Research Methods in Criminology
Review Questions
Course Introduction
Research Methods in Criminology introduces students to the key principles, techniques, and ethical considerations involved in conducting research within the field of criminology. The course explores various quantitative and qualitative research methods, including surveys, interviews, experiments, case studies, and participant observation. Students learn how to formulate research questions, develop hypotheses, design research projects, collect and analyze data, and critically evaluate existing research. Emphasis is placed on understanding the strengths and limitations of distinct methodologies and applying them effectively to study crime, criminal behavior, and the justice system. Through hands-on exercises and real-world examples, students gain practical experience in the research process and develop essential skills for interpreting and presenting empirical findings.
Recommended Textbook
Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 3rd Edition by Michael G. Maxfield
Available Study Resources on Quizplus
11 Chapters
602 Verified Questions
602 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/1586 Page 2
Chapter 1: Criminal Justice and Scientific Inquiry
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31485
Sample Questions
Q1) There are several errors in human personal inquiry, such as overgeneralization, inaccurate observation, replication, and selective observation.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Scientists must have which two types of support before they will agree on the reality of something?
A)epistemological and methodological
B)logical and hard facts
C)logical and empirical
D)hard facts and complete data
Answer: C
Q3) One way social science differs from our casual day-to-day inquiry is that _____.
A)it is a conscious activity
B)it is a subconscious activity
C)it is a formal activity
D)it is an informal activity
Answer: A
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
3
Chapter 2: Ethics and Criminal Justice Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31486
Sample Questions
Q1) In order to make sure that there was no long-term damage done to the participants of the simulated prison, the researchers held _________ sessions with "prisoners" and "guards" after the termination of the project.
Answer: debriefing
Q2) When assessing the potential for harm, the researcher should _____.
A)proceed only when they are confident that no harm will result
B)proceed only when the harm potential is psychological and not physical
C)never proceed when harm is a potential
D)proceed when the benefit outweighs the harm
Answer: D
Q3) The researcher can lessen the potential for harm when doing research by _____.
A)putting themselves in the line of danger to avoid harm to the participant
B)never telling the subject about the potential of harm
C)using field studies as the main source of research
D)considering which study design to use with regard to its potential for harm
Answer: D
Q4) The research goal of voluntary participation may be impossible to follow.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Page 4
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 3: General Issues in Research Design
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31487
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following would serve as an example of a cross sectional study?
A)Uniform Crime Reports
B)the 2000 U.S. census
C)a single wave of the National Crime Victimization Survey
D)both Uniform Crime Reports and the 2000 U.S. census
Answer: D
Q2) Which of the following is not one of the research methods discussed in your text?
A)cross-sectional
B)survey
C)field
D)evaluation
Answer: A
Q3) Cross-sectional studies are those based on observations made at one time.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Causation, units, and __________ are key elements in planning a research study.
Answer: time
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 5
Chapter 4: Concepts, Operationalization, and Measurement
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31488
Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) A specifiable aspect of a given concept is referred to as a _____.
A)dimension
B)concept
C)construct
D)direct observable
Q3) Concepts are ______.
A)empirical measurements
B)variables
C)mental images
D)hypotheses
Q4) Ordinal measures are variables whose attributes may be logically rank-ordered.
A)True
B)False
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 6
Chapter 5: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31489
Sample Questions
Q1) In Widom's study of the effects of child abuse and its impact upon later criminal offenses, she selected a sample of children with court records of being abuse victims and gathered a comparison group that were matched on gender, race, age and socioeconomic status.The technique used in this case was
A)individual matching
B)aggregate matching
C)randomization
D)creaming
Q2) Experimentation is an approach to research best suited for exploration.
A)True
B)False
Q3) External validity in an experimental design refers to _____.
A)the researcher's ability to be sure that they are measuring what they think they are measuring
B)the lack of concern with issues internal to the study
C)the ability to apply findings to other populations
D)instrumentation
Q4) In a classical experiment, the researcher uses a(n)____________________ to offset the effects of the experiment itself.
7
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 6: Sampling
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31490
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is accurate concerning the use of systematic sampling?
