology

epistemology

We live in a world of two realities known as: a. expressed and assumed b. experiential and agreement c. expressed and agreement d. experiential and assumed

experiential and agreement

Households used by the National Crime Victimization Survey are an example of which unit of analysis? a. individuals b. groups c. social artifacts d. organizations

groups

Operationalization involves which of the following? a. testing hypotheses b. testing theories c. identifying how you will measure a variable d. developing a theory

identifying how you will measure a variable

During observation, if you choose to follow "the exception that proves the rule," you have made what error? a. inaccurate observation b. overgeneralization c. illogical reasoning d. selective observation

illogical reasoning

Our ability to determine whether a change in the cause is statistically associated with a change in the effect is referring to what type of validity? a. face validity b. statistical conclusion validity c. internal validity d. construct validity

statistical conclusion validity

The objective of the text is to help future criminal justice professionals become: a. informed consumers of research b. informed consumers of books c. experts in the department of justice d. expert readers

informed consumers of research

Which of the following does not represent a criterion for causality? a. there is a correlation between the cause and the effect b. the cause precedes the effect in time c. the change in the effect is not cause by some third variable d. it is not necessary for two variables to be correlated with each other

it is not necessary for two variables to be correlated with each other

Scientists must have two types of support before they will agree on something they haven't personally experienced. These types are: a. epistemological and methodological b. logical and hard facts c. logical and empirical d. hard facts and complete data

logical and empirical

The concept of "observation" in the language of science means a. looking at the world and making value judgments b. looking at the world and making measurements of what is seen c. looking at the world and making changes in what is seen d. looking at the world through rose colored glasses

looking at the world and making measurements of what is seen

When it is not possible to create groups through randomization, what options do you have for the research design? a. a classical experiment b. non-equivalent groups c. surveys d. pre and post tests

non-equivalent groups

Independent of opinion is a definition of: a. an analysis b. subjectivity c. objectivity d. a hypothesis

objectivity

The three main elements in the traditional model of science include theory, operationalization, and: a. statistics b. hypothesis c. observation d. conclusions

observation

When two variables are empirically correlated with each other, they must: a. occur together b. occur at different times c. be on separate time and space continuums d. occur in succession

occur together

Selective observation can be the result of a. replication b. illogical reasoning c. ideology and politics d. overgeneralization

overgeneralization

Prediction can be made better by observation and remembering regular: a. assumptions b. patterns c. educated guesses d. pasts

patterns

What are the two major types of applied research? a. evaluation and problem analysis b. evaluation and policy analysis c. application and policy analysis d. problem and policy analysis

problem and policy analysis

Which of the following is not considered a threat to internal validity in an experimental design? a. maturation b. instrumentation c. randomization d. statistical regression

randomization

Which term best descrives-an overly strict limitation on the kinds of concepts and variables to be considered as causes in explaining the broad range of human behavior represented by crime and criminal justice policy? a. individualistic fallacy b. ecological fallacy c. reductionism d. pluralism

reductionism

When you repeat a study to see if you achieve similar results, you are doing a. too much work b. pattern following c. replication d. theoretical repetition

replication

In a general sense, external validity is concerned with whether research findings from one study can be: a. exhaustingly conclusive b. reproduced in another study, often under different conditions c. reproduced in another study, often under the same conditions d. validated by the National Academy to Advance Scientific Learning

reproduced in another study, often under different conditions

If you have concluded that a particular pattern exists and have developed a general understanding of why, you may be tempted to ignore facts in the future that don't fit. This is: a. inaccurate observation b. overgeneralization c. illogical reasoning d. selective observation

selective observation

What technique can be used to help reduce the threat to experimental mortality? a. increasing the sample size b. decreasing the sample size c. shorten the time between the pretest and the posttest d. select only subjects who are female

shorten the time between the pretest and the posttest

Which of the following is an example of a variable? a. social disorganization b. crime c. social class d. annual family income

social class

External validity in an experimental design refers to: a. the researcher's ability to be sure that they are measuring what they think they are measuring b. the lack of concern with issues internal to the study c. the ability to apply findings to other populations d. the ability to know your measures are consisten

the ability to apply findings to other populations

One threat to internal validity in criminal justice research that is not very significant is a. history, because a few things happen on a grand scale that would impact criminal justice research b. maturation, because criminal justice subjects are not in research studies long enough to mature c. statistical regression, because subjects in the criminal justice system are likely to score lower than the mean anyways d. the concern about the publication of the findings

the concern about the publication of the findings

After careful study of the relationship between the economy and arson, the conclusion was drawn that when the economy is poor and unemployment is high the arson rates go up. The researcher concluded that unemployed people are more likely to commit arson than are those that are employed. What error was just committed? a. the ecological fallacy b. reductionism c. using the wrong time dimension d. an internal validity threat

the ecological fallacy

Operationalization means: a. the part of a theory that tells us how variable are related b. the procedures we go through to identify and measure variables c. the procedures we go through before we can develop a hypothesis d. the part of a theory that tells us what statistics we can use

the procedures we go through to identify and measure variables

Which of the following cannot be studied scientifically in the field of criminal justice? a. the relationship between the number of police officers on the street and the crime rate b. the relationship between the number of police officers on the street and citizen satisfaction c. the role that an act of a deity plays on being arrested for a criminal offense d. the role that age plays in slowing one's criminal activities

the role that an act of a deity plays on being arrested for a criminal offense

Dr. Smith was interested in whether there would be a reduction in the number of crimes in the central city once closed-circuit cameras went up and were monitored by police. To accomplish this study Dr. Smith looked at the police records for the four square block area where the cameras were installed each week for six months. Dr. Smith was using what method? a. cohort design b. time-series design c. classical experiment d. quasi-experimental design

time-series design

Which of the following statements is accurate? a. to guard against the "Hawthorne effect" in medical research scientists will give a placebo to the experimental group b. to guard against the "Hawthorne effect" in medical research scientists will give the experimental group the independent variable c. to guard against the "Hawthorne effect" in medical research scientists will give a placebo to the control group d. there is no way to guard against the "Hawthorne effect" in medical research

to guard against the "Hawthorne effect" in medical research scientists will give a placebo to the control group

As we learn about the world around us we use personal inquiry and direct experience. However, what other sources of knowledge do we rely on? a. tradition and authority b. exploration and description c. surveys and observations d. aggregate data and survey data

tradition and authority

Much of the current social science research has moved from description to: a. exploration b. explanation c. understanding d. theory

understanding

To guard against most threats to internal validity in the classical experiment the researcher should: a. focus upon external validity b. focus upon generalizability c. use random assignment d. put subjects only in experimental groups

use random assignment

When we are concerned with whether we are correct in inferring that a cause produced an effect, we are concerned with the: a. reliability b. generalizability c. validity d. probablity

validity

Which of the following is an example of subjectivity? a. which rap singer do you like the best b. what was your score on your first research methods exam c. did Judge Wilson have more mistrials than Judge Hughey d. how much tuition does your university charge for full time students

which rap singer do you like the best