Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 4th Edition by Michael G. Maxfield – Test Bank
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CHAPTER 3 TEST BANK
General Issues in Research Design
TRUE/FALSE
1. The
pillars of science are logic and rationality.
ANS:
F
REF: Foundations of Social Science
2. In
grounded theory, observations rarely contribute to theory development.
ANS:
F
REF: Foundations of Social Science
3. Longitudinal
studies are designed to permit intensive observations over a short period of
time.
ANS:
F
REF: Foundations of Social Science
4. Explanatory
scientific research centers on the notion of cause and effect.
ANS:
T
REF: The Time Dimension
5. Most
explanatory social research uses a probabilistic model of causation.
ANS:
T
REF: The Time Dimension
6. Individuals
may be units of analysis in criminal justice research.
ANS: T
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
7. When
scientists consider whether causal statements are true or false, they are
concerned with the validity of causal inference.
ANS:
T
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
8. Ecological
fallacy refers to the dangers of making assertions about large groups as the
units of analysis based upon examination of individuals.
ANS:
F
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
9. Cross-sectional
studies are those based on observations made at one time.
ANS:
T
REF: Units of Analysis
10.
Scientific realism bridges idiographic and nomothetic approaches
to explanation by seeking to understand how causal mechanisms operate in
specific contexts..
ANS:
T
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The
two essentials of science are ____.
|
a. |
correlation and causality |
|
b. |
induction and deduction |
|
c. |
idiographics and nomothetics |
|
d. |
logic and observation |
ANS: D
Foundations of Social Science
2. The
scientific criteria for causality include ____.
|
a. |
a correlation between the cause and the
effect |
|
b. |
the effect preceding the cause in time |
|
c. |
the effect being caused by some third
variable |
|
d. |
a cause that is not probabilistic |
ANS:
A
REF: Differing Avenues for Inquiry
3. When
saying validity is “the approximate truth of an inference,” the emphasis is on
____.
|
a. |
truth |
|
b. |
approximate |
|
c. |
inference |
|
d. |
validity |
ANS: B
REF: Differing Avenues for Inquiry
4. When
we say something is valid, we make a judgment about the extent to which
relevant evidence supports that inference as being ____.
|
a. |
reliable |
|
b. |
probable |
|
c. |
true or correct |
|
d. |
interesting |
ANS:
C
REF: Differing Avenues for Inquiry
5. A
scientific realist approach to examining mechanisms in context bridges ____.
|
a. |
dependent and independent variables |
|
b. |
idiographic and nomothetic approaches
to causation |
|
c. |
truth and reality |
|
d. |
sample and population differences |
ANS:
B
REF: Differing Avenues for Inquiry
6. Traditional
approaches to finding cause and effect usually try to isolate causal mechanisms
from other possible influences while the scientific realist approach views
these other possible influences as ____.
|
a. |
deviations |
|
b. |
causal mechanisms |
|
c. |
contexts |
|
d. |
true causes |
ANS:
C
REF: Differing Avenues for Inquiry
7. Suppose
a researcher describes the age, race, and gender distributions for people who
are charged with shoplifting. The unit of analysis is ____.
|
a. |
individuals |
|
b. |
demographic groups |
|
c. |
arrest records |
|
d. |
stores at which shoplifting occurs |
ANS: A
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
8. Suppose
a researcher wants to understand why some stores have higher rates of
shoplifting than do others and looks at the relationship between rates of
shoplifting for particular stores and the characteristics of the stores (e.g.,
what is sold there, the type of neighborhood, staffing levels, etc.). In this
case, the unit of analysis is ____.
|
a. |
individuals |
|
b. |
demographic groups |
|
c. |
arrest records |
|
d. |
stores at which shoplifting occurs |
ANS:
D
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
9. A
researcher using social artifacts as the unit of analysis might be studying
____.
|
a. |
newspaper editorials |
|
b. |
probation officers |
|
c. |
students |
|
d. |
professors |
ANS: A
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
10.
A researcher is interested in how criminality is related to age
and a large number of individuals of different ages at one point in time. This
is a ____ study.
|
a. |
trend |
|
b. |
cohort |
|
c. |
panel |
|
d. |
cross-sectional |
ANS:
D
REF: Units of Analysis
11.
