Deck 2: The Process and Problems of Research Related to Crime and Criminology

Question 1

When a researcher begins with theory on the Research Circle and then tests hypotheses, he/she is using ______ reasoning.

A) inductive
B) deductive
C) constructive
D) applicative

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to King, Keohane, and Verba, the criteria for a good research question are ______ relevance.

A) formability, social importance, and scientific
B) feasibility, social criteria, and scientific
C) feasibility, social importance, and social
D) feasibility, social importance, and scientific

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The primary source of research questions for many researchers is ______.

A) personal experience
B) scientific troubles
C) theory
D) criminological evaluation

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Using control theory, Pate and Hamilton (1992) found that having a "stake in conformity" (resulting from inclusion in social networks at work or in the community) ______ a person's likelihood of committing crimes.

A) increases
B) had no effect
C) decreases
D) had a constructive effect

Question 5

Labeling theory distinguishes between ______.

A) primary deviance and secondary deviance
B) marginally rational beings and nonrational ones
C) falsifiable statements and philosophical statements
D) parts of a theory that describe what is important to look at

Question 6

Inductive reasoning often enters into deductive research when we find ______ patterns, called anomalous or serendipitous findings.

A) comprehensive
B) expected
C) hypothetical
D) unexpected

Question 7

One of the most important roles of theory is that it is ______.

A) testable
B) false
C) unpredictable
D) deductive

Question 8

"Poverty level in a community (percent of population living below the poverty level)" is an example of a(n) ______ variable.

A) independent
B) dependent
C) hypothetical
D) constructive

Question 9

The three aspect of validity are ______ validity.

A) construction validity, generalizability, and international
B) generalizability, causal validity, and internal
C) measurement validity, international validity, and construct
D) measurement validity, generalizability, and causal

Question 10

______ derived from qualitative research will be richer and more finely textured than they often are in quantitative research.

A) Evaluations
B) Explorations
C) Explanations
D) Descriptives

Question 11

A(n) ______ understanding of a social process or social setting is one that reflects fairly the various perspectives of participants in that setting.

A) valid
B) authentic
C) perceptible
D) unique

Question 12

The first phase of Sherman and Berk's study of IPV was ______ research.

A) inductive
B) deductive
C) evaluation
D) confirmatory

Question 13

Causal validity refers to the ______ of an assertion that A causes B

A) invalidity
B) reliability
C) truthfulness
D) improbability

Question 14

A(n) ______ is a characteristic or property that can vary.

A) constant
B) variable
C) hypothesis
D) construct

Question 15

Deterrence theory presumes that ______.

A) there is a difference between primary deviance and secondary deviance
B) people obey the law from a sense of obligation
C) human beings are at least marginally rational who are responsive to the costs and benefits of their actions
D) curiosity about the world may evolve from your personal troubles

Question 16

If a researcher develops a connection between social theory and data by first collecting the data and then developing a theory that explains the patterns in the data, he/she is using ______ reasoning.

A) deductive
B) quantitative
C) inductive
D) falsifiable

Question 17

The variable that is the proposed influence is the ______ variable.

A) dependent
B) constant
C) independent
D) constructive

Question 18

Researchers who begin by starting with a social theory and then testing some of its implications with data, are using the process of ______ reasoning.

A) inductive
B) strategic
C) deductive
D) serendipitous

Question 19

______generalizability refers to the ability to generalize from a sample, or subset, of a larger population to that population itself.

A) Interstate
B) Sample
C) International
D) Cross-population

Question 20

The ______ of a study is the extent to which it can be used to inform us about persons, places, or events that were not studied.

A) reliability
B) generalizability
C) comprehensivity
D) validity

Question 21

A hypothesis proposes a relationship between two or more theories.

Question 22

In criminology, ______ describe what is important to look at in order to understand, explain, and predict crime.

A) theoretical instructions
B) theories
C) theoretical constructs
D) testable requirements

Question 23

The first concern in criminological research is deciding ______.

A) how to study something
B) how expensive a study would have to be in order to be good
C) how expansive a study would have to be in order to be feasible
D) what to study

Question 24

Social research, including criminological research, strives to connect theory and empirical data.

Question 25

A variable that is hypothesized to change or vary depending on the variation in another variable is known as a(n) ______ variable.

A) independent
B) dependent
C) inductive
D) deductive

Question 26

A survey of 250 high school seniors asked about their illegal drug use and their friends' illegal drug use in the past 6 months. They were then compared to the frequency of illegal drug use between students who had used illegal drugs and those whose friends had not used illegal drugs. The conclusion they reached was that drug use was, in part, due to the influence of peers. Which of the following statements is true?

A) If the survey questions indicated the frequency with which the students and their peers took illegal drugs, we have achieved measurement validity.
B) If the survey questions indicated the likelihood with which the students and their peers took illegal drugs, we have achieved causal validity.
C) There is no way of knowing from these statements whether the results were generalizable.
D) There is no way of knowing from these statements if they were causally valid.

Question 27

One of the most important requirements of theory is that it is testable, or what philosophers of science call falsifiable.

Question 28

The first step in achieving measurement validity is ______.

