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Test Bank for Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and

Criminal Justice 5th Edition by Ronet D. Bachman

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Book Title: Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Edition: 5th Edition

Author: Ronet D. Bachman

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 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021

Test Bank
Chapter 1: Science, Society, and Research Related to Criminal Justice
and Criminology
Multiple Choice

1. Overgeneralization occurs when we ______.

a. choose to look only at things that align with our preferences or beliefs
b. conclude that what we have observed or know to be true for some cases is true for all
cases
c. prematurely jump to conclusions or argue on the basis of invalid assumptions
d. are reluctant to change our ideas in light of new information
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Overgeneralization
Difficulty Level: Easy

2. We commit the error of selective observation when we ______.

a. decide that what we observe in a small group must be true for the larger group as
well
b. jump to conclusions about how media affects gratuitous violence by individuals
c. choose to look only at things that align with our preferences or beliefs
d. don’t critically evaluate the ideas of those in positions of authority
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Selective or Inaccurate Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

3. As described in your text book, “everyday errors” refer to errors that ______.
a. frequently occur in nonscientific, unreflective discourse about the social world
b. are rarely identified in social research
c. easy to avoid in research
d. have little to do with logic in analyzing the social world
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Avoiding Errors in Reasoning
Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Which error are we committing when we prematurely jump to conclusions?

a. selective observation
b. resistance to change
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
c. inaccurate observation
d. illogical reasoning
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Illogical Reasoning
Difficulty Level: Easy

5. The branch of philosophy that studies how knowledge is gained or acquired is known
as ______.
a. pseudoscience
b. phrenology
c. epistemology
d. philatelology
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: How the Scientific Approach is Different
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. The study of bumps and fissures of the skull to determine the character and
personality of a person is known as ______.
a. pseudoscience
b. phrenology
c. epistemology
d. philatelology
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: How the Scientific Approach is Different
Difficulty Level: Easy

7. According to your text, ______ research is the primary focus of many studies of youth
crime and violence.
a. questioning
b. prevalence
c. descriptive
d. victimization
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Medium
Answer Location: Descriptive Research
Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Research which seeks to find the answer to the question “what is going on here?” is
known as ______.
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
a. expositional
b. exploratory
c. explanatory
d. evaluatory
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Exploratory Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

9. ______ research seeks to identify cause and effects of social phenomena.

a. Expositional
b. Exploratory
c. Explanatory
d. Evaluatory
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Explanatory Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Madfis’ (2014) research let the people interviewed speak for themselves and didn’t
come up with questions designed to measure concepts such as violence or
delinquency. This type of research is known as ______.
a. exploratory
b. explanatory
c. conceptual
d. prevalential
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Case Study: Exploration—How Did Schools Avert a Shooting
Rampage?
Difficulty Level: Medium

11. After examining all of the interview transcripts, Madfis (2014) develop themes that
emerged among them all. This is known as ______ research.
a. exploratory
b. explanatory
c. conceptual
d. prevalential
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Case Study: Exploration—How Did Schools Avert a Shooting
Rampage?
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Many people consider ______ to be the premier goal of any science.
a. exploration
b. explanation
c. evaluation
d. transparency
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Explanatory Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

13. Research which seeks to determine the effects of a social program or intervention is
known as ______.
a. description
b. exploratory
c. explanation
d. evaluation
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Evaluation Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Esbensen and colleagues considered the long-term effects of the G.R.E.A.T.
program using an experimental design, which is ______ research.
a. descriptive
b. exploration
c. explanation
d. evaluation
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: knowledge
Answer Location: Case Study in Evaluation—Do Violence Prevention Programs in
Schools Work?
Difficulty Level: Easy

15. ______ asserts that a well-designed test of a specific prediction can move us closer
to understanding actual social processes.
a. Explanatory research
b. Exploratory research
c. Positivism
d. Postpositivism
Ans: C
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Postpositivists are closely related to positivists because they ______.

a. don’t acknowledge the complexity of an objective, external reality
b. acknowledge that there are limitations and biases on the part of the scientists who
study objective reality
c. worry that researchers may be unable to discover positive social effects of computer
use
d. are sure we can use scientific methods to perceive objective reality
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Medium

17. The goal of science is to achieve ______ agreement among scientists about the
nature of reality.
a. postpositivist
b. positivist
c. objective
d. intersubjective
Ans: D
Learning Objective:1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Hard

18. The belief that reality is socially constructed and the goal of social scientists is to
understand what meanings people give to that reality is known as ______.
a. positivism
b. postpositivism
c. interpretivism
d. critical theory
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Hard
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
19. Critical theory focuses on the premise that power differences shape ______.
a. the power relationships among people that solidify over time
b. how interesting people are over time
c. very little of social interactions among people
d. and have little to do with challenges to societal structures over time
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Difficult
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Hard

