Chapter 4: Concepts, Conceptualizations, Operationalizations, Measurements, Variables, and Data

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Utilizing qualitative data can help researchers understand which of the following?

a. the number of offenders offered parole

b. rate of offending in the past six months

c. the number of minority police officers employed full-time

d. fears associated with being a police officer

2. Beginning research more generally and working towards specificity is known as ______ in research design.

a. operationalization

b. inductive reasoning

c. deductive reasoning

d. conceptualization

3. All of the following are examples of non-numerical data with the exception of ______.

a. narratives

b. voice intonation

c. rates

d. photos

4. Conceptually shifting from specifics to generalities is known as______.

a. deductive reasoning

b. inductive reasoning

c. quantitative method

d. qualitative method

5. Choose the list that best describes the process of inductive reasoning.

a. specific data; patterns/themes/relationships; hypotheses; broad theory/explanations

b. patterns/themes/relationships; hypotheses; specific data; broad theory/explanations

c. broad theory/explanations; hypotheses; patterns/themes/relationships; specific data

d. hypotheses; patterns/themes/relationships; specific data; broad theory/explanations

6. What are the basic stages of moving conceptually from the abstract to the concrete?

a. variables, conceptualization, operationalization, concept

b. concepts, conceptualization, operationalization, variables

c. conceptualization, concepts, variables, operationalization

d. operationalization, concepts, variables, conceptualization

7. Abstractions that are not empirical or tangible are referred to as ______.

a. concepts

b. variables

c. indicators

d. attributes

8. The process of precisely, accurately, comprehensively, and clearly defining abstract ideas is referred to as ______.

a. operationalization

b. conceptualization

c. content validity

d. criterion validity

9. When working with quantitative data, which process follows conceptualization?

a. deductive reasoning

b. test-retest reliability

c. operationalization

d. exhaustiveness

10. When researchers utilize a qualitative approach, the ______ dictates conceptual definitions.

a. measure

b. data

c. variable

d. validity

11. Researchers that utilize ______ must develop specific detailed definitions of each concept of interest.

a. quantitative data

b. independent variables

c. inductive reasoning

d. face validity

12. A process in which a researcher identifies how each concept will be measured based on the conceptual definition is referred to as ______.

a. validity

b. operationalization

c. deductive reasoning

d. exhaustiveness

13. Operationalization is guided by ______.

a. reliability

b. the conceptual definition

c. validity

d. exhaustiveness

14. Cuevas’s research study is a great example of the use of ______ for each concept.

a. proper conceptual definitions

b. deductive reasoning

c. test-retest reliability

d. multiple operationalizations

15. Cueva’s work required the operationalization of ______.

a. victimization

b. college students

c. travel time to work

d. security

16. After operationalization of concepts has concluded, researchers then work with ______.

a. conceptual definitions

b. ratios

c. variables

d. attributes

17. The labels applied to measures that are used to represent the concepts of interest are known as ______.

a. concepts

b. data

c. attributes

d. variables

18. Variables that are the focus of the research are called ______.

a. independent variables

b. dependent variables

c. control variables

d. continuous variables

19. In the research question, “is educational attainment associated with ex-convict recidivism?”, recidivism is the ______.

a. control variable

b. independent variable

c. dependent variable

d. continuous variable

20. Zaykowski’s research work looked at the variation in ______.

a. recidivism

b. seeking victim services

c. neighborhoods

d. self-reported victimization

21. Variables associated with, influencing, or causing the variation in an outcome are known as ______.

a. dependent variables

b. continuous variables

c. independent variables

d. control variables

22. Zakowski’s research included all but which of the following independent variables?

a. reporting to the police

b. seeking victim services

c. demographics

d. victim distress

23. One of the goals of research is to understand the influence of the ______.

a. control variable on the dependent variable

b. independent variable on the dependent variable

c. control variable on the independent variable

d. independent variable on the control variable

24. In the research question, “is educational attainment associated with ex-convict recidivism?”, educational attainment is the ______.

a. dependent variable

b. control variable

c. independent variable

d. continuous variable

25. If a researcher is trying to understand the role of gender on education, gender would be considered the ______.

a. dependent variable

b. independent variable

c. control variable

d. continuous variable

26. If a researcher was trying to understand the role of education on years of experience, years of experience would be considered the ______.

a. dependent variable

b. independent variable

c. control variable

d. continuous variable

27. Tools that are used to gather data to represent an abstract underlying concept are referred to as ______.

a. attributes

b. measures

c. variables

d. ratios

28. Measures come in many forms; during which research step are they identified?

a. conceptualization

b. operationalization

c. exhaustiveness

d. deductive/inductive reasoning

29. The individual pieces of information gathered, analyzed, and used to answer the research question are known as ______.

