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Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 3rd Edition by Michael Maxfield, William Pasewark, Earl Babbie,Scott Pasewark
Edition 3ISBN: 978-1133714798Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 3rd Edition by Michael Maxfield, William Pasewark, Earl Babbie,Scott Pasewark
Edition 3ISBN: 978-1133714798 Exercise 1
Review the common errors of personal inquiry discussed in this chapter. Find a newspaper or magazine article about crime that illustrates one or more of those errors. Discuss how a scientist would avoid making that error.
Explanation
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Personal inquiry:
Personal inquiry is the process of acquiring knowledge from various aspects of life. Every human being explores the world around him or her. Humans try to gain knowledge about the things around them. The two aspects from which the human acquires wisdom are as follows:
• Tradition:
Every individual is born in a particular culture and tradition. He or she gains the available knowledge from his or her culture and tradition. People inherit this knowledge from their ancestors.
• Authority:
People also learn new information while leading their life. They encounter knowledgeable and experienced individuals who disseminate new information. People tend to believe these individuals because of their authority. Thus, people acquire knowledge that is necessary for their living.
Errors committed during personal inquiry:
• Inaccurate observation:
People learn through observation by observing a particular thing carefully. There is a chance that the observation is incorrect because of lack of concentration or forgetfulness. This gives rise to inaccuracy in observation.
• Overgeneralization:
It refers to the overstating of facts. An individual learns or observes a particular pattern in his or her society. This pattern applies only to his or her society but he or she concludes that the pattern also prevails in the neighboring society. This leads to overgeneralization and misinterpretation of the facts.
• Selective observation:
It is a process where the observer makes observation regarding a particular pattern that he or she believes to exist. This kind of observation excludes other external impacts on the study.
• Illogical reasoning:
Illogical reasoning is the failure to give an appealing justification for the findings. The observer falsely concludes his findings because of biased observations.
The following are the ways to avoid errors during personal inquiry:
• The researcher should keep a daily record of his or her observations to avoid inaccuracy. The methods used to measure or observe should be reliable and must be capable to give desired results.
• The researcher should rely on satisfactory sample size to represent the whole population. This will resolve the problem of overgeneralization.
• Researchers should replicate the study under different conditions to avoid overgeneralization.
• The researcher must specify the number and type of observations to reduce selective observation.
• The observer should check the reliability and validity of his or her observation. Professionals should review the observations. The research methods should be acceptable to many. Thus, this process can avoid faulty findings and illogical reasoning.
A magazine report to illustrate the errors committed during personal inquiry:
Illustration:
A study conducted by H school of public health states that the crimes against homosexuals and bisexuals is high. They are two times likely to be victims' of violent crimes than heterosexuals. The report says that homosexuals and bisexuals have higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorders.
Error in the report:
There is overgeneralization of the fact that crimes against homosexuals and bisexuals are more in number than heterosexuals. The report generalizes the fact and draws conclusion for the whole country.
Method to avoid error:
A researcher cannot study the whole population of Country U. He or she has to select an adequate sample size to represent the whole population. Selecting a small sample and generalizing the findings leads to overgeneralization and misinterpretation of the facts.
Conclusion:
Every human being gains knowledge through personal inquiry. Researchers also conduct research to explore, understand, and interpret the facts around them. The findings and conclusions must be globally acceptable. Therefore, the researcher must ensure the reliability of the available source of information and avoid errors during personal inquiry.
Personal inquiry is the process of acquiring knowledge from various aspects of life. Every human being explores the world around him or her. Humans try to gain knowledge about the things around them. The two aspects from which the human acquires wisdom are as follows:
• Tradition:
Every individual is born in a particular culture and tradition. He or she gains the available knowledge from his or her culture and tradition. People inherit this knowledge from their ancestors.
• Authority:
People also learn new information while leading their life. They encounter knowledgeable and experienced individuals who disseminate new information. People tend to believe these individuals because of their authority. Thus, people acquire knowledge that is necessary for their living.
Errors committed during personal inquiry:
• Inaccurate observation:
People learn through observation by observing a particular thing carefully. There is a chance that the observation is incorrect because of lack of concentration or forgetfulness. This gives rise to inaccuracy in observation.
• Overgeneralization:
It refers to the overstating of facts. An individual learns or observes a particular pattern in his or her society. This pattern applies only to his or her society but he or she concludes that the pattern also prevails in the neighboring society. This leads to overgeneralization and misinterpretation of the facts.
• Selective observation:
It is a process where the observer makes observation regarding a particular pattern that he or she believes to exist. This kind of observation excludes other external impacts on the study.
• Illogical reasoning:
Illogical reasoning is the failure to give an appealing justification for the findings. The observer falsely concludes his findings because of biased observations.
The following are the ways to avoid errors during personal inquiry:
• The researcher should keep a daily record of his or her observations to avoid inaccuracy. The methods used to measure or observe should be reliable and must be capable to give desired results.
• The researcher should rely on satisfactory sample size to represent the whole population. This will resolve the problem of overgeneralization.
• Researchers should replicate the study under different conditions to avoid overgeneralization.
• The researcher must specify the number and type of observations to reduce selective observation.
• The observer should check the reliability and validity of his or her observation. Professionals should review the observations. The research methods should be acceptable to many. Thus, this process can avoid faulty findings and illogical reasoning.
A magazine report to illustrate the errors committed during personal inquiry:
Illustration:
A study conducted by H school of public health states that the crimes against homosexuals and bisexuals is high. They are two times likely to be victims' of violent crimes than heterosexuals. The report says that homosexuals and bisexuals have higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorders.
Error in the report:
There is overgeneralization of the fact that crimes against homosexuals and bisexuals are more in number than heterosexuals. The report generalizes the fact and draws conclusion for the whole country.
Method to avoid error:
A researcher cannot study the whole population of Country U. He or she has to select an adequate sample size to represent the whole population. Selecting a small sample and generalizing the findings leads to overgeneralization and misinterpretation of the facts.
Conclusion:
Every human being gains knowledge through personal inquiry. Researchers also conduct research to explore, understand, and interpret the facts around them. The findings and conclusions must be globally acceptable. Therefore, the researcher must ensure the reliability of the available source of information and avoid errors during personal inquiry.
Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 3rd Edition by Michael Maxfield, William Pasewark, Earl Babbie,Scott Pasewark
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