Interviews in field research which are somewhat structured (as opposed to unstructured)
would be appropriate for use on which group?
a. death row inmates
b. juveniles
c. police officers
d. criminals
Causally related can also be expressed as
a. one relies upon the other
b. one precedes the other
c. one causes the other
d. none of the above
Since criminal justice record keeping is a social process reflecting the decisions made
by criminal justice personnel, a researcher must be careful of the impact this may have
on the validity and reliability of the data.
a. True
b. False
When we attempt to gather base line data, usually because of new technology or some
new law, the purpose of our research is:
a. exploration
b. description
c. explanation
d. application
The first step in creating questions is typically what:
a. writing questions
b. determining whom you will interview
c. figuring out interview type
d. determining question format
Criminal Justice and human behavior can be studied scientifically.
a. True
b. False
In criminal justice experiments, what serves as a guard against the effects of the
experiments themselves as well as events that may occur outside the laboratory during
the course of experiments?
a. variable groups
b. control groups
c. administrative groups
d. posttest groups
Sampling is often used when it is not possible to collect information from all persons
you want to study and when it is not necessary to collect information from all persons.
a. True
b. False
What is the relationship between sampling error and sample size?
a. there is no relationship between sampling error and the size of the sample
b. sampling error relates to the confidence interval, not the sample size
c. sampling error will let us know the size of the sample once we decide upon how
much error the study can tolerate
d. all are relationships
Which technique is best for measuring crimes that do not have easily identifiable
victims?
a. NCVS
b. UCR
c. NIBRS
d. Self-report surveys
Dr. Jones is having his Introductory to Criminal Justice students analyze cartoons. He
instructs them to identify the number of violent acts per show, the type of violent act
and the characteristics of the victim. Dr. Jones is having his students use:
a. content analysis
b. secondary data
c. new data collected by agency staff
d. nonpublic agency records
Which of the following characterizes the statement: “criminal justice and human
behavior often can be studied scientifically”?
a. the statement is wishful thinking
b. the statement is correct
c. the statement is inaccurate
d. the statement fails to address problems in studying human behavior
Randomized experiments for evaluation purposes require which of the following?
a. case flow must be adequate to produce enough subjects in both the experimental and
the control groups
b. program staff must accept random assignment and minimize the exceptions to
randomization
c. experimental interventions must be consistently applied
d. all of the above
If the variable that you are interested in studying is so rare that it is unlikely to be
discovered using random sampling, what is the best alternative?
a. accidental sampling
b. quota sampling
c. stratified sampling
d. purposive sampling
The number of counts on an indictment is what level of measurement?
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
Which of the following surveys have been conducted since 1971, surveys households,
and is designed to monitor nationwide patterns?
a. UCR
b. NIBRS
c. NSDUH
d. NCVS
Which of the following is not a general purpose of measuring crime?
a. monitoring
b. agency accountability
c. deterrence
d. research
A researcher compared the recidivism rates of drug abusers that were given probation
with those that were sentenced to prison and discovered that the recidivism rates were
highest for those given prison. What potential error is reflected by this conclusion?
a. internal validity
b. statistical conclusion validity
c. construct validity
d. external validity
It is relatively easy and common to have agencies modify their data collection forms in
order to get information needed for a specific research project being conducted from
someone outside the agency.
a. True
b. False
“What is your gender? male female” is an example of which type of question?
a. closed ended question
b. open ended question
c. matrix question
d. contingency question
Which of the following is representative of the dimension “victim harm”?
a. economic gain
b. gender of victim
c. physical injury
d. location of injury
Content analysis involves the systematic study of agency records.
a. True
b. False
The formula “Y is a function of X” means:
a. values of X can be explained through variations in Y
b. X and Y are independent of each other
c. values of Y can be explained in terms of variations in the values of X
d. Y and X are equal
In an inductive approach to policy development, the final step is
a. monitoring results
b. collecting data
c. analysis of situation
d. systematic study
Which of the following would not be an example of social artifacts as units of analysis?
a. newspaper editorials
b. probation officers
c. television news programs
d. diaries
For research that seeks to explore or explain why people commit criminal, delinquent,
or deviant acts, which is the best method available?
a. observation
b. asking questions
c. participant observation
d. studying criminal records
Criterion related validity refers to:
a. a comparison of measures to some external criterion
b. an empirical measure that may or may not agree with our common understanding of
a particular concept
c. the degree to which a measure covers the range of meanings included within the
concepts
d. the basis of logical relationships among variables
With respect to standard deviation, which of the following statements is not correct?
a. the total deviation is zero
b. the average deviation is zero
c. the value can range from negative 1 to positive 1
d. the sum of the deviations from the mean will always be zero
What type of variable allows you to arrange attributes from greater than to less than, but
does not allow you to tell how much greater or how much less than one attribute is from
another?
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. ratio
Univariate analysis and subgroup comparisons focus on describing variables while
bivariate analysis focuses upon people.
a. True
b. False
Social science cannot settle debates on:
a. facts
b. observations
c. logic
d. values
The standard deviation is the:
a. square root of the variance
b. square root of the range
c. the sum of the squared variance
d. none of the above.
Dwayne wanted to find out what the citizens of Canton think about a proposed law that
would require sex offenders to be treated in the community in lieu of prison
confinement and he decided to randomly call people listed in the phone book. What is
his sampling frame?
a. the citizens of Canton
b. the proposed law
c. telephone listings
d. sex offenders
Which of the following can color research in many ways?
a. evaluation
b. politics
c. results
d. analyses
The culture where we are born is made up of accepted knowledge about the world
around us and is known as
____________________.
The zone of transition in Chicago characterized by weak families, social institutions and
substandard housing produced a phenomenon called ____________________
disorganization.
____________________ logic moves from specific data to general assumptions.
Identify a theory that is based upon deductive reasoning and one that is based upon
inductive reasoning. Explain why each falls into the category that you suggest.
Answer:N/A
The method lays the groundwork for a check on reliability in regards to making
multiple measures of the same complex concept.
Describe the three criteria for causality. Give an example of each using the same
hypothesis.
Answer:N/A
Discuss the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning. Give examples of
each.
Answer:N/A
Compare and contrast the two different types of focus groups discussed in the text.
What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?
Answer:N/A
It is possible to move from individual to units of analysis but not the reverse.
An in-take survey done at the local jail that recorded the result of structured
observations of inmates is an example of an __________________ survey.
refers to subjectivity in the research process.
A(n) refers to researchers and program personnel together considering how each
program element affects the targets.