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Final Exam Research Methods
THE END IS NEAR
78
Criminology
Undergraduate 4
11/13/2012

Additional Criminology Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
What is a population?
Definition
entire set of individuals of interest
Term
What is a sample?
Definition
Set of individuals selected from a population.
Intended to represent the population.
Term

sampling terminology

- element

Definition
who or what are we studying.
Term

sampling terminology

- population

Definition
whole group
Term

sampling terminology

- study population

Definition
where the sample is selected
Term

sampling terminology

- sampling frame

Definition
actual list of units to be selected
Term

sampling terminology

- parameter

Definition
summary description of a given variable in a population
Term

sampling terminology

- statistic

Definition
summary description of a given variable in a sample, we use sample statistics to make estimates or inferences of population parameters.
Term
sampling error
Definition
difference between the characteristics of a sample and characteristics from which it was drawn.
- ALWAYS A SAMPLING ERROR
Term
representative sample
Definition
looks like the population from which it was selected in all respects that are potentially relevant to the study; distribution is similar and not over or under represented.
Term
what are the two general categories in sampling?
Definition
Probability:
a method of selection in which each member of a population has a known chance or probability of being selected.
Non-Probability:
a method of selection other than a probability sample
Term
what does probability sampling estimate?
Definition
how close our statistic is to the parameter.
Term

probabilty sampling

- confidence interval

Definition
+/- reported in news or on tv
Term

probability sampling

- confidence level

Definition
tells us the degrees of certainty
how often are you willing to be wrong?
Term
simple random sampling
Definition
every member of a population is listed and members are then randomly selected for questioning.
Term
systematic sampling
Definition
every member of a population is listed and every Kth member is then selected.
Term
stratified sampling
Definition
the total population is divided into groups (or strata) and then members of each group are randomly selected.
- political survey
- allocation of resources within a university
Term
disproportionate stratified sampling
Definition
deliberately drawing a sample that over or under represents some characteristics of a population.
may do this to ensure that we obtain a sufficient number of uncommon cases in our sample.
- violent crime in rural areas vs. large cities
Term
multi-stage cluster sampling
Definition
the entire population is divided into groups
- a random sample of these clusters is selected and all units within selected clusters are measured.
- may do this because it is sometimes cheaper and more convenient to sample the entire population randomly.
- especially when population elements are spread over a wide area.
Term
multistage cluster sampling
Definition
useful when sampling frame is not available
- compile a stratified group (cluster), sample it, then subsample that set.
Term
how is stratified sampling, disproportionate stratefied sampling, and  multi-stage cluster sampling different?
Definition
in stratified sampling, SOME members of ALL groups are selected.
- in disproportionate stratified sampling SOME members of ALL groups are selected, but some groups will have a higher proportion of members sampled than others.
- in multistage cluster sampling, SOME members of SOME groups are selected.
Term
nonprobability sampling methods
Definition
availability
quota
purposive
snowball
Term
availability sampling
Definition
available and easy to find
convenience
conducting preliminary study
- no systematic technique
- sample not representative of any population
Term
quota sampling
Definition
quotas are set to ensure sample characteristics are proportionate to their prevalence in population.
- similar to stratified probability sampling
-- less rigorous and precise in selection
-- more similar to availability
Term
Purposive sampling
Definition
each element selected for a purpose
- use of judgment in whom to select
-- targeting knowledgable people
-- targeting certain offenders
Term
snowball sampling
Definition
hard to reach and hard to find populations
- interconnected populations
- gaining elements through informants
Term
What are examples of collections of information from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions?
Definition
self-administered surveys
in-person interview surveys
telephone surveys
Term
survey research in social sciences is an efficient method for data collection for?
Definition
counting crime
self-reports
perceptions and attitudes
policy proposals
targeted victim surveys
other evaluation uses
Term
why is survey research popular?
Definition
versatile
efficient
generalizable
Term
how do you conduct research?
Definition
establish goals of project
determine your sample
choose survey methodology
create questionnaire
pre-test the questionnaire
conduct interviews and enter data
analyze the data
Term
pros and cons of self-administered surveys
Definition
pro
can get a large sample size
good for sensitive issues
low cost
con
inflexible
low response rate
electronic - acquiring a sampling frame
Term

pros and cons of in person interview

 

