Test Bank

Chapter 2: Research Methods in Criminology

Multiple choice

1. According to the text, which of the following involves attempts to develop reasonable explanations of reality?

a. methodology

b. theories

c. observations

d. surveys

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Research Enterprise of Criminology
Difficulty Level: Medium

2. ______ involves the collection and analysis of accurate data or facts.

a. Methodology

b. Theories

c. Observations

d. Surveys

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Research Enterprise of Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

3. If a criminologist conducts a study of an issue that he or she feels strongly about, there may be issues with the researcher remaining ______.

a. reliable

b. triangulated

c. objective

d. operationalized

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Objectivity
Difficulty Level: Easy

4. As an independent field, criminology has ______.

a. largely disregarded the issue of ethics in research

b. long recognized the ethical codes of its parent disciplines but only recently begun to adopt its own ethical guidelines

c. long relied upon its own code of ethics, compiled by the American Society of Criminology since the early 1900s

d. long relied upon its own code of ethics, compiled by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences since the early 1900s

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following does criminology’s subject matter concentrate on?

a. groups

b. attitudes

c. victims

d. physical facts

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Medium

6. According to the code of ethics adopted by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), researchers should do all of the following except ______.

a. acknowledge limitations of research

b. partially report findings

c. honor commitments

d. disclose financial support and sponsorship

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Medium

7. ______ involves a system of mutual trust and obligation between the researcher and the subject.

a. Reciprocity

b. Validity

c. Reliability

d. Triangulation

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

8. While there is no complete consensus in defining who should be considered “criminal,” for which of the following do criminologists most strongly agree that the term should be used?

a. those who have been convicted of a crime

b. those who have committed deviant acts before the age of 12

c. those who are of a “criminal mind”

d. long-term recidivists who have repeatedly been found guilty

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Operationalization—Who is Criminal?
Difficulty Level: Medium

9. A concept that has been operationalized or measured in a specific manner and that can vary and is usually of a quantitative nature is known as a ______.

a. variable

b. triangle

c. theory

d. method

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Operationalization—Who is Criminal?
Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Which of the following involves the process of defining concepts by describing how they are being measured?

a. conceptualization

b. triangulation

c. operationalization

d. reliability

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Operationalization—Who is Criminal?
Difficulty Level: Medium

11. The primary source of official crime statistics in the United States is the annual ______ published by the FBI.

a. National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) report

b. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

c. Uniform Crime Report (UCR)

d. self-report survey

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Official Police Statistics—The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which of the following agencies is responsible for the publication of the UCR?

a. Central Intelligence Agency

b. Federal Bureau of Investigation

c. Secret Service

d. U.S. Marshalls

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Official Police Statistics—The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)
Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Sources of crime statistics include all of the following except ______.

a. experiments

b. case studies

c. participant observation

d. subjective notes

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Sources of Crime Statistics
Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which of the following is an index offense on the Uniform Crime Report?

a. arson

b. embezzlement

c. public drunkenness

d. traffic violations

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Which of the following does the “crime index” reflect?

a. the nation's murder rate

b. Part I offenses on the UCR

c. Part II offenses on the UCR

d. the rate of violent victimizations reported on the NCVS

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

16. All of the following crimes are included in the Uniform Crime Report’s Part 1 offenses except ______.

a. burglary

b. murder

c. petty theft

d. aggravated assault

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Which of the following is not an identified shortcoming of the Uniform Crime Report?

a. The recorded statistics represent only a portion of the true crime rate of a community.

b. Most federal offenses, “victimless” crimes, and white-collar crimes appear in the UCR.

c. The crime index is made up primarily of property crimes.

d. The crime rate is calculated on the basis of decennial census population figures.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Issues and Cautions in Studying UCR Data
Difficulty Level: Medium

18. The crime ______ is a calculation that expresses the total number of index crimes per 100,000 population.

a. statistic

b. degree

c. ratio

d. rate

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Rate
Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Which of the following is a fanatical adherence to a particular research method, often at the expense of a concern for substance, known as?

a. methodological narcissism

b. research incoherence

c. telescopic visioning

d. triangulation

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Alternative Data-Gathering Strategies
Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Which of the following research methodologies do the use of pretests and posttests apply to?

a. ethnography

b. experimentation

c. participant observation

d. secondary analysis

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Based Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Medium

