Criminological Research Methods Final Exam || 100%
Errorless Answers.
What unit of analysis are surveys most commonly used for? correct answers Individuals
What is the technical term for persons who respond to surveys? correct answers Respondent
What is the technical term for questions and statements used in a survey? correct answers
Item
What are the two basic ways of presenting items in surveys? correct answers Closed ended
(fixed answers) and open ended (own answer).
What are the general guidelines for constructing survey items we discussed in lecture? correct
answers Clear and unambiguous. Avoid double-barrelled questions. Short items. Avoid
negative items (don't use 'not'). Bias.
Be familiar with contingency and matrix formatting options: correct answers -Contingency -
only relevant to some respondents
-Matrix - same answer categories for different questions (agree-disagree)
What does a response rate refer to? correct answers Number of people that you asked to
answer the survey vs the amount of people who completed it to see who declined. Scope to
see if it is representative.
How does the survey method fair in relation to validity and reliability concerns? correct
answers Fairs better in reliability than validity because there is greater standardization
because participants have the same exposure. Lower on validity because a survey does not
allow explanation - more superficial level of response.
What is the difference between a sample and a population? correct answers A sample is based
off who were studying or what we are studying, population is the total group we are
dedicated to generalizing our findings about the topic
Be familiar with the relationships between sampling strategies and generalizability: correct
answers Sampling strategies affect the generalizability of your findings.
Be able to name and define the two fundamental approaches to sampling correct answers
Probability and non probability sampling. Probability sampling allows researchers to
generalize observed to unobserved. Non probability are for situations when it is impossible to
select a probability sample. The findings cannot reliably be generalized to a larger
population.
What is the basic principle of probability sampling? correct answers It allows researchers to
generalize from observed to unobserved cases
Be familiar with the four key concepts associated with probability theory correct answers
Sample element,
Population,
, Population parameter, Sample statistic
Sample element correct answers Who or what we are studying
Population correct answers The whole group (Crim program students)
Population parameter ` correct answers The value for a given variable in a population
(program satisfaction)
Sample Statistic correct answers The summary of a given variable in a sample (program
satisfaction from samples of crime students)
What is a sampling frame? correct answers This is necessary for probability sampling, it is an
exact (quasi) list of all the elements in a population
Be able to name and describe the key features of the probability and non-probability sampling
strategies we discussed in lecture correct answers Probability: random sampling, systematic
sampling, stratified sampling. Describe the key features of these. Non probability: purposive -
, convenience - relying on persons available for ex online participants, basically taking what
you can get , snowball - when you start with one group of participants and those participants
provide access to other people
Be familiar with the use of field observation for both quantitative and qualitative research
correct answers Be able to identify when an inductive or deductive approach is being adopted
in field research: Deductive - theory to observation. Inductive - Observation to theory.
Be familiar with how the examples of Rosenbaum's and Ferrell's research differ in these
regards -- Shoplifting experiment, good for quantitative research in this example deductive,
versus qualitative inductive experiment Jeff Ferrell
What does reaching saturation mean in the context of qualitative research? correct answers
Your observations are not getting any new information, reached technical saturation, got
enough data
What is the name for exceptionally in-depth field observations? correct answers Ethnography
What are the four field researcher roles we discussed in lecture? correct answers 1. Complete
participant: Participate fully; true identity and purpose are not known to subjects 2.
Participants as observer: Make known your position as a researcher and participate with the
group 3. Observer as participant: Make known your position as a researcher; do not actually
participate 4. Complete observer: Observe without becoming a participant
What does it mean to "go native" in the context of field research? correct answers Start taking
on values of people you are researching - too close to subject and lose your objectivity
What is reactivity in the context of field research? correct answers Alter their (participants)
performance when they know they are being observed.
How does field research tend to fair with regards to validity, reliability and generalizability?
correct answers Validity Whether measurements actually measure what they are supposed to.
