CHAPTER 1 TEST BANK
Criminal Justice and Scientific Inquiry
TRUE/FALSE
1. We live in a world of two realities; agreement and empirical.
ANS: F REF: 4
2. Casual human inquiry is a more rigorous way of investigation than probability
and causality.
ANS: F REF: 6
3. There are several errors in human personal inquiry, such as overgeneralization,
inaccurate observation, replication, and selective observation.
ANS: F REF: 8-9
4. Making observations in a more deliberate way helps to reduce error.
ANS: T REF: 8
5. Selective observation is a danger of overgeneralization.
ANS: T REF: 8
6. Each of us is born into and inherits a culture made up, in part, of firmly accepted
knowledge about the workings of the world.
ANS: T REF: 6
7. The existence of exceptions does not support the existence of regularities.
ANS: T REF: 9
8. Criminal justice research sometimes yields mistaken results, and we are wise to
accept research findings with caution even if they come from experts.
ANS: T REF: 7
9. Four purposes of research are exploration, description, explanation, and
application.
ANS: T REF: 10
,10. As you review the research literature, you should make note of how other
researchers approached the problem, and consider whether the same designs will meet
your research objective.
ANS: T REF: 13-14
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Most criminal justice professionals routinely review which type of data?
a. computer readouts and news reports
b. archived and updated spreadsheets
c. performance reports and statistical tabulations
d. none of the above
ANS: C REF: 3
2. One objective of this book is to help future criminal justice professionals become
_____.
a. informed consumers of research
b. informed consumers of books
c. experts in the department of justice
d. expert readers
ANS: A REF: 3
3. We live in a world of two realities: _____.
a. expressed and assumed
b. experiential and agreement
c. expressed and agreement
d. experiential and assumed
ANS: B REF: 4
4. Things we know from direct experience are a direct result of which type of reality?
a. agreement reality
b. expressed reality
c. assumed reality
d. experiential reality
ANS: D REF: 4
5. Things we consider real because we’ve been told they are real is which type of
reality?
a. agreement reality
b. expressed reality
c. assumed reality
d. experiential reality
ANS: A REF: 4
6. Traditional beliefs about patrol effectiveness, response time, and detective work are
examples of _____.
a. known reality
b. agreement reality
,c. experiential reality
d. assumed reality
ANS: B REF: 4
7. Scientists must have which two types of support before they will agree on the reality
of something?
a. epistemological and methodological
b. logical and hard facts
c. logical and empirical
d. hard facts and complete data
ANS: C REF: 5
8. When we rely on the “truths” of our culture we are accepting knowledge derived
from the majority. This is acceptance of _____.
a. traditions
b. myths
c. reality
d. none of the above
ANS: A REF: 6
9. When we trust the judgments of people who have special training, such as a doctor
or a lawyer, we are accepting their _____.
a. wisdom
b. expertise
c. authority
d. word
ANS: C REF: 6
10. When attempting to make sure that what you are looking at is what you intended to
look at, you avoid _____.
a. overgeneralization
b. inaccurate observation
c. illogical reasoning
d. miscalculations
ANS: B REF: 8
, 11. If you have concluded that a particular pattern exists and have developed a general
understanding of why, you may be tempted to ignore facts in the future that don’t
fit. If you do, you have just made what error?
a. inaccurate observation
b. overgeneralization
c. illogical reasoning
d. selective observation
ANS: D REF: 8
12. During observation, if you choose to follow “the exception that proves the rule,” an
idea that doesn’t make any sense, you have made which error?
a. inaccurate observation
b. overgeneralization
c. illogical reasoning
d. selective observation
ANS: C REF: 9
13. One way social science differs from our casual day-to-day inquiry is that _____.
a. it is a conscious activity
b. it is a subconscious activity
c. it is a formal activity
d. it is an informal activity
ANS: A REF: 9
14. An assertion must have both _________ and _________ support.
a. logical and data driven
b. question and answers
c. logical and empirical
d. research and development
ANS: C REF: 5
15. Three major aspects of the overall scientific enterprise are _____.
a. theory, data collection, selective observation
b. theory, data collection, data analysis
c. data collection, data analysis, funding
d. theory, data analysis, funding
ANS: B REF: 13
Criminal Justice and Scientific Inquiry
TRUE/FALSE
1. We live in a world of two realities; agreement and empirical.
ANS: F REF: 4
2. Casual human inquiry is a more rigorous way of investigation than probability
and causality.