21. If participants in an experiment have an equal probability of being assigned to the experimental or control group, this is accomplished through ______.

a. methodological narcissism

b. random assignment

c. pretests

d. posttests

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Based Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

22. The classical experimental design contains all of the following key elements except ______.

a. equivalence

b. pretests and posttests

c. experimental and control groups

d. objectivity and subjectivity

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Based Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Medium

23. ______ refers to the assignment of subjects to experimental and control groups in such a manner that they are assumed to be alike in all major respects.

a. Equivalence

b. Pretests and posttests

c. Experimental and control groups

d. Objectivity and subjectivity

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Based Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

24. The Department of Justice evaluates “what works” in criminology and criminal justice on the assumption that it makes little sense to continue to invest in programs that do not work. This describes ______.

a. scared straight

b. uniform crime report

c. evidence-based research

d. hands-on research

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Evidence-Based Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

25. Which of the following is commonly used to refer to the number of crimes that are committed, but which never come to official attention?

a. the hidden crime rate

b. the dark figure of crime

c. unknown deviance

d. the indexed crimes

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Victim Surveys
Difficulty Level: Medium

26. Which of the following sources of data includes detailed information on criminal incidents, including location, time, and presence of weapon?

a. UCR

b. NCVS

c. NIBRS

d. DSM-V

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Redesign of the UCR Program: NIBRS
Difficulty Level: Medium

27. A criminologist wants to learn about the rate of drug use among adolescents. To do this, the criminologist would be best-served by referencing which of the following sources?

a. UCR

b. NCVS

c. self-report surveys

d. case studies

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Self-Report Measures of Crime
Difficulty Level: Medium

28. When conducting research with human participants, criminologists must develop a system of mutual trust and obligation between the researcher and subject. This is referred to as ______.

a. reliability

b. objectivity

c. validity

d. reciprocity

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

29. A criminologist wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the socialization process of a state police academy. Which of the following methods would be the most appropriate method for obtaining such an understanding?

a. using existing sources of official data

b. distributing self-report surveys

c. running an experiment under laboratory conditions

d. engaging in participant observation

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Medium

30. Participant observation procedures include all of the following except ______.

a. avoid using tape recorders and other gadgets

b. keep your eyes and ears open

c. use surveys and questionnaires

d. do not pretend to be one of them

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Medium

31. A criminologist wants to gain an in-depth understanding of the subculture of a street gang in a particular city. Which of the following methods would be the most appropriate method for obtaining such an understanding?

a. using existing sources of official data

b. distributing self-report surveys

c. running an experiment under laboratory conditions

d. engaging in participant observation

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Evaluation of the Method of Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Medium

32. Which of the following is true of participant observation in the field of criminology?

a. The researcher should carefully conceal his or her real identity and pretend to be part of the group being studied.

b. Tape recorders should be used in the field to ensure accuracy of data.

c. Participant observation is a valuable methodology for studying groups that have historically been little-understood.

d. Participant observation is a good way of obtaining quantitative data on various criminal phenomena.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Evaluation of the Method of Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Medium

33. A criminologist visits the Library of Congress to analyze letters and political correspondence of Martin Luther King, Jr. This research method is which of the following?

a. life history

b. simulation

c. trace analysis

d. simple observation

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.6: Explain the utility of life histories and case studies as methods for studying crime.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Case Study or Life History
Difficulty Level: Medium

34. A criminologist decides to study the way in which violent crime is portrayed in newspaper headlines. This type of research is known as ______.

a. media survey

b. content analysis

c. simulation

d. secondary analysis

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.7: List some examples of unobtrusive methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Unobtrusive Measures
Difficulty Level: Medium

35. A criminologist decides to compile what is currently known about domestic violence; the criminologist does this by analyzing the data collected in a number of previous studies on the topic. This type of research is known as ______.

a. content analysis

b. media survey

c. participant observation

d. secondary analysis

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.7: List some examples of unobtrusive methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Unobtrusive Measures
Difficulty Level: Medium

36. A criminologist secretly studies groups by temporarily deceiving them as to his or her real purpose. Which research method does this describe?

a. participant observation

b. disguised observation

c. ethnography

d. simulation

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.7: List some examples of unobtrusive methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Unobtrusive Measures
Difficulty Level: Easy

