Deck 2: The Research Process

Question 1

The research process is "characteristically linear" because:

A) the steps in the process must be completed in a certain order.
B) it has to be in order for the statistical analyses to work.
C) otherwise it would be an illogical process.
D) it is required to be so by the U.S. Department of Research Protocols.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Because research often results in additional questions for future research, the research process is:

A) characteristically linear.
B) internally cyclical.
C) externally cyclical.
D) internally linear.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The statement, ""Children with undiagnosed and untreated learning disabilities are more likely to become delinquents,"" is good research question because:

A) it clearly predicts a potential causal relationship between two measurable variables.
B) it is important research.
C) delinquency is a serious social problem.
D) learning disabilities are seldom adequately researched.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The statement, ""Sex offenders should never be allowed to see the light of day outside of an institution,"" is a good research question because:

A) this research has never been done before.
B) sexual offending is an important issue facing society.
C) it suggests the researcher is too passionate about the issue.
D) this research may help justify longer sentences for sexual offenders.

Question 5

A researcher who says, ""I need more information about current research on this topic,"" should look to which of the following sources?

A) Books
B) Scholarly journals
C) Newspapers or magazines
D) the Internet

Question 6

A researcher who says, ""I am really unfamiliar with this topic. I need some background information and maybe a little history about it,"" should look to which of the following sources?

A) Books
B) Scholarly journals
C) Newspapers or magazines
D) the Internet

Question 7

A researcher who says, ""I need some information about this topic in a hurry,"" should look to which of the following sources?

A) Books
B) Scholarly journals
C) Newspapers or magazines
D) the Internet

Question 8

A researcher who says, ""There is not a lot of published information about this topic. I need some kind of insight into it,"" should look to which of the following sources?

A) Books
B) Scholarly journals
C) Newspapers or magazines
D) An Expert
E) 0

Question 9

A researcher who asks, ""What is the general public likely to know about this topic,"" should look to which of the following sources?

A) Books
B) Scholarly journals
C) Newspapers or magazines
D) The Internet

Question 10

The conceptual definition of domestic violence as, ""A potentially severe and reoccurring form of physical assault wherein the victim is an intimate domestic partner,"" would be:

A) strong, because it includes the recurring nature of this social construct.
B) weak, because it does not include psychological abuse.
C) both a and c.
D) neither a nor b

Question 11

Because researchers often find it necessary to revisit the steps, the research process is:

A) characteristically linear.
B) internally cyclical.
C) externally cyclical.
D) internally linear.

Question 12

Because the steps must be completed in a certain order, the research process is:

A) characteristically linear.
B) internally cyclical.
C) externally cyclical.
D) externally linear.

Question 13

The manner in which individuals learn criminal behavior is well documented. However, it is not clear from the research so far how access to the internet affects this learning process. The objective of this research is:

A) to answer research questions.
B) to reveal inconsistencies among researchers.
C) to fill gaps in the body of knowledge.
D) to produce more research questions.

Question 14

The research process is ""internally cyclical"" because:

A) scholars are generally unable to follow a linear process.
B) researchers often have to revise previously completed steps.
C) researchers often have to make up the process as they go along.
D) it is an inherently illogical process.

Question 15

The research process is ""externally cyclical"" because:

A) if it ended, university professors would have nothing to do but teach.
B) the peer review process forces researchers to redo their work.
C) good research often creates additional questions.
D) there is no logical reason behind the research process.

Question 16

A researcher defines crime as ""any behavior that is against the law."" At what step in the research process is the researcher at?

A) Operationalization
B) Literature review
C) Conceptualization
D) Analysis

Question 17

A researcher decides to measure crime by the number of arrests made by the police department. At what step in the research process is the researcher at?

A) Operationalization
B) Literature review
C) Design the method
D) Analysis

Question 18

The analysis step in the research process is relevant:

A) only after the data are collected.
B) only in quantitative research.
C) while the researcher is developing the data collection method.
D) during the literature review process.

Question 19

The portion of a research report that contains a summary of what previous researchers have learned about the topic is called the:

A) abstract.
B) methodology.
C) literature review.
D) findings.

Question 20

The portion of a research report that contains a summary of how the research was done and what its findings are is called the:

A) abstract.
B) methodology.
C) literature review.
D) findings.

Question 21

Sutherland proposed the theory of differential association suggests that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with other criminals. Years later, Burgess and Akers expanded on Sutherland's theory by suggesting that other factors could combine with differential association to produce criminal behavior. The objective of this research is:

A) to answer research questions.
B) to reveal inconsistencies among researchers.
C) to fill gaps in the body of knowledge.
D) to produce more research questions.

Question 22

Despite its contribution to our understanding of juvenile delinquency, the research of Burgess and Akers could not explain what motivates juveniles to join criminal gangs in the first place. The objective of this research is:

A) to answer research questions.
B) to reveal inconsistencies among researchers.
C) to fill gaps in the body of knowledge.
D) to produce more research questions.

Question 23

A researcher who operationalizes (i.e., measures) the incidence of domestic violence in a community by the number of domestic violence arrests made by the police department would likely:

A) have a complete measure of all domestic violence in the community.
B) not be able to measure the domestic violence incidents that are not reported to the police.
C) only count domestic violence cases that are not reported to the police.
D) have the best operational measure available for domestic violence.