A major Midwestern university does annual surveys of its alumni.
These surveys are designed to gauge the attitudes that alumni hold about the
university, its academic programs, and the major team sports. These surveys
have been an annual event for the last two decades and represent which type of
study?
|
a. |
cohort study |
|
b. |
panel study |
|
c. |
trend study |
|
d. |
cross-sectional study |
ANS:
C
REF: Units of Analysis
12.
Marvin Wolfgang’s study of males born in Philadelphia in 1945
was an attempt to measure delinquency by following those males from their 10th birthday
until they were 18. This is an example of what type of study?
|
a. |
cohort study |
|
b. |
panel study |
|
c. |
trend study |
|
d. |
cross-sectional study |
ANS:
A
REF: Units of Analysis
13.
Which type of study attempts to account for errors in drawing a
sample by measuring the same people on two or more occasions?
|
a. |
cohort study |
|
b. |
panel study |
|
c. |
trend study |
|
d. |
cross-sectional study |
ANS:
B
REF: Units of Analysis
14.
Which type of study would serve as a “snapshot” of a phenomenon
at a single point in time?
|
a. |
panel study |
|
b. |
cross-sectional study |
|
c. |
cohort study |
|
d. |
trend study |
ANS:
B
REF: Units of Analysis
15.
Which pair refers to whether an explanation seeks to explain a
particular event or a class of events?
|
a. |
idiographic and nomothetic |
|
b. |
inductive and deductive |
|
c. |
quantitative and qualitative |
|
d. |
social and cultural |
ANS:
A
REF: Foundations of Social Science
16.
A study of violence in children’s programming requires counting
the number of violent acts in Saturday morning cartoons for an entire year. The
unit of analysis being used for this project is the ____.
|
a. |
social artifact |
|
b. |
individual |
|
c. |
group |
|
d. |
organization |
ANS:
A
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
17.
Units of analysis are typically also the units of ____.
|
a. |
observation |
|
b. |
inference |
|
c. |
interaction |
|
d. |
deduction |
ANS:
A
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
18.
A researcher studies community-level arson rates in relation to
economic indicators such as household income, poverty, and unemployment. The
researcher finds that communities with higher arson rates have higher poverty
and unemployment rates and lower household income. The researcher concluded
that unemployed people are more likely to commit arson than are those who are
employed. What error was just committed?
|
a. |
the ecological fallacy |
|
b. |
reductionism |
|
c. |
using the wrong time dimension |
|
d. |
an internal validity threat |
ANS:
A
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
19.
Which unit of analysis is a social artifact?
|
a. |
citizen attitudes about the death
penalty |
|
b. |
editorials in the New York Times |
|
c. |
cities with over 250,000 inhabitants |
|
d. |
months of the year |
ANS:
B
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
20.
A survey distributed on a college campus discovered that males
support the death penalty in greater numbers than do females. The units of
analysis in this case would be ____.
|
a. |
social artifacts |
|
b. |
groups |
|
c. |
organizations |
|
d. |
individuals |
ANS: D
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
21.
The ____ is a panel study.
|
a. |
National Incident-based Reporting
System |
|
b. |
U.S. Census |
|
c. |
National Crime Victimization Survey |
|
d. |
Uniform Crime Reports |
ANS: C
REF: Units of Analysis
22.
What type of research is characterized by the direct observation
of events as they actually occur?
|
a. |
field |
|
b. |
grounded |
|
c. |
cohort |
|
d. |
idiographic |
ANS:
A
REF: Foundations of Social Science
23.
Which study design would allow a researcher to measure change in
a general population over time?
|
a. |
trend study |
|
b. |
cohort study |
|
c. |
panel study |
|
d. |
cross-sectional study |
ANS:
A
REF: Units of Analysis
24.
Data analysis looks for patterns in what is ____.
|
a. |
proved |
|
b. |
observed |
|
c. |
hypothesized |
|
d. |
assumed |
ANS:
B
REF: Foundations of Social Science
25.
