Which of the following statements is not true concerning field research?

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Book Cover

Basics of Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology

7th Edition 2015, Maxfield & Babbie

ISBN: 978-1-285-06784-1

Chapter 11 3375

1. Field research uses what technique to gather data?

a. written records

b. agency data

c. direct observation

d. obtaining government documents

2. Which of the following is not considered a strength of field research?

a. validity is enhanced

b. reliability is enhanced

c. it allows for a more comprehensive, fuller understanding

d. limited generalizability

3. Many aspects of physical settings are probably best studied through

a. asking questions

b. reviewing written documents

c. direct observation

d. surveys

4. Which of the following would not be an appropriate crime to study using the field research technique?

a. prostitution

b. shoplifting

c. embezzlement

d. drug use

5. In this role the researcher observes some location or process without becoming a part of it in any way?

a. complete participation

b. complete observer

c. participant-as-observer

d. observer-as-participant

6. If the researcher feels they will need to ask questions of the subjects, what is the best technique in field research to use?

a. complete observer

b. complete participant

c. a combination of observer and participant

d. surveys

7. There are 2 different methods for obtaining data in field research, asking questions and:

a. making direct observation

b. searching documents

c. finding answers

d. analyzing existing data

8. Research involving which of the following groups would not be receptive to the use of unstructured interviews?

a. criminals

b. police officers

c. judges

d. probation officers

9. Interviews in field research which are somewhat structured (as opposed to unstructured) would be appropriate for use on which group?

a. death row inmates

b. juveniles

c. police officers

d. criminals

10. All but which of the following sampling techniques are appropriate for field research?

a. snowball sampling

b. purposive sampling

c. controlled probability sampling

d. non-probability techniques

11. When doing field research, researchers should be aware that sampling dimensions can be impacted by the varying behavior of people affected by the:

a. time of day or year

b. weather

c. location where the observations may take place

d. all of the above

12. Which of the following statements is not true concerning field research?

a. it does not provide a comprehensive perspective to the researcher

b. it often involves theory creation

c. it often combines observation and asking questions

d. it can provide both qualitative and quantitative data

13. Kim, while doing field research with a police department begins to become more sympathetic to officers’ behavior.

She would be considered to be:

a. becoming sympathetic

b. going naïve

c. becoming conservative

d. going native

14. On the continuum of methods for recording observations, one extreme is taking notes with pen and paper, the other extreme is:

a. video recording

b. participant observation

c. total participation

d. interviews

15. Recording graffiti might be best accomplished through:

a. field notes

b. still photographs

c. video recording

d. drawings

16. Which of the following groups would be good candidates for snowball sampling when doing field research?

a. patrol officers from your city

b. circuit court judges

c. active burglars

d. those arrested for auto theft in 2002 in New Jersey

17. Which of the following is not something that your letter, as a follow up to identification of the sponsor, should contain?

a. the name of your sponsor

b. a detailed description of your research

c. arranging a time and date for a phone call

d. identify that you want to meet and talk with the contact person

18. Qualitative research is best explained through which of the following?

a. never theory generating

b. called a process of grounded theory

c. used to make the subjects comfortable

d. used to increase generalizability

19. Because field research is generally considered to be comprehensive in nature, it tends to ensure the observations are more:

a. generalizable

b. reliable

c. valid

d. correct

20. Field research is not especially appropriate for topics that:

a. are not easily quantifiable

b. need to be examined in their natural setting

c. require the generation of a theory

d. are limited to aggregate data

21. Which of the following is a serious consideration for researchers who adopt the role of complete participant when doing field research?

a. generalizability

b. ethics

c. validity

d. reliability

22. Which of the following would not be an example of a topic that would lend itself to field research?

a. gang graffiti

b. prostitution

c. drug use

d. criminal records

23. If you wanted to study juveniles who steal cars, who would serve as your best informant?

a. juvenile police officers

b. mothers of young boys

c. school teachers

d. young people arrested for drugs

24. Which of the following is appropriate for gaining access to criminal justice subcultures such as active criminals, deviants, or juvenile gangs?

a. letters

b. phone calls

c. formal meetings

d. use of a sponsor

25. Sponsors, who help a researcher gain access to a subculture, are also known as:

a. active criminals

b. participant observers

c. natives

d. informants

Chapter 12 3375

1. Social artifacts such as written documents or articles from newspapers would be best understood using which of

the following?

a. content analysis

b. secondary analysis

c. agency records

d. none of the above

2. Agency records and statistics published by agencies or governmental entities are most commonly used for which type of studies?

