CHAPTER 2
Where Do Theories Come From?
Chapter 2 Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer for each of the following.
1. The “evidence” in evidence-based criminology refers to
a. information obtained from witnesses to the crime.
b. fingerprints found at the crime scene.
c. experimental scientific findings.
d. social discussions.
2. Evidence-based criminology is founded upon which research method?
a. Randomized, controlled experiments
b. Case studies
c. Participant observation
d. Secondary analysis of data
3. The ideas of armchair criminologists achieve acclaim in all but which of the following ways?
a. The involvement of distinguished lecturers
b. Publication in prestigious essays
c. The systematic collection of related acts
d. The association of their ideas with institutions of higher learning
4. Which of the following is not a scientific endeavor?
a. Investigating the relationship between facts that have been gathered
b. Building a database of information
c. Investigating paranormal phenomena
d. Interrogating witnesses at a crime scene
5. A(n) __________ is a series of interrelated propositions which attempt to describe, explain,
predict, and ultimately control some class of events.
a. hypothesis
b. theory
c. variable
d. experiment
6. The statement, “Breaking the cycle of poverty will reduce crime” is an example of a(n)
a. hypothesis.
b. theory.
c. social policy.
d. causal question.
7. Which of the following statements is an example of a theory?
a. Increasing job opportunities will reduce crime
b. Crime rates increased in the past year
c. Poverty is a root cause of illegal drug use
d. Requiring everyone to earn a high school degree will lead to a reduction in crime
8. Which of the following is not a use of theory in social scientific thinking?
a. Theories supply frameworks within which concepts and variables acquire special
significance
b. Theories link studies together
c. Theories can be improved through hypothesis testing
d. Theories provide patterns for the interpretation of data
9. _______ research is undertaken simply for the sake of advancing scientific knowledge.
a. Applied
b. Pure
c. Primary
d. Secondary
10. What is the first step in any research?
a. Develop a research design
b. Review the findings
c. Choose a data collection technique
d. Identify a problem
11. _____________ is the process by which a concept is made measurable or a simple hypothesis
is turned into one that is testable.
a. Operationalization
b. Theory building
c. Variable development
d. Pure research
12. You are interested in determining whether allowing prison inmates to have televisions in
their cells will reduce violent behavior. You measure the rate of violence in the prison, install
televisions in all cells, and then measure the rate of violence again one month later to see if there
has been any change. What research design have you used?
a. A controlled experiment
b. A one-group pretest-posttest design
c. A quasi-experiment
d. A life history
13. Which of the following threats to internal validity is an example of the problem of
experimental mortality?
a. During the implementation of a study on violence in a prison, the prison administrator
is replaced
b. During a study, subjects become tired and their response time is affected
c. During a study in which students interview prison inmates, a number of student
interviewers graduate and must be replaced
d. During a study comparing two groups of prison inmates, some of the members of one
group are released on parole
14. Which of the following threats to external validity is an example of the problem of reactive
effects of experiment arrangements?
a. A pretest was conducted that sensitized the subjects to the topic of the research, so that
they may have responded to the treatment differently than would individuals who did not go
through the pretest
b. Defendants in a county court are allowed to choose whether or not they would like to
participate in a study to determine the effectiveness of a new diversion program
c. Inmates in a prison are aware that they are part of a study on prison violence and
modify their behavior as a result of this awareness
d. Inmates in a prison are participating in two research studies and are simultaneously
exposed to two different experimental interventions
15. A(n) _______ research design is particularly useful when some aspects of the social setting
are beyond the control of the researcher.
a. controlled experiment
b. one-group pretest-posttest
c. quasi-experimental
d. case study
16. After the results of a large research study on police procedures were publicized, the
researchers were interested in determining whether the study had affected police policy. The
researcher telephoned a large number of big-city police departments and asked a number of
questions about department policies and procedures. This is an example of which data-gathering
strategy?
a. Participant observation
b. Survey research
c. Case study
d. Secondary analysis
17. You are interested in studying how prison inmates and correctional officers interact on a
daily basis. To do this, you get a job as a correctional officer in a state prison and work there for
several months. What data-gathering strategy are you employing here?
a. Participant observation
b. Survey research
c. Secondary analysis
d. Self-reporting
18. Which is the only data-gathering technique that does not produce new data?
a. Self-reporting
b. Secondary analysis
c. Case study
d. Survey research
19. Because the Minneapolis Domestic Violence Experiment had a major impact on police
policy, the National Institute of Justice decided to see if the same results would be found if the
study was conducted in other cities around the U.S. This is an example of the issue of
a. replicability.
b. intersubjectivity.
c. reactivity.
d. instrumentation.
