Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
1. Criminal Justice and human behavior can be studied scientifically.
a. True
b. False
2. The “Chicago School” founded by Burgess and Park was influential in our understanding of why children failed in
schools.
a. True
b. False
3. In deductive reasoning, one starts from a general law and applies that law to a particular instance.
a. True
b. False
4. In using scientific inquiry, in deduction we reason toward observations; in induction we reason from observations.
a. True
b. False
5. If a number of social scientists agree that a phenomenon exists, they are using intersubjective agreement for
objectivity.
a. True
b. False
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
6. Grounded theory is used to describe the deductive method of theory construction.
a. True
b. False
7. A hypothesis is a specified expectation about an empirical reality derived from axioms.
a. True
b. False
8. A paradigm and a theory refer to two different things. The paradigm is a fundamental model or scheme that
organizes our view of something.
a. True
b. False
9. Research on criminal justice policy is an example of applied research.
a. True
b. False
10. The ecological approach to understanding crime suggests that human behavior is partially the result of the physical
and social environment where the behavior takes place.
a. True
b. False
11. Much of the current social science research has moved from description to:
a. exploration
b. explanation
c. understanding
d. theory
12. Much of the current research in criminal justice and criminology focuses upon which of the following?
a. basic building block of a concept
b. concept’s theoretical counterpart
c. systematic explanation for the observed facts and laws that relate to a particular aspect of life
d. principle or law
13. Which of the following is not an example of a concept?
a. delinquency
b. peer group
c. indoor temperature
d. social disorganization
14. Which of the following constitute facts related to variables?
a. the empirical counterpart to a concept
b. variables can only be one value
c. more broad than concepts
d. cannot be observed
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
15. In the concentric zone theory of the “Chicago School” the zone of transition is characterized by:
a. the citizens that formed the core of morality for the city
b. the wealthiest citizens of Chicago
c. low-income immigrants from Europe initially
d. people who relocated from the suburbs
16. Observation involves all of the following except:
a. conducting experiments
b. interviewing people
c. watching people and detailing what you see
d. statistical manipulation
17. Which of the following is not an example of a type of statement?
a. laws
b. propositions
c. axioms
d. objectives
18. Socrates is mortal and observing a number of other people. All the observed people are mortals. All people are
mortal. This is an example of what type of logic?
a. deductive
b. observation
c. inductive
d. hypothesis
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
19. Which of the following is an example of subjectivity?
a. which rap singer do you like the best
b. what was your score on your first research methods exam
c. did Judge Wilson have more mistrials than Judge Hughey
d. how much tuition does your university charge for full time students
20. Which type of research frequently involves the inductive method?
a. field research
b. experiments
c. surveys
d. use of existing data such as the Uniform Crime Reports
21. Which of the following is another word for objectivity?
a. subjectivity
b. intersubjective agreement
c. attitudes
d. religiosity
22. Which of the following is an example of a concept?
a. height
b. peer group
c. weight
d. age
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
23. Which of the following is an example of a variable?
a. social disorganization
b. crime
c. social class
d. annual family income
24. An axiom is a type of
a. theory
b. variable
c. statement
d. concept
25. Which of the following is not an example of a hypothesis?
a. males score higher in math than females.
b. poor children have higher delinquency rates than do middle-class children.
c. why is the sky dark at night?
d. those who study daily will have the highest grades
26. Which of the following illustrates situational crime prevention?
a. use of management, design, or the manipulation of the environment to reduce crime
b. using prison to reduce crime by keeping offenders away from the public
c. increasing police presence in high crime areas
d. offender home checks
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
27. Which of the following are not efforts that you can employ as situational crime prevention techniques?
a. keeping your car doors locked when you park
b. using a steering wheel lock every time you exit your car
c. call the police immediately after you realize that your car has been vandalized
d. use removable stereo systems
28. Which of the following is accurate with respect to paradigms?
a. paradigms consist of groups of hypotheses
b. paradigms are ways of organizing our views
c. paradigms are hypotheses linked in a logical framework
d. all statements are accurate
29. Research on a criminal justice related policy is an example of
a. explanatory research
b. descriptive research
c. applied research
d. exploratory research
30. In an inductive approach to policy development, the final step is
a. monitoring results
b. collecting data
c. analysis of situation
d. systematic study
31. All people are mortal, therefore Socrates is mortal is an example of which type of logic?
a. deductive
b. observation
c. inductive
d. hypothesis
32. Dr. Quinn is interested in who is least likely to show up for their trial; those who bond out of jail with the help of a
bondsman or those placed in a court sponsored pre-trial release program. The results of the study indicate that those
inmates released using a bail bondsmen had a lower failure to appear at trial rate than those using court sponsored
pre-trial release. The findings of the study are used to close the expensive court run pre-trial release program. This
study is an example of what type of research?