ANS: F REF: 6
3. There are several errors in human personal inquiry, such as overgeneralization,
inaccurate observation, replication, and selective observation.
ANS: F REF: 8-9
4. Making observations in a more deliberate way helps to reduce error.
ANS: T REF: 8
5. Selective observation is a danger of overgeneralization.
ANS: T REF: 8
6. Each of us is born into and inherits a culture made up, in part, of firmly accepted
knowledge about the workings of the world.
ANS: T REF: 6
7. The existence of exceptions does not support the existence of regularities.
ANS: T REF: 9
8. Criminal justice research sometimes yields mistaken results, and we are wise to
accept research findings with caution even if they come from experts.
ANS: T REF: 7
9. Four purposes of research are exploration, description, explanation, and
application.
ANS: T REF: 10
,10. As you review the research literature, you should make note of how other
researchers approached the problem, and consider whether the same designs will meet
your research objective.
ANS: T REF: 13-14
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Most criminal justice professionals routinely review which type of data?
a. computer readouts and news reports
b. archived and updated spreadsheets
c. performance reports and statistical tabulations
d. none of the above
ANS: C REF: 3
2. One objective of this book is to help future criminal justice professionals become
_____.
a. informed consumers of research
b. informed consumers of books
c. experts in the department of justice
d. expert readers
ANS: A REF: 3
3. We live in a world of two realities: _____.
a. expressed and assumed
b. experiential and agreement
c. expressed and agreement
d. experiential and assumed
ANS: B REF: 4
4. Things we know from direct experience are a direct result of which type of reality?
a. agreement reality
b. expressed reality
c. assumed reality
d. experiential reality
ANS: D REF: 4
5. Things we consider real because we’ve been told they are real is which type of
reality?
a. agreement reality
b. expressed reality
c. assumed reality
d. experiential reality
ANS: A REF: 4
6. Traditional beliefs about patrol effectiveness, response time, and detective work are
examples of _____.
a. known reality
b. agreement reality
,c. experiential reality
d. assumed reality
ANS: B REF: 4
7. Scientists must have which two types of support before they will agree on the reality
of something?
a. epistemological and methodological
b. logical and hard facts
c. logical and empirical
d. hard facts and complete data
ANS: C REF: 5
8. When we rely on the “truths” of our culture we are accepting knowledge derived
from the majority. This is acceptance of _____.
a. traditions
b. myths
c. reality
d. none of the above
ANS: A REF: 6
9. When we trust the judgments of people who have special training, such as a doctor
or a lawyer, we are accepting their _____.
a. wisdom
b. expertise
c. authority
d. word
ANS: C REF: 6
10. When attempting to make sure that what you are looking at is what you intended to
look at, you avoid _____.
a. overgeneralization
b. inaccurate observation
c. illogical reasoning
d. miscalculations
ANS: B REF: 8
, 11. If you have concluded that a particular pattern exists and have developed a general
understanding of why, you may be tempted to ignore facts in the future that don’t
fit. If you do, you have just made what error?
a. inaccurate observation
b. overgeneralization
c. illogical reasoning
d. selective observation
ANS: D REF: 8
12. During observation, if you choose to follow “the exception that proves the rule,” an
idea that doesn’t make any sense, you have made which error?
a. inaccurate observation
b. overgeneralization
c. illogical reasoning
d. selective observation
ANS: C REF: 9
13. One way social science differs from our casual day-to-day inquiry is that _____.
a. it is a conscious activity
b. it is a subconscious activity
c. it is a formal activity
d. it is an informal activity
ANS: A REF: 9
14. An assertion must have both _________ and _________ support.
a. logical and data driven
b. question and answers
c. logical and empirical
d. research and development
ANS: C REF: 5
15. Three major aspects of the overall scientific enterprise are _____.
a. theory, data collection, selective observation
b. theory, data collection, data analysis
c. data collection, data analysis, funding
d. theory, data analysis, funding
ANS: B REF: 13