A) in establishing the validity of research
B) to specify clearly what it is we intend to measure
C) improving our understanding of logistical reality
D) generalizing from a sample to a subset of the population

Question 29

Because of their doubts about the generalizability of their results, Sherman, Burk, and other researchers began to ______.

A) journey around the replication circle of the experiment in more cities
B) journey around the research circle for replications of the experiment in more cities
C) search for unexpected patterns in the data
D) look at measurement invalidity as a source of the problems

Question 30

Unexpected patterns in the data we collect are called analogous findings.

Question 31

______ research begins at the bottom of the research circle and works upward.

A) Deductive
B) Constant
C) Inductive
D) Hypothethical

Question 32

O'Neal and Spohn (2017) explored factors that influence arrest and charging decisions in cases of intimate partner sexual assault cases by examining ______.

A) quantitative data from Los Angeles (LA) and qualitative data by talking to friends of perpetrators
B) quantitative data from LA, interviewed LA Police Department (LAPD) detectives and examined LA District Attorney (LADA) charge evaluation sheets
C) qualitative data from LAPD and quantitative data from LADA
D) all of these

Question 33

A(n) ______ is a tentative statement about empirical reality involving the relationship between two or more variables.

A) research circle
B) constant
C) anomalous finding
D) hypothesis

Question 34

Empirical reality is ______.

A) reality we come to know through encounters with cross-populations
B) the truthfulness of an assertion that A causes B
C) when a conclusion based on a sample or subset of a larger population holds true for that population
D) the reality we encounter firsthand, by conducting research that leads to valid knowledge about the world

Question 35

The type of research in which specific data are used to develop a general explanation is known as ______ research.

A) falsifiable
B) deductive
C) empirical
D) inductive

Question 36

What is meant by "every research question in criminology should be grounded in the existing empirical literature?"

A) the questions must be built on a constantly shifting body of literature
B) the research must be informed by what others before us have done on the topic
C) it cannot rely on a substantial body of contradictory theories
D) theory cannot be a rich source of research questions therefore we must rely on what others have found

Question 37

Social theories provide the answers to research questions.

Question 38

According to Mills (1959), curiosity about the social world may emerge from ______.

A) examination of feelings about your awareness
B) selection of some aspect of crime that the researchers seek to answer
C) your "personal troubles"
D) focusing on manageable problems

Question 39

The motive for inductive research is ______.

A) description
B) exploration
C) explanation
D) application

Question 40

In ______ research reasoning from specific premises results in a conclusion that a theory is supported, but in ______ research the identification of similar empirical patterns results in a generalization about some social process.

A) deductive; inductive
B) inductive; deductive
C) deductive; corroborating
D) inductive; replicative

Question 41

The qualitative interview data allowed O'Neal and Spohn to understand the process of making an arrest from the arrestee's perspective.

Question 42

The motive for inductive research is explanation.

Question 43

A constant is a characteristic or a property that can vary.

Question 44

The Research Circle is a diagram of the elements of the research process, including theories, hypotheses, data collection, and data analysis.

Question 45

The goal of authenticity is to be able to conduct a study within a time frame and available resources.

Question 46

A logically interrelated set of propositions about empirical reality is an empirical generalization.

Question 47

Generalizability is the same as internal validity.

Question 48

Deductive research begins with specific data.

Question 49

All criminological research questions are equally worthy of study.

Question 50

The first phase of Sherman and Berk's (1984) study was designed to test the hypothesis that arrest for spouse abuse would increase the risk of repeat offenses.

Question 51

"If a state has recently changed its law so that it now permits capital punishment for those convicted of murder, does it eventually see a reduction in the homicide rate over time?" is feasible as a research question.

Question 52

It is always easy to determine which variable is the independent variable and which one is the dependent variable.

Question 53

Cross-population generalizability can also be referred to as external validity.

Question 54

Validity is the central goal of all research conducted in criminology.

Question 55

Research can improve our understanding of empirical reality.

Question 56

The Intimate Partner Violence research discussed in your text might more appropriately be described as a research spiral.

Question 57

Every research question in criminology should be grounded in upcoming empirical literature.

Question 58

Content validity is achieved when a measure measures what it is presumed to measure.

Question 59

Research can improve our understanding of empirical reality.

Question 60

Considering whether or not a research question is important to society is one of the criteria outlined by King, Keohane, and Verba.

Question 61

Define positivism and postpositivism. What are differences?

Question 62

What are three reasons we might commit the everyday error known as "resistance to change"?

Question 63

What are motivations for social research?

Question 64

What is Crime Mapping? How is it used and why is it important?

Question 65

What is the difference between social science and pseudoscience?

Question 66

What is the YRBS? What does it measure?

Question 67

What are the four types of social research?

Question 68

What is Intersubjective Agreement?

Question 69

What is the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS)?

Question 70

What is secondary data analysis? Why is it important?

Question 71

What is the NCVS? Who does it survey, and what is the topic? Why is it important?

Question 72

What are Mixed Methods?

Question 73

What are quantitative and qualitative methods? What are the differences between the two?

Question 74

What are the four common errors in everyday reasoning?

Question 75

How does transparency and peer review fit with scientific research?

Question 76

What is epistemology and how does it relate to methodology?