a. theory building
b. applied research
c. basic or pure research
d. a paradigm shift
33. Independent of opinion is a definition of:
a. an analysis
b. subjectivity
c. objectivity
d. a hypothesis
34. This term represents a set of concepts and the proposed relationships among these; a structure that is intended to
represent or model something about the world.
a. a paradigm
b. a law
c. a theory
d. a fact
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
35. Which of the following best applies to the statement that science is always objective?
a. this only happens in the study of economics
b. objectivity is a matter of intersubjective agreement
c. objectivity can never happen when engaged in scientific research
d. objectivity is always present when a researcher knows all of the variables impacting their study
36. You count the number of students registered for your research methods class. This is an example of:
a. objectivity
b. subjectivity
c. intersubjectivity
d. theory
37. When the relationship between two variables is drawn from a theory, it is said to be:
a. a fact
b. a hypothesis
c. a mini theory
d. a paradigm
38. Dr. Smith is doing an observational study in a local jail and discovers that inmates who are respectful to the
correctional officers get more telephone calls than inmates who are disrespectful. What technique has been
employed in the study?
a. evaluation research
b. inductive logic
c. deductive logic
d. theory construction
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
39. The more a person drinks and drives the more likely they are to be pulled over for DUI. This is an example of:
a. a theory
b. a law
c. a hypothesis that results in a negative relationship
d. a hypothesis that results in a positive relationship
40. Conclusions drawn about the relationships among concepts, based on the logical interrelationship among the axioms
is:
a. a law
b. a proposition
c. an axiom
d. a statement
41. Which of the following cannot be studied scientifically in the field of criminal justice?
a. the relationship between the number of police officers on the street and the crime rate
b. the relationship between the number of police officers on the street and citizen satisfaction
c. the role that an act of a deity plays on being arrested for a criminal offense
d. the role that age plays in slowing one’s criminal activities
42. The “Chicago School” was noted for the study of crime in various sections of the city of Chicago. Which of the
following was used to study where crime happened?
a. concentric zones
b. ask people why they left Chicago for other northern cities
c. interviews with police officers
d. content analysis of newspapers
43. Which of the following cannot be studied scientifically?
a. physical attributes of humans
b. the purpose of life
c. changes in the number of elephants in the wild
d. astronomy
44. Operationalization means:
a. the part of a theory that tells us how variables are related
b. the procedures we go through to identify and measure variables
c. the procedures we go through before we can develop a hypothesis
d. the part of a theory that tells us what statistics we can use
45. Which of the following is most accurate?
a. theory must always come before observation
b. observation must always come before theory
c. theory may precede observation; just as observation may precede theory
d. theory and observation are not related
46. The primary distinction between a paradigm and theory is based on:
a. intersubjective agreement
b. a hypothesis
c. organization and structure
d. operationalization
Chapter_2 Theory_and_Criminal_Justice_Research
47. Which of the following is not true concerning theory, research and policy relationships?
a. theory structures research
b. policies can be examined to determine if they accomplish their goals
c. theory should never be used to develop public policy
d. research is consulted to develop public policy
48. 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
49. The three main elements in the traditional model of science include theory, operationalization, and:
a. statistics
b. hypotheses
c. observation
d. conclusions
50. What is the final step in the traditional model of science?
a. operationalization
b. theory development
c. data collection
d. observation
51. The results of Burgess and Park’s study using the concentric circles in the city of Chicago resulted in:
a. the finding that where ever the poorest people live will be the least amount of crime
b. the finding that where the most wealthy people live will be the highest rates of property crime
c. the finding that the crime rate will be the highest in the area characterized by transition
d. the finding that when people move from one zone to another, they take their criminal tendencies with them
52. The concept of “observation” in the language of science means
a. looking at the world and making value judgments
b. looking at the world and making measurements of what is seen
c. looking at the world and making changes in what is seen
d. looking at the world through rose colored glasses
53. Grounded theory is used to:
a. measure how much common sense went into a specific theory
b. describe the inductive method of theory construction
c. describe the deductive method of theory construction
d. assess the elements that make up dirt
54. Which of the following is not a concept?
a. juvenile delinquency
b. peer group
c. grade in research methods
d. religiosity
55. Which of the following is an axiom?
a. working class youths have higher delinquency rates than upper class youths
b. working class youths would be more likely to break the law to gain material goods than upper class youths