20. Collins (1991) suggested that being sensitive to being in an “outside” role within
social situations ______.
a. is never advantageous
b. limits researchers with regard to the utilization of types of research methodologies
c. may have unique advantages for researchers
d. has little effect on social research methodology
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Hard

21. Whyte (1991) proposed a more activist approach to research ______.

a. where the researcher should not be an active participant in the research
b. that argues that researchers should not collaborate with the person(s) being studied
c. called Research Against Activism (RAA)
d. called participatory action research (PAR)
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Hard

22. In general, research methods can be divided into two different domains, ______ and
______.
a. questionnaires; participatory action reports
b. qualitative; quantitative
c. interpretivist; quantitative
d. quantitative; explanatory
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

23. When a researcher uses primarily predetermined categories on questionnaires,

which type of method is he/she employing to gather information?
a. quantitative
b. qualitative
c. interpretivist
d. exploratory
Ans: A
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

24. Which type of methods are most likely to be employed when looking for meanings in
research?
a. interpretivist
b. quantitative
c. qualitative
d. authentic
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

25. ______ methods are most often used when motives for research are descriptive
purposes.
a. Explanatory
b. Quantitative
c. Authentic
d. Research
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

26. Surveys that collect written responses to questions as well as primarily quantitative
data such as age of respondent utilize ______.
a. quantitative data
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
b. qualitative data
c. mixed methods
d. quadrangle data
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

27. When a researcher uses more than one method to study a research question,
he/she is relying on ______.
a. primary data collection
b. triangulation
c. the ability to use less clear data to find an answer
d. quantitative data collection
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

28. True experiments must have ______.

a. only one random intervention group
b. non-random assignment to groups
c. quasi-treatment groups
d. two randomly assigned groups (one treatment and one non-treatment)
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

29. Probably the most versatile research method used by criminological researchers is
______.
a. experiments
b. triangulated research questions
c. surveys
d. participant observation
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Difficulty Level: Medium

30. The reanalysis of already existing data is known as ______ data analysis.
a. primary
b. tertiary
c. content
d. secondary
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

31. An example of the type of indirect measurement known as ______ is when a

researcher studies representations of the research topic in news articles.
a. crime mapping
b. quantitative analysis
c. inquiry analysis
d. content analysis
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

32. Examining the relationship between criminal behavior and other social indicators,
such as type of neighborhood, may utilize ______.
a. intensive interviewing of employers in the state
b. crime mapping
c. questionnaires sent to residents of the United States
d. secondary data analysis of data from the early 1900s
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

33. A way of knowing that relies on objective, empirical investigation is known as

______.
a. methodology
b. transparency
c. data analysis
d. epistemology
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Ans: D
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Science Versus Pseudoscience
Difficulty Level: Easy

34. The four categories for purposes of social scientific research are ______.
a. descriptive, numerical, qualitative, and explanatory
b. exploratory, explanatory, evaluative, and empirical
c. descriptive, exploratory, explanatory, and evaluation
d. evaluative, descriptive, phenomenological, and definitional
Ans: C
Learning Objective: 1.3: Explain the motivations of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Criminal Justice and Criminological Research in Action
Difficulty Level: Easy

35. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) estimates ______.

a. behavior of students in the 5th and 6th grades in Rochester
b. the magnitude of youth violence, conducted every two years in the US since 1990
c. the aversion of school shootings in Rochester
d. how people get along in stressful settings, such as school shootings
Ans: B
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Case Study: Description: How Prevalent is Youth Violence?
Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Cho Seung-Hui perpetrated the deadliest college mass school shooting in Virginia in
2007.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: What Do We Have in Mind?
Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Everyday errors occur infrequently in the nonscientific, unreflective discourse about

the social world.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Avoiding Errors in Reasoning
Difficulty Level: Medium
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021

3. Overgeneralization occurs when we conclude that what we have observed for some
cases is true for all cases.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Overgeneralization
Difficulty Level: Easy

4. If you think that all youths who are violent are likely to commit violent acts in
adulthood, you will probably find many cases that confirm your belief.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Selective or Inaccurate Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Selective observation occurs when we conclude that what we observe is true for all
cases.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Overgeneralization
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Inaccurate observations often occur in everyday observation, such as when there are
five people standing at a corner but we report seeing seven.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Selective or Inaccurate Observation
Difficulty Level: Easy

7. Not enough devotion to tradition can stifle adaptation to changing circumstances.

Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Resistance to Change
Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Pseudoscience involves claims based on beliefs and/or public testimonials, not on

the scientific method.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Science Versus Pseudoscience
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Methodology is a way of knowing that relies on objective, empirical investigation.

Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Science Versus Pseudoscience
Difficulty Level: Easy
10. Evaluation research is the primary focus of studies that ask questions like “How
many people are victims of violence?” and “What are the most common crimes
committed by youthful offenders?”
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Descriptive Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Research that investigates social phenomena without expectations is exploratory.

Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Exploratory Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Madfis’ (2014) research, which didn’t come up with questions prior to the interview
but rather let the people he interviewed speak for themselves, was explanatory.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Case Study: Exploration—How Did Schools Avert a Shooting
Rampage?
Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Explanatory research seeks to identify cause and effects of social phenomena.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Explanatory Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Exploratory research suggests how one type of social phenomena, like race, affect
other social phenomena, like neighborhood characteristics.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Explanatory Research
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Difficulty Level: Medium

15. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) asks questions like “Has anyone
attacked or threatened you with a weapon?
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Surveys
Difficulty Level: Medium
16. Evaluation research seeks to determine the effects of a social program or other type
of intervention.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Evaluation Research
Difficulty Level: Easy

17. The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program has been
rigorously evaluated to ensure.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Case Study: Evaluation—Do Violence Prevention Programs in
Schools Work?
Difficulty Level: Hard

18. Postpositivism asserts that a well-designed test of a specific prediction can help us
to understand social processes.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Medium

19. Positivism assumes an external objective reality.

Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Easy

20. Positivists believe that the goal of science is to achieve intersubjective agreement
among scientists.
Ans: F
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Medium

21. Positivism and postpostivism represent an opposing research philosophy to

interpretivism.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Medium

22. If the data collected are numerical, the study uses quantitative methods.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

23. Exploration is the most common motive for using quantitative methods.
Ans: F
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

24. The use of triangulation suggests that a researcher can get a clearer picture of the
social reality being studied by viewing it from several different perspectives.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

25. Combining surveys and intensive interviewing techniques is one way to use mixed
methods.
Ans: T
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer/Essay

1. What are the four common errors in everyday reasoning?

Ans: a) overgeneralization
b) selective or inaccurate observation
c) illogical reasoning
d) resistance to change
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Avoiding Errors in Reasoning
Difficulty Level: Easy

2. What is the difference between social science and pseudoscience?

Ans: Social science approach answers questions about the social world using
systematic methods that allow others to inspect and evaluate its methods. On the other
hand, the pseudoscience does not rely on the scientific methods but rather looks to
testimonials of believers who have firsthand experience or who claim to have witnessed
the event.
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Science Versus Pseudoscience
Difficulty Level: Medium

3. What is epistemology and how does it relate to methodology?

Ans: Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that studies how knowledge is gained or
acquired, while methodology represents the actual methods used to answer questions.
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Science Versus Pseudoscience
Difficulty Level: Medium

4. How does transparency and peer review fit with scientific research?
Ans: An important feature of the scientific method is transparency, which requires
procedures, methods and data analyses of a study be presented clearly to be replicated
by other scientists. Peer review is the process by which an article is submitted by the
journal editor to two or three experts to judge whether the paper should be accepted,
revised and resubmitted or rejected.
Learning Objective: 1.2: Define social science compared with pseudoscience.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Science Versus Pseudoscience
Difficulty Level: Medium
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
5. What are the four types of social research?
Ans: a) descriptive – where phenomena are defined and described
b) exploratory – seeks to find out how people get along in a setting, what meanings they
give to their actions and what issues concern them, without a priori expectations
c) explanatory – seeks to identify causes and effects of social phenomena, predict how
one phenomenon will change/vary in response to variation in some other phenomena
d) evaluation – seeks to determine effects of a social program or other type of
intervention
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Criminal Justice and Criminological Research in Action
Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Define positivism and postpositivism. What are differences?

Ans: Positivism asserts that a well-designed test for a specific prediction can move us
closer to understanding actual social processes. Postpositivism is closely related to
positivism but acknowledges the complexity of reality and the limitations/biases of the
scientists who study it.
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Medium

7. What are Mixed Methods?

Ans: Many researchers are electing to garner the strengths of both quantitative and
qualitative research philosophies and rely on mixed methods to study one research
question. This is sometimes called triangulation. The latter term suggests that a
researcher can get a clearer picture of the social reality being studied by viewing it from
several different perspectives. Each will have some liabilities in a specific research
application, and all can benefit from a combination of one or more other methods
(Brewer and Hunter 1989; Sechrest and Sidani 1995)
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium

8. What is Intersubjective Agreement?

Ans: It is the agreement between scientists about the nature of reality, often upheld as a
more reasonable goal for science than certainty about an objective reality.
Learning Objective: 1.5: Explain the difference between the positivist and constructivist
orientations to social research.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Alternative Research Orientations
Difficulty Level: Medium
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021

9. What is the NCVS? Who does it survey, and what is the topic? Why is it important?
Ans: The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the only ongoing annual
survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS). Among other questions, the NCVS asks questions such as “Has anyone attacked
or threatened you with a weapon (for instance, a gun or knife) or by something thrown
(such as a rock or bottle)? Include any grabbing, punching, or choking.” Estimates
indicate that youth ages 12 to 24 years have the highest rates of violent victimization.
Despite the recent increases observed in homicide rates for this age group in some
locations, their victimization trends have generally declined since the peak of the early
1990s mentioned earlier.
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: A Comment on Research in a Diverse Society
Difficulty Level: Hard

10. What are quantitative methods and qualitative methods? What are the differences?
Ans: Quantitative methods such as surveys and experiments record variation in social
life in terms of categories that vary in amount. Quantitative data are either numbers or
attributes that can be ordered in terms of magnitude. Qualitative methods include
participant observation, intensive interviewing, and focus groups designed to capture
social life as participants experience it rather than in categories predetermined by the
researcher. Qualitative data treated as qualitative are mostly written or spoken words or
observations that do not have a direct numerical interpretation.
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Difficulty Level: Easy

11. What are three reasons we might commit the everyday error known as “resistance
to change”?
Ans: The three reasons include ego-based commitments, excessive devotion to
tradition, and uncritical agreement with authority.
Learning Objective: 1.1: Describe the four common errors in everyday reasoning.
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Avoiding Errors in Reasoning
Difficulty Level: Medium

12. What is the Rochester Youth Development Study?

Ans: The RYDS sample consists of 1,000 students who were in the 7 th and 8th grades in
the Rochester, New York, public schools during the spring semester of the 1988 school
year. This project has interviewed the original respondents at 12 different times,
including the last interview that took place in 1997, when respondents were in their early
20s (Thornberry, Krohn, Lizotte, & Bushway, 2008). As you can imagine, respondents
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
are typically more reluctant to reveal offending behavior compared with their
victimization experiences. However, these surveys have proved to be very useful in
examining the factors related to violent offending and other delinquency. We should
also point out that although this discussion has been specific to violence, the measures
we have discussed in this section, along with their strengths and weaknesses, apply to
measuring all types of crime.
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Case Study: Description—How Prevalent is Youth Violence?
Difficulty Level: Medium

13. What is the YRBS? What does it measure?

Ans: The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is another large research survey that
estimates the magnitude of youth violence (along with other risk-taking behavior, such
as taking drugs and smoking) and has been conducted every two years in the United
States since 1990. To measure the extent of youth violence, students are asked
questions such as “During the past 12 months, how many times were you in a physical
fight?” and “During the past 12 months, how many times were you in a physical fight in
which you were injured and had to be seen by a doctor or nurse?”
Learning Objective: 1.4: Identify the four types of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Case Study: Description—How Prevalent is Youth Violence?
Difficulty Level: Medium

14. What are motivations for social research?

Ans: Policy motivations—social service agencies and elected officials often want better
assessments and descriptions of issues so they can identify needs and allocate
responsibility among the proper agencies.
Academic motivations—researchers often explore questions concerning the impact of
societal conditions and their relationship to crime and violence.
Personal motivations—many researchers conduct research on an issue (like youth
violence, for instance) because they want to prevent youth violence or ameliorate the
consequences of the violence when it occurs.
Learning Objective: 1.3: Explain the motivations of social research.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Performing Data Analysis in SPSS or Excel
Difficulty Level: Hard

15. What is Crime Mapping? How is it used and why is it important?

Ans: It is used to examine the relationship between criminal behavior and other social
indicators. This research technique, along with others, is increasingly being used in
intelligence-based policing. Importance of unobtrusive research techniques like crime
mapping is used in criminology and criminal justice. Increasingly, researchers are
combining methods to more reliably answer a single research question.
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
 Student Resource
Bachman, Fundamentals of Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 5e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Method
Difficulty Level: Medium

16. What is secondary data analysis? Why is it important?

Ans: It is the analysis of data collected by someone other than the researcher.
Secondary data is important because it can save time and resources when researching
questions.
Learning Objective: 1.6: Understand the differences between quantitative and
qualitative methods and the advantages of mixed methods.
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Highlighting a Few Specific Types of Research Methods
Difficulty Level: Medium