After reading current research on the causes of juvenile crime
and noting that lack of opportunity, school failure, and parental neglect are
often prominently mentioned, you have trouble reconciling what you read with
what your personal experience. You think in particular of someone you went to
high school with who, despite coming from a well-educated, wealthy family,
being a star student and athlete, and having very attentive parents, carried
out a series of burglaries and arsons. This illustrates the ____ fallacy.
|
a. |
individualistic |
|
b. |
ecological |
|
c. |
observational |
|
d. |
personal |
ANS:
A
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
26.
The relationship between attributes and variables lies at the
heart of ____.
|
a. |
both science and mathematics |
|
b. |
publishing your outcomes |
|
c. |
units of analysis |
|
d. |
both description and explanation in
science |
ANS:
D
REF: Foundations of Social Science
27.
If a cross-sectional study can be likened to a “snapshot,” and a
trend study to a “slide show,” then which study is most like a “motion picture?”
|
a. |
trend study |
|
b. |
retrospective study |
|
c. |
prospective study |
|
d. |
panel study |
ANS:
D
REF: Units of Analysis
28.
What unit of analysis is being used in the following statement?
“An enormous variation of deviant activities was represented in a sample of
1,485 news items. We categorized these deviant activities into five general
types of analysis: violence, economic, political, ideological/cultural and
diversionary.”
|
a. |
individuals |
|
b. |
social artifacts |
|
c. |
organizations |
|
d. |
groups |
ANS:
B
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
29.
In an examination of violent crime among the most populous
nations in the world, the United States ranks very high along with England,
France, and Australia. The chance of being raped is higher in France than in
the United States. What units of analysis are being used?
|
a. |
individuals |
|
b. |
organizations |
|
c. |
social artifacts |
|
d. |
groups |
ANS:
D
REF: Causation in the Social Sciences
30.
A researcher studying rates of psychiatric disorders among
inmates as a function of institutional security level finds that the
highest-security prisons have the highest rates of psychiatric disorders. The
unit of analysis is ____.
|
a. |
individuals |
|
b. |
organizations |
|
c. |
social artifacts |
|
d. |
groups |
ANS:
B
REF: Units of Analysis
COMPLETION
1. According
to your text, causation, units of analysis, and _______________ are key
considerations in planning a research study.
ANS: time
REF: Foundations of Social Science
2. Research
that asks people to recall their pasts is called _______________ research.
ANS:
retrospective
REF: Units of Analysis
3. The two
pillars of science are logic and _______________.
ANS: observation
REF: Foundations of Social Science
4. Scientists
assess the truth of statements about cause by considering threats to ________________.
ANS:
validity
See; Differing Avenues for Inquiry
5. A(n)
_______________ is a structure that is intended to represent or model something
about the world.
ANS:
theory
REF: Foundations of Social Science
6. Theories
describe _______________ that might logically be expected among variables.
ANS:
relationships
REF: Foundations of Social Science
7. _______________
reasoning moves from the specific to the general, from a set of particular
observations to the discovery of a pattern that represents some degree of order
among the varied events under examination.
ANS: Inductive REF:
Foundations of Social Science
8. When someone
tries to come to conclusions about an individual based on group-level data, the
_______________ is being committed.
ANS: ecological
fallacy
REF: Unit of Analysis
9. Types
of longitudinal studies include trend, panel, and _______________ studies.
ANS:
cohort
REF: Unit of Analysis
10.
In _______________ studies, data are gathered at a single point
in time.
ANS:
cross-sectional
REF: Unit of Analysis
ESSAY
1. Define
cohort, panel and cross-sectional study. Give an example of each.
REF: Unit of Analysis
2. Explain
in detail using an example of the way in which the ecological fallacy is the
result of errors with units of analysis.
REF: Causation in Social Science
3. Give
a hypothetical situation that would lend itself to a cross-sectional study.
What would be the research purpose in your hypothetical? Why would your example
not lend itself to a longitudinal approach?
REF: Unit of Analysis
4. Explain
the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning. Give an example of
each from the criminal justice literature.
REF: General Issues in Research Design
CHAPTER 5 TEST BANK
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
TRUE/FALSE
1. Experimentation
is best suited for descriptive studies.
ANS:
F
REF: The Classical Experiment
2. The
defining feature of an experiment lies in the control of the independent
variable by the experimenter.