c. everyone desires material comforts
d. social class has no bearing on the tendency to break the law
56. Paradigm shifts are:
a. shifted to resemble concepts
b. concepts shifted to paradigms
c. previously agreed on paradigms that are discarded in favor of new ones
d. previously agreed upon paradigms that are changed over to a hypothesis
57. Defensible Space is:
a. the current U.S. policy for protecting Americans
b. an attempt to understand the link between urban design and crime
c. a movie that demonstrates how to protect yourself
d. U.S. missile defense system
58. Operationalization involves which of the following?
a. testing hypotheses
b. testing theories
c. identifying how you will measure a variable
d. developing a theory
59. The idea of defensible space can be traced to the work of:
a. Shaw and McKay
b. Newman
c. David Takeuchi
d. Maxfield and Babbie
60. The second step in the traditional model of science is which of the following?
a. concepts
b. observation
c. operationalization
d. methodology
61. Which of the following is accurate with respect to induction?
a. induction begins with a theory
b. induction starts with observed data
c. induction ends with relationships
d. induction begins with generalizations
62. Grounded theories refer to which of the following?
a. testing a theory to see if the data fits
b. theories that have been constructed by faculty just beginning their careers
c. describes the inductive method of theory construction
d. describes the deductive method of theory construction
63. If grades go up as the number of study hours go up, this is called what type of relationship?
a. negative
b. positive
c. inverse
d. a fluke
64. Scientific inquiry in practice typically involves a relationship between:
a. theory and policy
b. concepts and paradigms
c. hypothesis and hypotheses
d. deduction and induction
65. According to ecological theory, which of the following is not a fundamental principle?
a. crime is more common in urban transition zones
b. crime is more common is suburban transition zones
c. crime is more common where there is a great deal of crowding
d. crime is more common where there is much poverty
66. Which of the following illustrates the relationship between a theory and a paradigm?
a. theories are collections of hypotheses while a paradigm uses just one hypothesis
b. a paradigm is more specific than a theory
c. a theory is more specific than a paradigm
d. a theory is a paradigm
67. Research in criminology has moved from descriptive studies to those that place a greater emphasis on systematic
____________________.
68. The logic of social scientific inquiry is based in the use of ____________________ to guide the inquiry.
69. The zone of transition in Chicago characterized by weak families, social institutions and substandard housing
produced a phenomenon called ____________________ disorganization.
70. When one moves from particular instances to general principles – from facts to theories, one is using
____________________ reasoning.
71. An axiom is an assumption about reality, while a proposition expresses relationships among
____________________.
72. A(n) ____________________ is a fundamental model or scheme that organizes our view of something.
73. Another word for intersubjective agreement is ____________________.
74. The process of specifying steps, procedures, or operations for actually identifying and measuring variables to be
observed is ____________________.
75. When crime prevention policies try to reduce the opportunities for crime to occur, ____________________ crime
prevention is being employed.
76. When a researcher monitors and evaluates results of a program to determine if it is achieving its goals, this step is
similar to ____________________ testing in basic research.
77. Using the deductive model, research is used to test ____________________.
78. Using the inductive model, ____________________ are developed from the analysis of research data.
79. The two pillars of science are observation and ____________________.
80. ____________________ logic moves from the general to the specific.
81. ____________________ logic moves from specific data to general assumptions.
82. 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.
83. The three main elements in the traditional model of science are theory, operationalization, and observation. Identify a
piece of research discussed in class and identify each of the elements listed above for that research.
84. The text details the work of the “Chicago School” and the impact that perspective had on the field of criminology.
What aspects of the ecological approach could be applicable today and why?
85. Your authors present terms that are used in theory construction. Some of those terms are concepts, variables,
statements and hypotheses. Explain how those words are related to one another. Use a specific theory to illustrate
the relationship. In other words, identify a theory, from that theory identify a concept and variables. From those
variables develop a statement and a hypothesis.
86. Paradigms were discussed in your text in part in terms of Thomas Kuhn’s paradigm shifts. What does this mean and
give an example of a paradigm shift in the field of criminology or criminal justice.
87. Kevin made an observation in a natural setting, then formulated a tentative theory about the observation that
explained the observation and then made additional observations. This is an example of a/an:
a. grounded theory
b. paradigm
c. inductive illustration
d. hypothesis
88. The approach with which we select and define problems for research, and figure out how to study them, is directly
related to our theoretical:
a. hypothesis
b. inductive illustration
c. grounded theory
d. paradigm
89. Which one of the following is not a function of theories:
a. they make sense of observed patterns to suggest other possibilities
b. they shape and direct research efforts
c. they prevent our being taken by flukes
d. they help identify the more appropriate ways to view the world
90. Beginning with general, theoretical expectations about the impact of organizational characteristics on court
operations, Eisenstein and Jacob then collected data to determine the accuracy of those expectations. This
process is known as:
a. conceptualization
b. the inductive model
c. the deductive model
d. the traditional image of science