Question 1

Criminal surveys are specifically designed to record an estimate of claimed victimizations by a representative sample of the population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The Department of Justice evaluates "what works" in criminology and criminal justice on the assumption that it makes little sense to continue to invest in programs that do not work. This describes ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  scared straight 
B)  uniform crime report 
C)  evidence-based research 
D)  hands-on research

Question 3

Journalists are frequently covering the same events that criminologists are studying. Describe how their roles differ.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Journalists are frequently covering the same events...

Question 4

Which of the following involves the process of defining concepts by describing how they are being measured?

Accepted Answer

A)  conceptualization 
B)  triangulation 
C)  operationalization 
D)  reliability

Question 5

When conducting an experiment, the control group receives the treatment and the experimental group does not.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Unobtrusive measures are clandestine, secretive, or nonreactive methods of gathering data.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

If participants in an experiment have an equal probability of being assigned to the experimental or control group, this is accomplished through ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  methodological narcissism 
B)  random assignment 
C)  pretests 
D)  posttests

Question 8

Sources of crime statistics include all of the following except ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  experiments 
B)  case studies 
C)  participant observation 
D)  subjective notes

Question 9

A criminologist wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the subculture of a street gang in a particular city. Which of the following methods would be the most appropriate method for obtaining such an understanding?

Accepted Answer

A)  using existing sources of official data 
B)  distributing self-report surveys 
C)  running an experiment under laboratory conditions 
D)  engaging in participant observation

Question 10

Which of the following research methodologies do the use of pretests and posttests apply to?

Accepted Answer

A)  ethnography 
B)  experimentation 
C)  participant observation 
D)  secondary analysis

Question 11

Which of the following is a fanatical adherence to a particular research method, often at the expense of a concern for substance, known as?

Accepted Answer

A)  methodological narcissism 
B)  research incoherence 
C)  telescopic visioning 
D)  triangulation

Question 12

According to the text, which of the following involves attempts to develop reasonable explanations of reality?

Accepted Answer

A)  methodology 
B)  theories 
C)  observations 
D)  surveys

Question 13

If a criminologist conducts a study of an issue that he or she feels strongly about, there may be issues with the researcher remaining ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  reliable 
B)  triangulated 
C)  objective 
D)  operationalized

Question 14

The problem of inadequate methods in criminology arises not because of the inherent shortcomings of a particular method but because a given method is used alone.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Self-report measures attempt to provide an alternative to official statistics in measuring the extent of crime in a society.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

A basic tenet of scientific research is that researchers attempt to maintain subjectivity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

The crime rate is a calculation that expresses the total number of index crimes per 100,000 population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

A criminologist wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the socialization process of a state police academy. Which of the following methods would be the most appropriate method for obtaining such an understanding?

Accepted Answer

A)  using existing sources of official data 
B)  distributing self-report surveys 
C)  running an experiment under laboratory conditions 
D)  engaging in participant observation

Question 19

Social researchers in many cases have no guaranteed right to confidentiality or privileged information and are vulnerable to subpoena.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

As an independent field, criminology has ______.

Accepted Answer

A)  largely disregarded the issue of ethics in research 
B)  long recognized the ethical codes of its parent disciplines but only recently begun to adopt its own ethical guidelines 
C)  long relied upon its own code of ethics, compiled by the American Society of Criminology since the early 1900s 
D)  long relied upon its own code of ethics, compiled by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences since the early 1900s

Exam 2: Research Methods in Criminology

Criminal surveys are specifically designed to record an estimate of claimed victimizations by a representative sample of the population.

The Department of Justice evaluates "what works" in criminology and criminal justice on the assumption that it makes little sense to continue to invest in programs that do not work. This describes ______.

Journalists are frequently covering the same events that criminologists are studying. Describe how their roles differ.

Which of the following involves the process of defining concepts by describing how they are being measured?

When conducting an experiment, the control group receives the treatment and the experimental group does not.

Unobtrusive measures are clandestine, secretive, or nonreactive methods of gathering data.

If participants in an experiment have an equal probability of being assigned to the experimental or control group, this is accomplished through ______.

Sources of crime statistics include all of the following except ______.

A criminologist wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the subculture of a street gang in a particular city. Which of the following methods would be the most appropriate method for obtaining such an understanding?

Which of the following research methodologies do the use of pretests and posttests apply to?

Which of the following is a fanatical adherence to a particular research method, often at the expense of a concern for substance, known as?

According to the text, which of the following involves attempts to develop reasonable explanations of reality?

If a criminologist conducts a study of an issue that he or she feels strongly about, there may be issues with the researcher remaining ______.

The problem of inadequate methods in criminology arises not because of the inherent shortcomings of a particular method but because a given method is used alone.

Self-report measures attempt to provide an alternative to official statistics in measuring the extent of crime in a society.

A basic tenet of scientific research is that researchers attempt to maintain subjectivity.

The crime rate is a calculation that expresses the total number of index crimes per 100,000 population.

A criminologist wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the socialization process of a state police academy. Which of the following methods would be the most appropriate method for obtaining such an understanding?

Social researchers in many cases have no guaranteed right to confidentiality or privileged information and are vulnerable to subpoena.

As an independent field, criminology has ______.