A)systematic sampling is a poor example of simple random sampling
B)systematic sampling is often used as a substitute for stratified sampling
C)systematic sampling is frequently used rather than a simple random sample
D)systematic sampling is a non-probability sampling
Q2) Random selection permits the researcher to link findings from a sample to the body of probability theory in order to estimate the accuracy of those findings.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When a researcher uses a multistage cluster sampling technique, they must repeat several sets, including _____.
A)listing and stratifying
B)listing and counting
C)listing and sampling
D)listing and randomizing
Q4) The standard error is the measure of sampling error.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The primary goal of _______________________ is homogeneity.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 8
Chapter 7: Survey Research and Other Ways of Asking Questions
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31491
Sample Questions
Q1) When a researcher asks respondents for a single answer to a combination question, their question is said to be ______________.
Q2) If, on a questionnaire, a respondent is asked "what do you feel is the most important crime problem facing the police in your city today?", they are being asked what type of question?
A)closed-ended question
B)open-ended question
C)contingency question
D)matrix question
Q3) General population surveys and surveys of offenders tend to present what types of difficulties?
A)recall error
B)systematic error
C)feasibility error
D)random error
Q4) Respondents may develop a(n)___________________ or pattern of answering when answering matrix questions.
Q5) One technique borrowed from market research is the ______________ which uses somewhere between 8 and 15 people.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 9
Chapter 8: Field Research
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31492
Sample Questions
Q1) Qualitative field research compared to surveys ___________________________.
A)is easier to conduct
B)is more reliable
C)is stronger on validity but weaker on reliability
D)is less expensive
Q2) Identify the various methods that can be used to record observations.Offer an explanation of which method, in your opinion, is most effective and why. Also, which method, in your opinion, is least effective and why.
Q3) Qualitative research____________________.
A)is unable to generate theory
B)can be called a process of grounded theory
C)can be used to produce only quantitative data
D)is unreliable
Q4) What time of the year would be best to do an observational study of thefts from cars parked at shopping malls?
A)early in the year, January - February
B)early summer, June - July
C)late summer, August
D)late in the year, December
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 10
Chapter 9: Agency Records, Content Analysis, and Secondary Data
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31493
Sample Questions
Q1) Agency records, secondary data and content analysis do not require direct interaction with research subjects.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Data collected by or for public agencies is readily available and researchers have tight control over the actual data collection process.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following would not impact the validity and reliability of a study using agency records?
A)discretion of prosecutors in who to charge and what counts to add B)decisions that are made by police officers to arrest versus give a warning
C)recognition on the part of the researcher that criminal justice data is a composite of criminal behavior, ability to detect that behavior and decisions about system response to that behavior
D)decisions made by probation officers to revoke on new crimes and not technical violations
Q4) The potential for ________________ increases as the number of clerical entries increases.
11
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Chapter 10: Evaluation Research and Problem Analysis
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31494
Sample Questions
Q1) Problem analysis takes place in the policymaking stage while ________ studies are conducted in later stages.
Q2) Any public policy discussion involves politics.Which of the following is not accurate with respect to ethics and the political aspects of applied research?
A)there is no set of political norms that are agreed upon by all criminal justice researchers
B)just as there are codes for ethical conduct for researchers, there are formal codes of accepted political conduct
C)ethics of criminal justice research deals more with the methods used while political issues are more concerned with the substance and use of the research
D)there is no formal code of accepted political conduct
Q3) A form of "pre-evaluation" called a(n)_______________________ is designed to allow the researcher to determine whether conditions necessary for conducting an evaluation are present.
Q4) ___________________ are those that have a vested interest in the organization and the outcome of evaluation research.
Q5) Policy ___________ refer to what is actually produced.
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above.
Page 12
Chapter 11: Interpreting Data
Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/31495
Sample Questions
Q1) When reporting marginals for univariate analysis, the presentation must be in raw numbers and cannot be reported in percentages.
A)True
B)False
Q2) When we generalize from samples to larger populations, we use inferential statistics to test the significance of an observed relationship.
A)True B)False
Q3) Which of the following represent a continuous variable?
A)gender
B)race
C)age
D)religious affiliation
Q4) When reporting findings, the choice of the ________________, or the total number of cases, depends entirely on the purposes of the analysis.
Q5) A(n)________ indicates what percentage of cases fall at or below some value.
Q6) What is the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics? Give an example of each.What assumptions apply to each?
To view all questions and flashcards with answers, click on the resource link above. Page 13