Knowledge of Deviance and Crime II

Causality (4 minimums)

- Variables should covary.

- Temporal sequence.

- Covariance should be nonspurious.

- Research should be theoretically based.

Reliable

Consistent findings

Valid

Accurate and precise findings

Representative

How far may we generalize?

Causality-Covariance

Covariance means that variables area associated with one another

Researchers have identified the following variables as important

- Age

- Socio-economic status (SES).

- Sex

- Visible-minority status

Correlation between SES and # of Crimes

Lower SES is associated with higher number of crimes

Causality-Temporal Sequence

- Temporal sequence suggests that cause must come before effect.

- That is,the independent variable(cause) must come before the dependent variable (effect).

Causality-Nonspurious Relationships

Relationships may be caused by another variable

Reliability

In order to conduct quality research,findings should easily be replicated.

Validity

Refers to whether a researcher has in practice,captured what they have examined