Definition
pro
high response rate
good if literacy is an issue
high completion rate
con
high cost
reliability issues
- interviewer training is a must!
Term
pros and cons of phone interviews
Definition
pro
interviewer convenience
ability to monitor interviewers
good if literacy is an issue
low cost
con
ease of "hang up" for interviewee
reliability issues
- interviewer training is a must!
Term

questionairre construction

(types of questions)

Definition
open-ended
restricted (close-ended)
partially open-ended
rating scale
Term
contingency questions are?
Definition
relevant only to some respondents
- answered only based on their previous response
- uses filter questions and a skip pattern
Term
matrix questions are?
Definition
same set of answer categories used by multiple questions
Term
how do you maximize the validity?
Definition
write clear, meaningful questions
.respondents choices should be naturally exclusive
.response categories should be exhaustive
.respondents must be willing and able to answer
.short items are best
.avoid biased items and terms
Term
potential issues with questions
Definition
question order effect
assumption of knowledge
leading questions
double-barrled questions
response sets
Term

this is an example of?

"do you agree with this statement?"

 

a. the chinese govt. should be allowed to set limits on how much american industry can sell in china. yes/no

b. the amerian govt. should be allowed to set limits on how much chinese industry can sell in the U.S. yes/no

Definition
question order effect example
Term

this is an example of?

 

- do men and women differ in their self-image?

- do you support the current interpretation of the miranda decision?

Definition
assumption of knowledge
Term

this is an example of?

 

do you still beat your spouse?

did you exercise your duty as a citizen and report this incident to police?

Definition
leading questions
Term

this is an example of?

 

is it important that an online shopping website be ethically pleasing and provide devoted detailed information about the company?

 

how would you rate the cleanliness and service at xxx?

Definition
double-barrled question
Term
favoring a certain response, like the letter "c" is an example of?
Definition
response sets
Term
how do you gain cooperation?
Definition
cover letter
.increase response rate and honesty
.make it credible and personalized
timing
.avoid holiday seasons
.household v. business surveys
interviewer
.confident/assertive
.business-like
.people-person
Term
what are 5 aspects of interviewer behavior?
Definition
presenting the study
asking the question
probing
recording answers
interpersonal relations
Term
pros and cons of survey research
Definition
pro
high on reliability
.same survey goes out to everyone
.especially true for computer-assisted interviewing
con
low on validity
.hard to get the real content you're after
.not as accurate as observing directly
Term

quantitative

vs.

qualitative

Definition
quantitative
conduct experiments, evaluate policy innovations
.data is in the form of numbers and can be statistically analyzed
qualitative
theory - or hypothesis-generating activity
.data is in the form of words, pictures, or objects
Term
field research is appropriate to which topics?
Definition
ones that seem to defy quantification
Term
what kind of perspective does field research adopt?
Definition
comprehensive perspective
.often no precisely defined hypothesis
.verstehen approach (FAE)
..researcher attempts to understand phenomena from the standpoint of the actors
Term
What kind of theory is involved with field research?
Definition
grounded theory
.theory is developed during the data gathering
Term
characteristics of participant observation
Definition
.demands on time and personal cost
.observer must attempt to operate mentally on two different levels
-becoming an insider
-remaining an outsider
.observer must avoid over socialization or "going native"
Term
complete participant
Definition
researcher not only joins in, but actually begins to manipulate the direction of group activity
Term
participant-as-observer
Definition
researcher makes presence known and tries to objectively observe group activities
Term
observer-as-participant
Definition
research makes presence known but does not actively participate
Term
complete observer
Definition
researcher observes without becoming a participant
Term

preparing for the field.

