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why study research methods
- need to understand findings and how to apply those findings to his or her department
two realities of cjc research
- experiential reality
- agreement reality
Experiental Reality the things we know from direct experience
agreement reality things we consider real because we have been told they are real, and everyone agrees
kansas city preventative patrol experiment revealed the agreement reality that simply increasing patrols decreased crime was misleading
empirical research knowledge produced based on experience or observation -an assertion must have both logical and empirical support
an assertion must have both ______ and _______support an assertion must have both logical and empirical support
methodology the science of finding out
We use _______ and ________ reasoning. We use casual and probabilistic reasoning. The goal is to understand why certain things are related, why patters occur, to enable us to make more accurate predications.
tradition things that "everybody knows" -ex driving on the left side of the road in the us is dangerous
authority trusting the judgment of someone with special expertise
- ex your more likely to believe a judge regarding your drivers license suspension than your parents
inaccurate observation overcome by using measurment devices -ex looking at something red but saying its blue
overgeneralization overcome by replicating the study to see if you get the same results -ex seeing result once and going with it or seeing south side Chicago and seeing how bad it is and now u think its all bad
selective observation specify in advance the number and types of observations
-what is it how deep does it go observe and describe the scope of a problem or policy response.
purpose of research- explanation explains the answers to why? why have we seen a certain change in scope, why does a certain problem exist
purpose of research -application Applied research- is often used to evaluate the effects of specific criminal justice
Applied research- research done to solve specific problem
two major types of applied research evaluation research and policy analysis
evaluation research comparing program goals to results
policy analysis prospective- anticipate future consequences of alternative actions
whats the most difficult part in the research process framing your interest into a research question
research process steps
- conceptualize -operate -observe -analyze
- apply
conceptualize specify what is to be studied
operate perform concrete steps to measure specific concepts
observe collect empericall data
analyze
measurement, data collection methods, analysis, references, schedule, budget
problem or objective literature review, research questions, subjects for study, measurement, data collection methods, analysis, references, schedule, budget problem or objective- describes what will be studied literature review- summarizes the prior research on the topic research questions- specifies what the research will answer subjects for study- whom or what will be studied measurement- identifies the key data collection methods- explains how observations will be collected analysis, - specifies how the observations will be analyzed references- list of materials consulted and cited in the proposal schedule - a timeline for the various stages of the proposal budget- specifies where money o support the research will be spent
Understand why knowledge of research methods is valuable to criminal justice professionals.
- criminal justice professionals are both consumers and producers of research
- need to understand findings and how to apply those findings to his or her department
Distinguish inquiry as a natural human activity from inquiry through systematic empirical research. natural human inquiry is a spontaneous and informal process driven by individual curiosity, systematic empirical research is a formal and structured approach to investigation that follows scientific principles and methodologies to produce reliable and objective knowledge.
is most of our knowledge based on agreement or direct experience agreement
Explain how tradition and authority are important sources of knowledge Both provide us with a starting point for our own inquiry
whats the role of experience and systematic observation in criminal justice research. to help better understand
social science guards ________, but does not __________, political beliefs from affecting
Theories ______ the relationships that might be _______ expected among variables Theories describe the relationships that might be logically expected among variables
Causation A person's attributes on one variable are expected to cause or encourage a particular attribute on another variable
Independent Variable cause," "influencer"
Dependent Variable "effect," "depends" -Ex: Type of defense attorney -> prison or probation
Ideographic Explanation When we attempt to explain a single situation exhaustively -Fully understands the causes of what happened in this particular instance; comprehensively explains one case
Nomothetic Explanation Seeks to explain a class of situations or events rather than a single one
-Explains efficiently; settles for partial explanation
deductive reasoning -Moves from the general to the specific -From a logically or theoretically expected pattern to observations that test the presence of the pattern -"Why something happens" -> "Whether it actually does"
inductive reasoning moves from the specific to the general -From a set of observations to the discovery of a pattern among them
qualitative vs quantitative data All observations are qualitative at the outset Qualitative: Nonnumerical Greater richness of meaning Quantitative: Numerical
theory Systematic explanation for the observed facts & laws that relate to a particular aspect of life; propositions explaining why events occur in the manner that they do
Objectivity Independent of mind"; not utilized
Describe why social scientists are interested in explaining aggregates, not individuals. because social scientist are more interested as the topic as a whole not individual cases
Understand that social scientists are primarily ________ in discovering relationships that connect __________. Understand that social scientists are primarily interested in discovering relationships that connect variables.
Understand the difference between idiosyncratic and nomothetic explanations. ideographic attempts to explain single situation and nomothetic explanation seeks to explain a lot of situations
Recognize that intersubjective agreement, not _________, is a ___________ norm of science. Recognize that intersubjective agreement, not objectivity, is a fundamental norm of science.
Describe the traditional image of social science theory. Social scientific inquiry generates knowledge through logic and observation
Describe how observations contribute to theory development in grounded theory. allows researchers to generate theories that are firmly rooted in the data collected from
the field
Describe how theory and public policy can be closely linked. Theory structures research, which, in turn, is consulted to develop policy
ethical concern typically associated with morality; both deal with matters of right and wrong
ethical May be defined as behavior conforming to the standards of conduct of a given group Ethics are a matter of agreement among professionals
no harm to participants Dilemma - Balancing potential benefits against possibility of harm Collecting info from active criminals presents the possibility of violence against them Psychological harm via remembrance of unpleasant/traumatic experience Possible harm may be justified by potential benefit of study (still arbitrary)
Dilemma Balancing potential benefits against possibility of harm
The Belmont Report ( a brief, but comprehensive set of ethical principles for protecting human subjects -Respect for Persons -Beneficence- benefit pople in a greater scale -Justice
institutional review boards (irbs) groups of people responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure that it meets the accepted standards of science and provides for the physical and emotional well-being of research participants
Understand that what is ethically "right" and "wrong" in research is ultimately a matter of what people agree is right and wrong.
Understand why researchers may ______ recognize whether their own work adequately addresses ethical issues. Understand why researchers may not recognize whether their own work adequately addresses ethical issues.
Summarize how ethical questions usually involve weighing the possible benefits of research against the potential harm to research subjects. if its triggering to the participant, and etc
Summarize ethical principles presented in the Belmont Report.
Respect for Persons Beneficence Justice
Describe why prisoners and juveniles require special ethical considerations. because alot of it may be triggering and they wont tell you alot because they are in correctional facilities
Understand the role of institutional review boards (IRBs) in protecting human subjects. its protects people because it may cause harm emotionally or physically
