Deck 3: Researching Deviance

Question 1

If a researcher is studying juvenile delinquents and would like to interview children participating in a community service group as part of their court sentencing, the researcher would need to obtain ______.

A) approval from the head researcher
B) human subject research approval
C) approval from the court
D) a copy of a valid form of identification

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The "gold standard" for determining causal relationships is ______.

A) participant observation design
B) field research
C) experimental design
D) content analysis research

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Random assignment is important in experimental research because it ______.

A) assures internal validity is maintained
B) assures external validity is maintained
C) is a snowball sampling technique
D) is the most ethical approach

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Research on deviance is often ______, focused on factors associated with how deviance is distributed across different groups or factors thought to be causes or consequences of deviance.

A) historical
B) experimental
C) descriptive
D) quasi-experimental

Question 5

Which of the following is a common criticism of The National Incident-Based Reporting System?

A) Victimless crimes are not included.
B) The data are focused on unofficial victim reports.
C) Gender, race, and age of the offender are frequently unavailable.
D) Police reports are biased.

Question 6

Which of the following kinds of research do the authors consider the best method for understanding deviance?

A) quasi-experimental
B) survey
C) triangulating with multiple methods
D) experimental

Question 7

______ would require the researcher to conduct observations as a part of field research.

A) Content analysis
B) Quasi-experimental
C) Ethnographic field research
D) Electronic survey research

Question 8

If a researcher is conducting a quasi-experimental research design, what technique will they most likely use?

A) random selection
B) cluster sampling
C) snowballing technique
D) nonrandom assignment

Question 9

The ______ was established to review and approve research involving human subjects.

A) The National Incident-Based Reporting System
B) Institutional Review Board
C) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
D) American Sociological Association

Question 10

A student conducts a study on texting behaviors among college students using closed-ended questions where participants' answers are provided on a five-point Likert-like scale, ranging "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". This type of research is called ______ research.

A) content analysis
B) quasi-experimental
C) survey
D) participant observation

Question 11

What does triangulating research refer to?

A) combining research methods
B) research that involves at least three groups
C) more than two researchers working together
D) conducting research at several different points in time

Question 12

Dr. Grimes plans to review Wikipedia articles written about Sociology. She wants to systematically search the page history and analyze the demographic background of who is making changes to the record, how often the record is changed, and how many incorrect entries there are. What kind of research is Dr. Grimes conducting?

A) triangulating
B) content analysis
C) experimental
D) participant observation

Question 13

What kind of participant observation is pure observation?

A) video recordings
B) archival research
C) joining the group you observe
D) unobtrusive observation

Question 14

There are four keys to a successful content analysis: (1) a good question, (2) a good understanding of the sources of interest, (3) a strategy for sampling records, and (4) ______.

A) knowledge of the Internet
B) financial support
C) a systematic approach
D) time

Question 15

The U.S. Census Bureau, The Center for Disease Control, and The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, all collect statistical information. Dr. Hysock conducts her research program by analyzing these already available sources of information. Dr. Hysock is using ______.

A) secondary data sources
B) participant observation
C) ethnographic research design
D) nonrandom sampling

Question 16

What does the discussion of Humphreys (1970) Tearoom Trade demonstrate?

A) Secondary data sources are invalid and unreliable.
B) Female researchers are not given credit for their work.
C) Social scientists cannot accurately research sexuality.
D) IRBs are needed to protect human subjects.

Question 17

What is one criticism of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)?

A) IRBs let social scientist research take precedence over human safety.
B) IRBs prioritize protecting institutions over protecting human subjects.
C) IRBs rarely allow social science researchers to work with children.
D) IRBs don't do enough to protect anonymity.

Question 18

What is one reason it is difficult to compare rates of deviance from one country to the next?

A) Many countries refuse to provide statistics related to deviance.
B) Some countries have very little deviance.
C) Laws and reporting guidelines differ significantly by country.
D) Some countries do not belong to the United Nations.

Question 19

Which term below accurately summarizes external validity?

A) accuracy
B) consistency
C) generalizability
D) suitability

Question 20

What is one criticism of an experimental research design?

A) It lacks internal validity.
B) It is conducted under artificial conditions.
C) It is too expensive.
D) It frequently results in harm to human subjects.

Question 21

Quasi-experimental research focuses less on internal validity and random assignment than experimental research.

Question 22

A benefit of using experimental research is the high internal validity.

Question 23

Fieldwork is an example of an experimental research design.

Question 24

Participant observation research can be covert or overt.

Question 25

If a researcher is interested in examining graffiti artists in their natural environment in attempt to understand the subculture of graffiti artists and the meanings behind their work, a content analysis approach would be best for this research.

Question 26

A researcher using surveys to collect data does not need Institutional Review Board approval.

Question 27

Research on deviance is often prescriptive, meaning it is focused on factors associated with how deviance is distributed across different groups or factors thought to be causes or consequences of deviance.

Question 28

Confidentiality, informed consent, and anonymity are no longer important to research on deviance and crime because of the Institutional Review Board's political agenda.

Question 29

Field research includes a range of observations, from pure observer to participant observation.

Question 30

Secondary data sources include data that are already collected and readily available for the researcher to analyze.

Question 31

List the characteristics of survey research as discussed in the book.

Question 32

Describe the difference between covert participant observation research and overt participant observation research.

Question 33

Describe content analysis as a research design. Outline a study on deviance that you might conduct using content analysis.

Question 34

Outline the major ethical issues that researchers must address when proposing research to the Institutional Review Board.