a. attributes

b. variables

c. measures

d. data

30. The categories, or grouping of data, collected for a specific measure are known as ______.

a. variables

b. attributes

c. criterion

d. reasoning

31. When the meaning of identified attributes do not overlap as a requirement of measurement, this is called ______.

a. exhaustiveness

b. mutual exclusivity

c. inter-rater reliability

d. criterion validity

32. Which of the following is an example of a mutually exclusive attribute?

a. single

b. separated

c. married

d. never married

33. Which of the following is an example of an attribute that is not mutually exclusive?

a. widowed

b. single

c. married, but separated

d. married, not separated

34. When gathering data, presenting an attribute, or response category, for every possible response is a requirement known as ______.

a. mutually exclusive

b. exhaustiveness

c. reliability

d. validity

35. The nature or type of data gathered to assess a specific variable is called the ______.

a. level of measurement

b. inter-rater reliability

c. content validity

d. exhaustiveness

36. ______ measurement are attributes or response categories whose only difference is their name.

a. Nominal

b. Ordinal

c. Interval

d. Ratio

37. An example of nominal data is ______.

a. age

b. level of satisfaction

c. university level

d. marital status

38. ______ measurements are attributes of a variable defined by an inherent order.

a. Nominal

b. Ordinal

c. Interval

d. Ratio

39. ______ measurements are rank-ordered categories, that have known and equal differences between them.

a. Ratio

b. Nominal

c. Interval

d. Ordinal

40. A ______ measurement has comprehensive characteristics, is based on count-data, and contains a meaningful zero.

a. ordinal

b. interval

c. nominal

d. ratio

41. Which of the following is an example of ratio data?

a. age

b. incarceration facilities

c. type of weapon

d. household preferences

42. A research measurement that uses ordered attributes in the response format like “very unsatisfied”, “unsatisfied”, “satisfied”, and “very satisfied” is called a ______.

a. Likert-type scale

b. test-retest reliability

c. attribute measure

d. categorical variable

43. Which of the following type of variable is only measured in whole numbers?

a. control

b. dependent

c. continuous

d. discrete

44. ______ confirms that the design of a measure is indeed assessing the intended concept.

a. Face validity

b. Test-retest reliability

c. Criterion validity

d. Inter-rater reliability

45. When a measure corresponds to existing measures, ______ is established.

a. inter-rater reliability

b. criterion validity

c. content validity

d. test-retest reliability

1. Criminology and criminal justice researchers prefer to use quantitative data.

2. Quantitative data is numerical data that quantifies characteristics about a topic.

3. One uses deductive reasoning to understand qualitative data.

4. Quantitative data is used to calculate statistics.

5. Evaluation research often uses both quantitative and qualitative data.

6. An example of a concept is adolescence.

7. Conceptual definitions are comprehensive, clear, and accurately reflect the underlying concept that they describe.

8. Conceptualizing abstract things take many forms in research.

9. Concepts are immeasurable research ideas, generated by our minds.

10. Concepts must first be defined in order for them to be explored, examined, or investigated.

11. Conceptualization is a relatively simple process.

12. The focus of operationalization is how a researcher will indirectly measure the concept.

13. Researchers recommend using multiple operationalizations in order to capture the depth and number of underlying concepts explored in a study.

14. Operationalization details how researchers will define the underlying concept of a research question.

15. Researchers who utilize qualitative data rely on their respondents to measure the concepts of interest.

16. The relationship between variables represents the relationship between abstract concepts.

17. If there is variation among concepts, then it is safe to say that there is a relationship between the two concepts.

18. Criminal justice and criminology researchers commonly utilize a third category of variables, called control variables.

19. Dependent and control variables are treated exactly the same way in analysis.

20. The variables in a study have roles that are dependent on the goals of the research question.

21. Data can be both numeric and non-numeric.

22. Another term for response categories is attributes.

23. Another term for ordinal data is categorical data.

24. A measure that produces consistent and repeatable results demonstrates reliability.

25. Test-retest reliability is the degree to which different raters or observers offer consistent assessments of the same phenomenon.

1. Discuss inductive and deductive reasoning, and how it is applied in research methods.

2. Explain the paths of inductive and deductive reasoning, and how their roles in research enhance the research question.

3. Define and discuss conceptualization as it relates to conducting research.

4. What is operationalization?

5. Identify and discuss the various considerations that must be taken into account when operationalizing conceptual definitions.

6. Why do researchers place an emphasis on the role of variation in research?

7. Discuss the different types of control variables, and their relationships.

8. What are the various measures used in research, and what are they used for?

9. How can a researcher always ensure that attributes are exhaustive on surveys and questionnaires that they construct?

10. Identify the four levels of measurement in order of providing less information to more information. What are the advantages of and/or contributions to research that using each type of measurement makes?

1. Explain the difference between the two primary types of data. Which type of data do you prefer to work with, and why?

2. After you read the chapter you should have an understanding of concepts and conceptualization. Choose a concept in criminology that you would like to research and conceptualize it. Do you think that conceptualization is challenging? Why or why not?

3. Choose a conceptual definition and operationalize it. Do you think this process is challenging? Why or why not?

4. Why do scholars recommend that researchers utilize more than one measure when conducting their study?

5. Discuss the common pitfalls identified in this chapter. What can researchers do to prevent these pitfalls from taking place?