20. Which of the following is an example of inferential statistics?
a. Standard deviation
b. Correlation
c. Median
d. Test of significance
21. __________ are techniques that produce measurable results which can be analyzed
statistically.
a. Qualitative methods
b. Pure research methods
c. Quantitative methods
d. Participant observations
22. __________ treats numbers as having intrinsic scientific value.
a. Intersubjectivity
b. Pure research
c. Qualitative methodology
d. The mystique of quantity
23. The ethnical principle of _______ means that research subjects are told about the nature of
the research and their role in it
a. informed consent
b. data confidentiality
c. anonymity
d. objectivity
24. Which of the following is not a critical ethical issue for criminal justice researchers?
a. Data confidentiality
b. Protection of human subjects
c. Disclosure of research methods
d. Application of results to social policy
25. After research into the effectiveness of Project D.A.R.E. found that the program was
ineffective, publication of the research results was blocked. A representative of the National
Institute of Justice stated that they did not agree with one of the study’s major findings. What
ethical issue applies here?
a. Protection of human subjects
b. Informed consent
c. Objectivity
d. Data confidentiality
26. A(n) _________ involves reviewing the results of other studies on a specific topic.
a. participant observation study
b. meta-analysis
c. survey
d. case study
27. In a research report, the ________ is a brief summation of the findings of the report.
a. abstract
b. review of the existing literature
c. preface
d. analysis
28. Which of the following sections is not always included in a research report?
a. Appendixes
b. Findings and results
c. Analysis and discussion
d. References
29. Where are criminologists most likely to publish their research?
a. Newspapers
b. Monographs
c. Professional journals
d. Wikipedia
30. Which submission requirement tends to be the same for all professional refereed journals?
a. The style of the references
b. The method of submission
c. A prohibition on simultaneous submissions
d. The amount of the submission fee
Chapter 2 True-False
Choose whether each statement is true or false.
1. The evidence used in evidence-based criminology is the same type of evidence that is used in
a criminal trial.
a. True
b. False
2. During the Golden Age of Theory, there was a systematic attempt to link criminological
research to theory.
a. True
b. False
3. Gathering facts is sufficient to offer a satisfactory explanation of crime.
a. True
b. False
4. The statement “Providing more educational opportunities to lower-income individuals will
reduce crime” is a hypothesis.
a. True
b. False
5. A theory is tested by how well it describes and predicts reality.
a. True
b. False
6. If you conduct applied research, you are not expecting your results to have any immediate,
practical application.
a. True
b. False
7. Problem identification often includes some basic statistical analyses.
a. True
b. False
8. A one-group pretest-posttest research design eliminates all other possible explanations of
behavioral change.
a. True
b. False
9. You are conducting a simple one-group pretest-posttest research design in a police department
and between the pretest and posttest, the chief of police resigns. This event may produce a
confounding effect.
a. True
b. False
10. A rehabilitation program is tested in a California medium security prison and found to be
effective. The researchers want to know if the program will be effective in maximum security
prisons in Texas. This is a question of external validity.
a. True
b. False
12. In the “participant as observer” strategy, the observer goes “undercover” and joins the group,
participating in their activities.
a. True
b. False
13. “Do you see what I see?” is a question that highlights the role of intersubjectivity in scientific
observation.
a. True
b. False
14. Findings from qualitative studies are expressed numerically.
a. True
b. False
15. The best way to control the effects of biases is to be aware of them at the start of the
research.
a. True
b. False