Research Methods Quiz #1

Broken window theory

a theory proposing that even small acts of crime, disorder, and vandalism can threaten a neighborhood and render it unsafe

Why study research methods

CJ professionals (and laypersons) are both constant consumers and producers of research about CJ issues

zero tolerance

Cracking down on minor offense

Experiential reality

The things we know from direct experience

Agreement Reality

Things we consider real because we have been told they are real, and everyone agrees

Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment

Police study that found that changes to police presence did not have a significant effect on crime or change citizen satisfaction levels with the police. (Agreement reality)

desire

is to predict our future circumstances

Probabilistic Reasoning

Determining the likelihood and uncertainties associated with various events. Why patterns occur.

Tradition

Things that everyone knows. It's values and culture. How the world works.

Authority

trusting the judgement of someone with special expertise.

Example of authority

A doctor, drugs, alcohol

Is authority and tradition problematic in our world?

yes

Why is authority and tradition problematic?

It prevents innovation or questioning of status.

Explanatory Research

research that attempts to explain why things do or do not happen. Qualitative Research.

Description Research

Looking at observation and details. It describes the scope of a problem or policy response.

Example of Description research

Uniform Crime Reports

Example of Explanatory research

Stop & Frisk Study

applied research

based on need for specific facts and findings - with implications for policy

Different Research Method

Interviews, surveys, field research, content analysis, official records.

Quantitative Research

Research is used to quantify the problem that can be used for statistics. It is used to generalize results from a larger sample population. We use a large number, 30+. Mathematical theories and hypotheses.

Example of Quantitative Variable

A SHU student studying stress for SHU students. The study can be applied to all college students.

Qualitative Research

Informal research methods that is used for exploring. It helps researchers gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights for understanding reasoning.

Example of Qualitative research

Usually a small number of surveys that ask open-ended questions to find why or how, observing the environment.

scientific inquiry

Identifying the problem, formulating a hypothesis, developing the research plan, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results and forming conclusions.

Research Question

Broad question that must be narrowed

Hypothesis

An educated guess

null hypothesis

The hypothesis that there is no relationship or effect.

alternative hypothesis

The hypothesis that a proposed there is a relationship or effect.

Rejecting the null hypothesis

There is a relationship, difference or effect

Topic example

family disruption and juvenile deliquency

Research question exmaple

Does family disruption have an impact on childhood delinquency rates?

Hypothesis example

I hypothesized that my family disruption has an influence childhood delinquency rates.

null hypothesis example

There is no relationship between family disruption & childhood delinquency

Alternative hypothesis

There is a relationship between family disruption and childhood delinquency.

Theory

A belief or assumption about how things relate to each other. It establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between variables with a purpose of explaining and predicting phenomena

Developing The Research Plan

-Selecting the right methodology. Identification of subjects or participants. Description of the data-gathering procedures. Specification of the data analysis techniques.

Research Methods Quantitative Characteristics

Numerical, Positivist Approach (Random Sampling), Hypothesis, Large Sample, Statistical analysis, Generalizable.

unit of analysis

The main entity, object or person that you focused on and wish to make statements about at the end of your research study. Who/ what are you studying?

Example of Unit of analysis

We are studying whether neighborhoods with more streetlights have lower crime rates.

Social Artifacts Unit of Analysis

products of social beings and their behavior

Example of social artifacts of Unit Of Analysis

Stories in newspapers, posts on the internet, photographs of crime scenes.

Population

The set of ALL individuals of interest in a particular study

Sample

a subset of the population. Intended to represent the population in a study

Variable

The characteristics we're interested in for our study, the kinds of information we will collect about the units in a study.

Attribute

A specific value of a variable. Characteristics that describe some object/person.

inferential statistics

Used to make inferences from a small group of data (sample) to a larger group (population). Helps us understand what is true about the group or population.

descriptive statistics

used to organize and summarize data

independent variable

The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied.

dependent variable

The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations.

Principles of social science research

Reliability, Validity, empiricalism, objective, ethics

Reliability

Consistency in procedures and in reaction of participants

Validity

Truth- Did I measure what I intended to measure? The extent to which a concept or conclusion is well-founded and likely corresponds accurately to the real world.

Data Analysis

Is not an end in itself

Article

Conclusions, Limitations, Future Research, Implications.

Deductive Reasoning

Starting broad then downsizing after each process