Strengthened in qualitative studies. Reliability Whether observations are dependable and
Errorless Answers.
What unit of analysis are surveys most commonly used for? correct answers Individuals
What is the technical term for persons who respond to surveys? correct answers Respondent
What is the technical term for questions and statements used in a survey? correct answers
Item
What are the two basic ways of presenting items in surveys? correct answers Closed ended
(fixed answers) and open ended (own answer).
What are the general guidelines for constructing survey items we discussed in lecture? correct
answers Clear and unambiguous. Avoid double-barrelled questions. Short items. Avoid
negative items (don't use 'not'). Bias.
Be familiar with contingency and matrix formatting options: correct answers -Contingency -
only relevant to some respondents
-Matrix - same answer categories for different questions (agree-disagree)
What does a response rate refer to? correct answers Number of people that you asked to
answer the survey vs the amount of people who completed it to see who declined. Scope to
see if it is representative.
How does the survey method fair in relation to validity and reliability concerns? correct
answers Fairs better in reliability than validity because there is greater standardization
because participants have the same exposure. Lower on validity because a survey does not
allow explanation - more superficial level of response.
What is the difference between a sample and a population? correct answers A sample is based
off who were studying or what we are studying, population is the total group we are
dedicated to generalizing our findings about the topic
Be familiar with the relationships between sampling strategies and generalizability: correct
answers Sampling strategies affect the generalizability of your findings.
Be able to name and define the two fundamental approaches to sampling correct answers
Probability and non probability sampling. Probability sampling allows researchers to
generalize observed to unobserved. Non probability are for situations when it is impossible to
select a probability sample. The findings cannot reliably be generalized to a larger
population.
What is the basic principle of probability sampling? correct answers It allows researchers to
generalize from observed to unobserved cases
Be familiar with the four key concepts associated with probability theory correct answers
Sample element,
Population,
, Population parameter, Sample statistic
Sample element correct answers Who or what we are studying
Population correct answers The whole group (Crim program students)
Population parameter ` correct answers The value for a given variable in a population
(program satisfaction)
Sample Statistic correct answers The summary of a given variable in a sample (program
satisfaction from samples of crime students)
What is a sampling frame? correct answers This is necessary for probability sampling, it is an
exact (quasi) list of all the elements in a population
Be able to name and describe the key features of the probability and non-probability sampling
strategies we discussed in lecture correct answers Probability: random sampling, systematic
sampling, stratified sampling. Describe the key features of these. Non probability: purposive -
, convenience - relying on persons available for ex online participants, basically taking what
you can get , snowball - when you start with one group of participants and those participants
provide access to other people
Be familiar with the use of field observation for both quantitative and qualitative research
correct answers Be able to identify when an inductive or deductive approach is being adopted
in field research: Deductive - theory to observation. Inductive - Observation to theory.
Be familiar with how the examples of Rosenbaum's and Ferrell's research differ in these
regards -- Shoplifting experiment, good for quantitative research in this example deductive,
versus qualitative inductive experiment Jeff Ferrell
What does reaching saturation mean in the context of qualitative research? correct answers
Your observations are not getting any new information, reached technical saturation, got
enough data
What is the name for exceptionally in-depth field observations? correct answers Ethnography
What are the four field researcher roles we discussed in lecture? correct answers 1. Complete
participant: Participate fully; true identity and purpose are not known to subjects 2.
Participants as observer: Make known your position as a researcher and participate with the
group 3. Observer as participant: Make known your position as a researcher; do not actually
participate 4. Complete observer: Observe without becoming a participant
What does it mean to "go native" in the context of field research? correct answers Start taking
on values of people you are researching - too close to subject and lose your objectivity
What is reactivity in the context of field research? correct answers Alter their (participants)
performance when they know they are being observed.
How does field research tend to fair with regards to validity, reliability and generalizability?
correct answers Validity Whether measurements actually measure what they are supposed to.
Strengthened in qualitative studies. Reliability Whether observations are dependable and
