Criminological Research and Applied Statistics

These vocabulary flashcards cover the definitions of research types, methodologies, sampling techniques, statistical tools, and academic formatting as presented in the Criminological Research lecture.

Research

Derived from the words 'RE' (again) and 'SEARCH', it is a systematic, controlled, empirical, and critical investigation of hypothetical propositions about presumed relations among natural phenomena.

Criminological Research

Focuses on issues related to the cause and consequences of crime, delinquency, and victimization, as well as the operations of the criminal justice system regarding police, courts, and corrections.

Quantitative Research

A systematic investigation of phenomena by gathering quantifiable data and performing statistical, mathematical, or computational techniques.

Correlational Research

A quantitative research design that investigates relationships between two or more variables without the researcher controlling or manipulating any of them.

Experimental Research

A study conducted with a scientific approach using two sets of variables to provide definitive conclusions about the causal relationships among variables in a hypothesis.

Qualitative Research

A market research method that focuses on obtaining data through open-ended and conversational communication to understand what people think and why they think so.

Phenomenology

A type of qualitative research that seeks to explain the nature of things through the way people experience them, literally translating to the 'study of phenomena'.

Grounded Theory

An inductive qualitative approach in which a theory is developed from data, as opposed to the traditional hypothesis-deductive approach.

Ethnography

Involves a researcher immersing themselves in a particular community or organization to observe behavior and interactions up close.

Descriptive Research

Involves collecting data to provide an accurate portrayal or detailed account of a phenomenon, population, or situation without influencing it.

Exploratory Research

A methodological approach that investigates research questions that have not previously been studied in depth, often starting with 'why' or 'how'.

Applied Research

The application of the results of pure research to test the efficacy of theories and principles for verification, application, and development.

Fundamental Research

Research in science, engineering, or mathematics whose results are ordinarily published and shared broadly without propriety or national security restrictions.

Action Research

Research done on a very limited scope to solve a particular, small-scale problem; it is considered almost synonymous with problem-solving.

Research Design

The overall strategy chosen to integrate different components of a study in a coherent and logical way, serving as the blueprint for data collection and analysis.

Research Instrument

A tool used to collect, measure, and analyze data related to research interests, such as tests, surveys, scales, questionnaires, or checklists.

Validity

The degree to which a measuring instrument measures what it intends to measure.

Reliability

The extent to which an instrument is dependable, self-consistent, and stable, yielding the same results across different moments.

Simple Random Sampling

A probability sampling technique where individuals are chosen in such a way that each has an equal chance of being selected.

Purposive Sampling

Also known as Judgmental Sampling, where sample respondents are chosen based on the criteria or purpose of the study and personal knowledge of the researcher.

Mean

A descriptive statistical tool found by adding all numbers in a data set and then dividing by the total number of values in that set.

Standard Deviation

A measure of how dispersed the data is in relation to the mean.

SMART

An acronym for attributes of a good research problem: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.

Theoretical Framework

The foundation of a study which introduces and describes the theory that explains why the research problem under study exists.

Hypothesis

A 'wise guess' formulated and temporarily adopted to explain observed facts and guide the researcher in the procedures to follow.

Null Hypothesis ($H_0$)

A denial of the existence of a trait, characteristic, quality, value, correlation, or difference, always stated in negative form.

Alternative Hypothesis ($H_a$)

An affirmation of the existence of observed phenomena and the opposite extreme of the null hypothesis, stated in positive form.

Operational Definition

Specifies how a term is manipulated or measured by the researcher based on observed characteristics within the study.

Plagiarism

The act of incorporating into one's work the work of another without indicating the source or giving due credit.

Statistics

A science dealing with the systematic process of collecting, organizing, classifying, presenting, interpreting, and analyzing data.

Parametric Test

A type of inferential statistics applicable when the data measured is in interval or ratio scales, such as the T-test or ANOVA.

Thesis

A lengthy, detailed academic document typically presented at the culmination of a Master's Program to educate others on a subject.

APA Style

A writing and format style for academic documents founded in July 1892, commonly used for citing sources in the behavioral and social sciences.