 

access to formal organizations

access to subcultures

Definition
access to formal organizations
.find a sponsor
.write a letter to the executive director
.arrange a phone call
.arrange a meeting
access to subcultures
.find an informant, use that person as your "in"
.snowball sampling is useful
Term
two issues with samplign in field research
Definition
to what extent are the situations available for observation representative of the general phenomena you wish to describe and explain?
- are your actual observations within those total situations representative of all observations?
Term

sampling dimensions in field research

-population

Definition
variation in behavior and characteristics
Term

sampling dimensions in field research

- space

Definition
variation in behavior and physical characteristics of locations
Term

sampling dimensions in field research

- time, micro

Definition
.variations in behavior by time of day, day of week,
.lighting by time of day
.business, store, entertainment
.activities by time of day, day of week
Term

sampling dimensions in field research

- time, macro

Definition
variations in behavior by season, holiday
entertainment by season, holiday
Term

sampling dimensions in field research

- weather

Definition
variations in behavior by weather
Term
recording observations
Definition
cameras and sound recorders
.actions
.conversations
field notes
.first sketchy notes and then rewrite in detail
.include "unimportant details"
.mnemonics
.time working on field notes:time in field = 4:1
structured observations
.like a closed-ended questionnaire
.environmental surveys
Term
environmental surveys are?
Definition
structured observations in the field and recorded on specially designed forms
.record what an observer sees in the field
.what is the situation in which this is taking place?
.Not describing interactions. Just what you are seeing in the environment
.Different ways to study actions: Descriptive analysis sheet, frequency sheet, interval recording sheet
Term
advantages of field research
Definition
.provides great depth of understanding
.less prejudgment, more flexible
.more appropriate than surveys to measure behavior
.high validity
Term
disadvantages of field research
Definition
.low reliability
.generalizability low
.time consuming
.typically can't use probability sampling
.ethical dilemmas
.observer bias
Term
illustrations of field research
Definition
.on being sane in insane places
.performances of identity: urban minority youth and a multicultural venture in growing up americano
.private lives of go-go dancers


.Complete observer situation: observing but not participating.
-Not interacting with the people you are studying.
.Observer as participant/participant as observer:
- mix of participation and observation….duhhhh
Term
what are the two type of analyses?
Definition
analyzing previously collected data
.data from agency records
- agency records
.data from other researchers
- secondary data
content analyses
.analyzing social artifacts

NIJ – National institute of justice was one of first agencies to make data published by them available to the public.
Term

data sources

- primary data sources

Definition
data collected first hand
Term

data sources

- secondary data sources

Definition
data that has already been collected
.secondary data analyses
- the reanalysis of data that were originally gathered or compiled for other purposes
.access
-freedom of information act
-- unless essential to national security, data should be available for legitimate research
Term

seondary analysis

- sources

Definition
.other researchers
.sources of agency records
- published data
- nonpublic agency records
- new data collected by agency staff
Term
secondary analysis advantages
Definition
cheap
fast
benefit from work of skilled researchers
typically no IRB
Term
secondary analysis disadvantages
Definition
.data might not be appropriate to your research question
.least useful for evaluation studies
.CANNOT make causal inferences
Term
units of analysis of agency records
Definition
.beware of match or mismatch between units of analysis
.you can go
- individual -> aggregate
.you cannot go
- aggregate -> individual
-- danger of committing ecological fallacy
Term
Limitations of agency records
Definition
data have been gathered for agency purposes, not research
.record keeping is a social process
.misinterpretation of codes
.incomplete data
reliability and validity issues
.changes in operational definitions of key terms over time
.changes in procedures over time
.data entry errors
Term
researchers using secondary data must be able to answer:
Definition
what were agencies goals in collecting data?
who was responsible for data collection and what were their qualifications?
what data were collected to and what were they intended to measure?
when was the information collected?
what methods were used for data collection?
how if information organized?
- are there identifiers that are used to identify the different types of data available on the same case?
how consistent are the data with data available from other sources?
what is known about the success of the data-collection effort?
- how are missing data indicated?
- what kind of documentation is available?
Term
content analysis is?
Definition
systematic studying of messages
.well suited to answer "who said what, to whom, why, how, and with what effect?"
.a method for quantifying behavior must be defined
Term
how to do a content analysis?
Definition
determine your research question
.manifest content- visible, surface content
.latent content - underlying meaning
determine your:
.universe
.units of analysis and sampling frame
.sample
determine your operational definitions
.exhaustive
.mutually exclusive
.derived from one conceptual framework
determine your observers
.blind to purpose of study
.have to check inter-rate reliability
code and analyze the darn thing!
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