a. explanatory

b. descriptive

c. evaluations

d. understanding the criminal justice system

3. Topics that lend themselves to the use of content analysis tend to focus upon the links between communication and:

a. criminal justice policy

b. the actual crime rates

c. the media’s understanding of criminal court convictions

d. understanding why people commit crime

4. Which of the following would not be an example of the data coming from the Census Bureau that have criminal justice applications?

a. Census of Children in Custody

b. National Crime Victimization Survey

c. Survey of Inmates in Local Jails

d. Uniform Crime Report

5. Which type of the listed studies are highly aggregated summary data from published statistical series not typically used?

a. descriptive

b. explanatory

c. applied

d. exploratory

6. Which of the following represent reliability or validity concerns when a researcher uses agency records?

a. the number of general clerical staff since too few is not good

b. changes in the operational definitions the agencies use to specify key terms

c. maintaining consistent procedures the agency uses to collect the data over time

d. agency records are generalizable to similar agencies

7. It is often said that agency data are not designed for research purposes. Which of the following support that statement?

a. some criminal justice agencies collect data because they are legally required to do so

b. often the data collected by criminal justice agencies is not covered under privacy regulations

c. because variable definitions are consistent from agency to agency

d. all of the above

8. Which of the following situations would not have an impact upon error in agency records?

a. computers have the capacity to magnify clerical error

b. a single crime could be recorded by two agencies, thus making that event over-represented

c. having very little data to input

d. even rare events can be recorded improperly

9. Which of the following would not be an appropriate target of content analysis?

a. speeches

b. newscasts

c. constitutions

d. number of domestic violence arrests

10. They underlying meaning of a communication is it’s:

a. latent content

b. manifest content

c. coding content

d. coding scheme

11. A researcher is interested in using content analysis to determine how the United States Supreme Court has changed its interpretation of the 4th Amendment’s “unreasonable” search and seizure prohibition over time. Which of the following are the units of analysis?

a. individual justices

b. court decisions in 4th Amendment cases

c. the dissenting opinions

d. the concurring opinions

12. Coding in content analysis involves the logic of conceptualization and:

a. application

b. operationalization

c. validity

d. generalization

13. Secondary analysis encompasses which of the following sources of criminal justice data?

a. content analysis of agency records

b. UCR

c. self-reports

d. NCVS

14. Which of the following is not an advantage of using secondary data?

a. reduction in validity threats

b. it is cheaper than collecting original data

c. it is faster than collecting original data

d. the researcher may benefit from the work of others established in their fields

15. If you wanted to measure the number of date and acquaintance rapes that happen in this country and use UCR data as your source, what is likely to be your most significant problem?

a. generalizability

b. validity

c. reliability

d. applicability

16. The visible, objective context of a communication is known as:

a. latent content

b. manifest content

c. concept

d. validity

17. The operational definition of any variable is composed of:

a. the hypothesis

b. the content analysis

c. manifest content

d. attributes

18. Which of the following data sources could not be coded for use in content analysis?

a. letters to the editor

b. commentaries by talk show hosts

c. dissenting opinions in cases dealing with the death penalty

d. agency aggregate statistics

19. Dr. Jones is having his Introductory to Criminal Justice students analyze cartoons. He instructs them to identify the number of violent acts per show, the type of violent act and the characteristics of the victim. Dr. Jones is having his students use:

a. content analysis

b. secondary data

c. new data collected by agency staff

d. nonpublic agency records

20. Clinic workers in a major Northwest city have been asked to track the incidence and patterns of STDs in their patients as part of a research project dealing with public health. They ask a number of specific questions upon intake but do not ask about their clients’ sexual partners. The only way to examine patterns in the spread of the STDs is to add a question to the intake form about the identity of their sexual partners. The data that was gathered illustrates:

a. nonpublic agency records

b. published statistics

c. new data collected by agency staff

d. content analysis

21. FBI statistics and annual reports from the Federal Bureau of Prisons are examples of:

a. nonpublic agency records

b. new data collected by agency staff

c. published statistics

d. content analysis

22. A researcher is interested in studying the budgeting of money within a police department in a mid-sized American city. She gains access to the department’s detailed records of expenditures and human resources. This is an example of which type of agency records, as described in the text?

a. published statistics

b. nonpublic agency records

c. new data collected by agency staff

d. content analysis

23. Dr. Quinn is interested in studying the amount of overtime worked by police officers. He gains access to agency personnel files. This is an illustration of which type of data?

a. new data collected by agency staff

b. nonpublic agency records

c. secondary data

d. published statistics

24. Being able to benefit from the work of topflight professionals and esteemed academics is an advantage of using:

a. secondary data

b. published statistics

c. nonpublic agency data

d. new data collected by agency staff

25. Which of the following would not be considered appropriate use for agency records?

a. explanatory studies

b. descriptive studies

c. applied research

d. experimental research