ANS:
T
REF: The Classical Experiment
3. In a
classical experiment, the independent variable must be a ratio level variable.
ANS:
F
REF: The Classical Experiment
4. In a
classical experiment, subjects are measured on the independent variable before
the experiment begins and again after the dependent variable has been
manipulated by the researcher.
ANS:
F
REF: The Classical Experiment
5. Construct
validity refers to generalizing from our experimental observations to causal
processes in the real world.
ANS:
T
REF: Experiments and Causal Inference
6. Experiments
in criminal justice typically require only one experimental and one control
group for each study.
ANS: F
REF: Experiments and Causal Inference
7. The
threat of statistical regression is a concern any time the researcher begins
with subjects who exhibit extreme values on the dependent variable.
ANS:
T
REF: Experiments and Causal Inference
8. Construct
validity is concerned with the ability to generalize from the results of the
experimental group to the control group.
ANS:
F
REF: Experiments and Causal Inference
9. Random
assignment cannot be used in some criminal justice research for legal and
ethical reasons.
ANS:
T
REF: Experiments and Causal Inference
10.
In case-oriented research, a great number of cases are examined
in order to understand a small number of variables.
ANS: T
REF: Variable-Oriented Research, Case Studies and Scientific Realism
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which
statement is most accurate?
|
a. |
Experiments are only useful in the
physical sciences such as chemistry and physics. |
|
b. |
Experiments involve observing phenomena
but do not try to produce them. |
|
c. |
Experiments can be used in scientific
as well as nonscientific human inquiry. |
|
d. |
Experiments in the classical form
require at least three groups of subjects.. |
ANS: C
REF: The Classical Experiment
2. Which
statement is most accurate?
|
a. |
Experimentation are rarely appropriate
for hypothesis testing. |
|
b. |
Experiments are well suited to research
involving poorly-defined concepts. |
|
c. |
There is no need to generate a
hypothesis for a classical experiment. |
|
d. |
Experiments are appropriate for
evaluation research. |
ANS:
D
REF: The Classical Experiment
3. An
experiment examines the effects of a(n) ____ variable.
|
a. |
dependent |
|
b. |
control |
|
c. |
independent |
|
d. |
masking |
ANS:
C
REF: The Classical Experiment
4. Which
statement is true?
|
a. |
A variable can be an independent in one
experiment and dependent in another. |
|
b. |
The dependent variable is manipulated
by the experimenter. |
|
c. |
A classical experiment examines the
effects of the dependent variable. |
|
d. |
In a classical experiment, the
independent variable is viewed as the outcome. |
ANS:
A
REF: The Classical Experiment
5. Which
statement is most accurate?
|
a. |
Neither the independent nor the
dependent variable need be operationally defined. |
|
b. |
Only the dependent variable needs to be
operationally defined. |
|
c. |
Only the independent variable needs to
be operationally defined. |
|
d. |
Both the independent and dependent
variables must be operationally defined. |
ANS:
D
REF: The Classical Experiment
6. In
most cases, the methods used to select subjects must meet the scientific norm
of ____.
|
a. |
generalizability |
|
b. |
informed consent |
|
c. |
equivalence |
|
d. |
neutrality |
ANS:
A
REF: The Classical Experiment
7. Which
procedure is suitable for random assignment to groups?
|
a. |
Assigning subjects in the order they
arrive, so that one group is filled before the next is started |
|
b. |
Letting subjects express a preference
and then assigning them to a non-preferred group |
|
c. |
Flipping a coin assigning subjects to
the control group and to the experimental group. |
|
d. |
Asking each subject to secretly decide
which group they want to be in |
ANS:
B
REF: The Classical Experiment
8. Which
statement best fits randomization as it is used in experiments?
|
a. |
“all other things being equal” |
|
b. |
“use your best guess” |
|
c. |
“it is close enough for government
work” |
|
d. |
“you are never 100% sure, so don’t
worry about it” |
ANS:
A
REF: The Classical Experiment
9. Which
statement is a potential threat to internal validity in an experimental design?
|
a. |
generalization |
|
b. |
instrumentation |
|
c. |
randomization |
|
d. |
correlation |
ANS:
B
REF: The Classical Experiment
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