37. A criminologist decides to study marijuana use among college students. To do this, the criminologist conducts a survey of the students, reviews police records of drug offenses near the campus, and engages in participant observation. Overall, this approach is representative of which of the following?

a. simulation

b. secondary analysis

c. triangulation

d. unobtrusive measures

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.8: Summarize the importance of validity, reliability, and triangulation in research methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Validity, Reliability, and Triangulation
Difficulty Level: Medium

38. Which of the following refers to “consistency and/or stability of measurement”?

a. validity

b. reliability

c. triangulation

d. unobtrusiveness

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.8: Summarize the importance of validity, reliability, and triangulation in research methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Validity, Reliability, and Triangulation
Difficulty Level: Medium

True / False

1. Methodology involves the collection and analysis of accurate data or facts.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Research Enterprise of Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Theories involve attempts to develop reasonable explanations of reality.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Research Enterprise of Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

3. A basic tenet of scientific research is that researchers attempt to maintain subjectivity.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Objectivity
Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Researchers should properly acknowledge the work of others.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Criminologists do not have to consider social injustices such as discrimination, oppression, or harassment when they conduct their work.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Human subjects have the right to confidentiality.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Researchers may misuse their positions as fraudulent pretext for gathering information as long as they fully report their findings.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Criminology’s subject matter is concerned with human behavior but not attitudes.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Triangulation describes how a concept is being measured.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Ethical conduct in research is an individual responsibility tied into deep moral judgments.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Reciprocity involves a system of mutual trust and obligation between the researcher and subject.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

12. For police contact, you could conceptualize it by assessing whether a person reported any crime to the police.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Operationalization—Who is Criminal?
Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Founded crimes are crimes that the police decide never took place.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Sources of Crime Statistics
Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Part I crimes are nonindex offenses and are not used in the calculation of the crime rate.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

15. The Uniform Crime Reports Part I crimes are included if the police are made aware of them.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Liquor law offenses are classified as Part I index offenses on the UCR.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

17. Information on the volume of Parts I and II offenses known to law enforcement, those cleared by arrest exceptional means, and the number of persons arrested is reported to the FBI monthly.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Arrests do not equal crimes solved or suspects found guilty.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Issues and Cautions in Studying UCR Data
Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Most crimes committed are index crimes.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Issues and Cautions in Studying UCR Data
Difficulty Level: Easy

20. The crime rate is a calculation that expresses the total number of index crimes per 100,000 population.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Rate
Difficulty Level: Easy

21. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is intended to replace the Uniform Crime Report (UCR).

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Redesign of the UCR Program: NIBRS
Difficulty Level: Easy

22. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) was first implemented in the 1930s.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Redesign of the UCR Program: NIBRS
Difficulty Level: Easy

23. The National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) was created as a means to remedy the limitations of the Uniform Crime Report.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Redesign of the UCR Program: NIBRS
Difficulty Level: Easy

24. Qualitative techniques involve more engagement with field and observational strategies and less direct means of obtaining information.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Alternative Data-Gathering Strategies
Difficulty Level: Easy

25. Methodological narcissism the belief that one’s favorite method of research is best.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Alternative Data-Gathering Strategies
Difficulty Level: Easy

26. When conducting an experiment, the control group receives the treatment and the experimental group does not.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Based Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

27. The three elements of classical experimental design are equivalence, pretests and posttests, and experimental and control groups.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Based Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

28. Equivalence means the assignment of subjects to experimental and control groups in such a manner that they are assumed to be alike in all major respects.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Experiments and Evidence-Research in Criminology
Difficulty Level: Easy

29. Evidence-based research is an attempt to base knowledge and practice on well-researched evidence.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Evidence-Based Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

30. The “what works” in criminology and criminal justice approach used by the Department of Justice is based on the assumption that it makes little sense to continue to invest in programs that do not work.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.3: Identify the three elements of an experiment and the importance of evidence-based research.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Evidence-Based Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

31. Surveys are used to gather information in a systematic fashion by using questionnaires.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Victim Surveys
Difficulty Level: Easy

32. Criminal surveys are specifically designed to record an estimate of claimed victimizations by a representative sample of the population.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Victim Surveys
Difficulty Level: Easy

33. The “dark figure of crime” refers specifically to the body of organized crime syndicates that operate in the United States.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Victim Surveys
Difficulty Level: Easy

