Sampling is used for two reasons, sometimes it is not necessary to collect data from all
persons and it:
a. is possible to collect data from all persons
b. is statistically significant
c. is often not possible to collect information from all persons
d. makes research more valid
Values of the dependant variable depend on the:
a. independent variable
b. main variable
c. independent attribute
d. dependant attribute
In a distribution of sentence lengths in months like the following ” 6, 12, 10, 18, 240,
360 ” which statistic would a
researcher not want to report?
a. standard deviation
b. mean
c. range
d. raw numbers
Part II offenses of the UCR are counted when:
a. the crime is reported to police
b. crimes resulting in an arrest and criminal charge
c. the crime is observed by police
d. crimes lead to prosecution in the form of a trial
The well-known Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment, discussed in Chapter 1,
provides another example of
a. construct validity problems
b. internal validity problems
c. statistical validity problems
d. replication validity problems
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
Which of the following is not an example of nonpublic agency records?
a. annual expenditures by your local courts
b. the state prison records for the facility closest to your location
c. employment records for your state’s probation agency
d. the records of criminal convictions at your local courthouse
With regard to measures of crime, the specific entities that researchers collect
information about are known as:
a. policies
b. procedures
c. criminal codes
d. units of analysis
Which is accurate concerning the interrupted time-series design?
a. some event stops or interrupts the research
b. control group subjects are often envious of the attention the experimental group
subjects get and interrupt the study
c. makes a long series of observations before and after introducing the experimental
treatment
d. none of the above are accurate
It is always a good idea to make more than one measurement of any subtle or complex
social concept, which is known as:
a. test-retest method
b. inter-rater reliability
c. split-half method
d. face validity
Which is a potential problem when using self-report surveys with high-rate offenders?
a. sampling
b. recall error
c. representation
d. bias
Focus groups usually consist of 15 to 20 people.
a. True
b. False
Treatment integrity is roughly equivalent to:
a. reliability
b. validity
c. generalizability
d. the accuracy of the data
When information is gathered by researchers and there are no identifying characteristics
allowing the researchers to match up results to individual subjects, this illustrates:
a. confidentiality
b. the absence of deception
c. anonymity
d. assurance of voluntary participation
Which of the following is an important element that is often not thought of when
creating a research project:?
a. the budget
b. the population
c. research methods
d. stakeholders
Experimentation is an approach to research best suited for exploration.
a. True
b. False
Evaluation apprehension occurs when people fear that their own job performance is
being rated.
a. True
b. False
Surveys may be used for descriptive, explanatory and applied research.
a. True
b. False
When a supervisor for a survey contacts a subset of the respondents to verify certain
information, it is an example of:
a. lack of generalizability
b. interrater reliability
c. split-half method
d. construct validity
Which of the following is accurate concerning the use of evaluation research?
a. it is gaining in popularity among researchers but it will likely not make a difference
b. federal requirements for program evaluations often accompany the implementation of
new programs
c. funding is usually not available for program evaluations
d. it is only of value to the agency you study
Construct validity is concerned with the ability to generalize from the results of the
experimental group to the control group.
a. True
b. False
When calculating the mean the researcher should use data measured at which level?
a. nominal
b. ordinal
c. interval
d. discrete
Emma studied the literature on binge drinking and discovered a pattern between gender
and binge drinking that might be logically and theoretically expected. She then did her
study of college students and drinking. Which approach is reflected:
a. experiential
b. deductive
c. inductive
d. applied
The National Jail Census collects information every five years about federal prisons.
a. True
b. False
The publication produced by the Bureau of Justice Statistics that includes information
about hundreds of justice agency data sets, characteristics of criminal justice agencies,
and perceptions of crime, to name just a few, is:
a. the Uniform Crime Reports
b. the National Crime Victimization Survey
c. the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
d. the National Crime Victimization Survey
Which of the following statements is accurate concerning program evaluations?
a. program evaluation is designed to link the intended actions and goals of policy to
empirical evidence that supports them having the desired effects
b. program evaluation is concerned only with whether policies are popular
c. program evaluation is concerned with whether policies are ethical
d. all of the above
Closed ended questions are useful because:
a. they provide uniform responses
b. they are more valid
c. they are more generalizable
d. you always get a thoughtful answer
In an incident containing multiple crimes, the most serious one is counted in the UCR.
This practice is known as the:
a. hierarchy rule
b. multiple offense rule
c. seriousness clause
d. selection method
Qualitative interviews are more effective than survey research in regard to:
a. validity
b. reliability
c. generalizability
d. reflexivity
In the home detention studies used in your text as examples of randomized studies, the
authors concluded that:
a. randomization allows generalization
b. randomization allows for reliability
c. randomization does not control for variation in treatment integrity and program
delivery
d. randomization does control for variation in treatment integrity and program delivery
Which of the following represents potential problems in doing evaluation research?
a. conflicting goals
b. clearly stated goals
c. ability to express policy goals in the “ifthen” form that can be empirically tested
d. all of the above
The NVCS is based on a nationally representative sample of:
a. arrests
b. offenders
c. households
d. types of crime
Which of the following is not a purpose of institutional review boards?
a. to determine whether adequate safeguards are in place to protect the welfare of
human subjects
b. to make sure that grant money is spent appropriately
c. provide outside or third party judgments
d. to provide expert advice on the resolution of ethical dilemmas