research methods cj 326

Social artifacts such as written documents or articles from newspapers represent

content analysis

Potential problems with evaluation research: _____ goals, _____ goals, and difficulty in expressing ____ goals in the "if-then" forma that can be empirically tested.

Conflicting, vague, policy

When using agency records in their research, researchers keep in mind two general maxims

Follow the paper trail" and "expect the expected

Impact assessments evaluate whether or not specified goals are attained

Impact assessments evaluate whether or not specified goals are attained

help researchers form conclusions from their observations about a population from the study of a sample drawn from it

Inferential statistics

Which of the following is accurate concerning data acquired during field research?

Qualitative data is not easily reduced to numbers.

In the home detention studies used in your text as example of randomized studies, the authors concluded that _____.

Randomization does not control for variation in treatment integrity and program delivery.

Form of research in which the data collected and processed by one researcher are reanalyzed -often for a different purpose Appropriate in the case of survey data

Secondary Analysis

All of the following may represent errors when constructing items for a questionnaire except

The researcher uses short items

When selecting a survey method, consider

cost, speed, and question content

Nonpublic agency records are often made available to which of the following?

criminal justice researchers

There are two basic options for researchers when asking questions: open-ended or closed-ended.

True

Tests of statistical significance should not be calculated on relationships observed in

data collected from whole populations.

Statistics that summarize data in manageable forms are known as descriptive statistics.

descriptive statistics.

Field research is a data collection method that involves the ................... of phenomena in their natural settings.

direct observation

Which of the following is most frequently used as a tool to gather data when doing field research?

direct observation

Published data is appropriate for measuring highly aggregated patterns or trends such as

drug use over time.

Which activity would not be a logical crime to study using the field research techniques?

embezzlement

Program evaluation is designed to link the intended actions and goals of criminal justice policy to

empirical evidence that supports them having the desired effects

One of the most important parts of conducting evaluation research is formulating goal statements that are empirically testable.

empirically testable.

In determining which role to assume while doing field research which of the following should the research consider?

ethical and methodological considerations

Bivariate analyses typically have an explanatory purpose.

false

Empirical research is first a mathematical rather than a logical operation.

false

Evaluation research has _____ requirements for program evaluations often accompany the implementation of new programs

federal

To gain access to a formal criminal justice organization for the purpose of conducting field research, which of the following steps should be followed?

find a sponsor, send a letter, follow up with a phone call and then set up a meeting

Scientific realism is rooted in the principle that:

interventions can naturally be expected to have different outcomes in different contexts.

The use of rates in the reporting of criminal justice data allow the researcher to _____.

make more meaningful comparisons

Qualitative field research is the preferred method for studying

many types of active offenders

Qualitative field research is the preferred method for studying ......................... especially those with no recorded arrests or convictions for particular crimes.

many types of active offenders

If, on a questionnaire, a respondent is asked "what do you feel is the most important crime problem facing the police in your city today? they are being asked

open ended question

The _____ process, like the research process in general, is fluid and does not always "start at the beginning and conclude at the end"

policy

A problem with open-ended questions:

possibility of misunderstanding and researcher bias.

Field research in criminal justice may produce either

qualitative or quantitative data.

General population surveys and surveys of offenders tend to have.

recall error

Treatment integrity is roughly equivalent to...

reliability

Record-keeping systems used in most cities today are still designed more to track individual cases for individual departments than to produce data for management or research purposes. Individual agencies maintain silo databases. Silo databases refer to

stacks of data that are isolated from each other.

The term "questionnaire" suggests a collection of statements

statements/ Answer options

It is usually best to begin a self-administered questionnaire with

the most interesting set of questions.

Which of the following is not an effective role (in the sense that the researcher could affect what he/she is studying) for a field researcher?

total participation

Agency records, secondary data and content analysis do not require direct interaction with research subject

true

Data and records produced by formal organizations may be the most common source of data in criminal justice research.

true

Data collected by other researchers is often used to address new research questions.

true

Face-to-face interviews are best for complex questions and other specialized needs

true

Field research is a data collection method that involves the direct observation of phenomena in their natural settings.

true

Field research is often associated with qualitative techniques

true

It may be helpful to record field notes onto highly structured forms created prior to the beginning of the study.

true

Telephone surveys are relatively fast and low cost.

true

The essential characteristic of interviewers is that they be neutral; their presence in the data collection process must not have any effect on the responses given to questionnaire items

true

The subsequent questions in a series are called contingency

true

In the interest of being unambiguous and precise, the survey questions should

be clear

Questions that encourage respondents to answer in a particular way are called

biased