34. Victim surveys are conducted on a representative sample of the general public to measure the rate and circumstances of victimization.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Victim Surveys
Difficulty Level: Easy

35. Self-report measures attempt to provide an alternative to official statistics in measuring the extent of crime in a society.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Self-Report Measures of Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

36. Participant observation involves a variety of strategies in which the researcher studies or observes a group through varying degrees of participation in the activities of that group.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

37. Participant observation is the best method for obtaining quantitative data regarding crime.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

38. Social researchers in many cases have no guaranteed right to confidentiality or privileged information and are vulnerable to subpoena.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

39. A case study or life history represents an interest in an in-depth close-up of only one or a few subjects in order to obtain a greater understanding.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.6: Explain the utility of life histories and case studies as methods for studying crime.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Case Study or Life History
Difficulty Level: Easy

40. The problem of inadequate methods in criminology arises not because of the inherent shortcomings of a particular method but because a given method is used alone.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.8: Summarize the importance of validity, reliability, and triangulation in research methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Validity, Reliability, and Triangulation
Difficulty Level: Medium

41. Triangulation involves the use of multiple methods to measure a given phenomenon.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.8: Summarize the importance of validity, reliability, and triangulation in research methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Validity, Reliability, and Triangulation
Difficulty Level: Easy

42. In the context of research methods, “reliability” refers to the accuracy of measurement.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.8: Summarize the importance of validity, reliability, and triangulation in research methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Validity, Reliability, and Triangulation
Difficulty Level: Easy

43. Simulation entails research strategies that attempt to mimic or imitate a more complex social reality.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.7: List some examples of unobtrusive methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Unobtrusive Measures
Difficulty Level: Easy

44. Unobtrusive measures are clandestine, secretive, or nonreactive methods of gathering data.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.7: List some examples of unobtrusive methods

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Unobtrusive Measures
Difficulty Level: Easy

45. Contrary to methodological narcissism no one method has any inherent superiority over any other.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Summary
Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. Briefly describe Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority study.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Medium

2. What ethical issues are associated with the Zimbardo Prison Study?

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Medium

3. What does “UCR” stand for?

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Official Police Statistics—The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)
Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Identify the two categories of Part I Index Crimes.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Why is it said that UCR data “represents only a portion of the true crime rate of a community”?

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Issues and Cautions in Studying UCR Data
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Identify one advantage that NIBRS has over the UCR as a source of crime data.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Redesign of the UCR Program: NIBRS
Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Identify one weakness of victimization surveys.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Victim Surveys
Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Identify one weakness of self-report surveys.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.4: Discuss the benefits of and issues with survey data collection and interpretation.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Self-Report Measures of Crime
Difficulty Level: Easy

9. Provide a brief description of “participant observation” as a research method.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Discuss how participant observation differs from ethnography.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.5: State some of the challenges and advantages of participant observation studies.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Evaluation of the Method of Participant Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Name and describe the four types of unobtrusive measures discussed.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.7: List some examples of unobtrusive methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Unobtrusive Measures
Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Journalists are frequently covering the same events that criminologists are studying. Describe how their roles differ.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Crime Rates
Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Identify the three ways that researchers obtain information regarding crime.

KEY: Learning Objective: Various

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Various
Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. As a criminologist, you are tasked with studying the criminal activities of gang members in a particular community through participant observation. Identify relevant ethical concerns with this study. How would these concerns shape your research project?

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.1: Explain the importance of objectivity, ethics, and operationalization in research in criminology.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Ethics in Criminological Research
Difficulty Level: Hard

2. Explain the “crime index.” Cover the uses of the crime index, as well as its weaknesses as an indicator of crime rates.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.2: Describe how crime data for the Uniform Crime Report are collected and organized.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Crime Indexes: Violent and Property Crime
Difficulty Level: Hard

3. Define validity, reliability, and triangulation, and explain why each of these elements is important in conducting research.

KEY: Learning Objective: 2.8: Summarize the importance of validity, reliability, and triangulation in research methods.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Validity, Reliability, and Triangulation
Difficulty Level: Hard

4. As a criminologist, you are asked to assess the effectiveness of an after-school program that had been designed to reduce crime rates among youth. Describe in detail at least three ways that you could go about studying the effectiveness of this program, applying concepts that you have learned in this course.

KEY: Learning Objective: Various

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Various
Difficulty Level: Hard