Q&A Hero

Q: Behaviors considered illegal because they run counter to existing moral standards are known as____________________ crimes.

Q: Immigrants have significantly ____________________ rates of incarceration than the averageU.S. citizen.

Q: Arrests and court appearances have been shown to be deterrents to chronic offending. a. True b. False

Q: One of the following is not accurate with respect to the construction of questionnaire items. Which one is inaccurate? a. use only questions, no statements b. short items are the best c. avoid negative items d. avoid the temptation to ask questions in a manner that determines a specific answer

Q: Which of the following is not necessary in the construction of closed-ended questions? a. the response categories must be mutually exclusive b. the response categories must be exhaustive c. the researcher must be careful in structuring the responses d. the response categories should be extensive

Q: Which of the following represent potential problems with the use of open-ended questions? a. possibility of misunderstanding and researcher bias b. they can be quickly completed by the respondent c. they do not limit the responses received d. they result in lack of uniformity of answers

Q: According to official data, violent offenses are more common than property offenses. a. True b. False

Q: A key advantage of the NCVS is its ability to capture offenses that were never reported to thepolice. a. True b. False

Q: Closed ended questions are useful because: a. they provide uniform responses b. they are more valid c. they are more generalizable d. you always get a thoughtful answer

Q: One problem with the data in the FBI's UCR is the fact that people often lie on self-reports. a. True b. False

Q: If, on a questionnaire, a respondent is asked "what do you feel is the most important crime problem facing the policy in your city today" they are being asked what type of question? a. closed-ended question b. open-ended question c. contingency question d. matrix question

Q: Marijuana is the current drug of choice of most high school seniors. a. True b. False

Q: Which of the following is not collected routinely by the British Crime Survey? a. offender demographics b. self reported drug use c. attitudes toward criminal sentencing d. fear of crime

Q: In terms of becoming a victim of a violent crime, you are more at risk of being assaulted bysomeone you know or are in a relationship than by a stranger. a. True b. False

Q: Which of the following represent targeted victims surveys? a. self reports b. Uniform Crime Reports c. National Crime Victimization Survey d. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring

Q: Gang membership has increased over the past decade. a. True b. False

Q: The NIBRS includes all the offenses that occur in an incident, rather than only the most seriousoffense. a. True b. False

Q: Surveys may be used for all but which of the following? a. descriptive research b. motivational research c. explanatory research d. exploratory research

Q: As a general rule the interviewer should dress: a. casually b. formally c. similar to the interviewee d. however they would like.

Q: Crimes such as murder and rape are cleared at higher rates than property crimes. a. True b. False

Q: One argument with regard to higher crime rates in some regions of the country points to theinflux of immigrants. a. True b. False

Q: When the potential respondent first opens their door, the interviewer must establish? a. their knowledge b. their authority c. rapport d. the purpose of the interview

Q: Age is inversely related to criminality. a. True b. False

Q: In most cases the following months should be avoided when mailing questionnaires: a. June, July, August b. November, December, January c. March, April, May d. September, October, November

Q: Most boys are socialized to avoid being violent and aggressive. a. True b. False

Q: It is usually best to begin a self-administered questionnaire with: a. sensitive issue questions b. age, gender, etc. questions c. sexual behavior questions d. the most interesting set of questions

Q: Inexperienced researchers tend to fear that their questionnaires will look: a. too easy b. too complex c. too long d. too cluttered

Q: The racial threat hypothesis contends that young minority males are a greater threat thanyoung white males. a. True b. False

Q: Children who have been exposed to a variety of personal and social problems at an early ageare the most at risk to repeat offending. a. True b. False

Q: Questions that encourage respondents to answer in a particular way are known as: a. unfair b. biased c. double-barreled d. vague

Q: There is evidence that the reporting accuracy of self-report studies differs among racial, ethnic,and gender groups. a. True b. False

Q: In the interest of being unambiguous and precise, survey questions should: a. have questions with no more than 40 words in them b. be generalizable c. be clear d. be reliable

Q: Violent crime rates in the United States have increased significantly since the early 1990s. a. True b. False

Q: The Monitoring the Future study is one of the most important sources of self-report data withregard to drugs. a. True b. False

Q: The term questionnaire suggests a collection of: a. values b. responses c. answer options d. beliefs

Q: Surveys that are designed for more than one purpose are known as? a. open-ended b. closed-ended c. general purpose d. targeted victim

Q: The National Crime Victimization Survey and the UCR are the only methods of crime datacollection used in the United States. a. True b. False

Q: For research that seeks to explore or explain why people commit criminal, delinquent, or deviant acts, which is the best method available? a. observation b. asking questions c. participant observation d. studying criminal records

Q: Apparent increases in crime rates in the UCR may actually reflect changes in the way thepolice record their data. a. True b. False

Q: General population surveys and surveys of offenders tend to present what types of difficulties? a. sampling error b. validity error c. generalizability error d. sample error

Q: CASE 2.3 Mary, a student at a community college in New York, is in the United States on a student visa that allows her to remain in the United States until she obtains her master's degree in biology. She is considering returning to her home country because she is concerned with the increase in crime at her college and in the surrounding area. Mary attempts to find information on the crime rates in her hometown to compare to those in the city where she currently attends college. UCR data captures all criminal violations. a. True b. False

Q: Surveys are best suited for studies that have what as their units of analysis? a. individuals b. groups c. organizations d. social artifacts

Q: What are the basic ways of administering questionnaires? a. face-to-face interview b. telephone interviews c. self-administered d. all of the above

Q: Survey research is generally weaker on validity and stronger on reliability. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.3 Mary, a student at a community college in New York, is in the United States on a student visa that allows her to remain in the United States until she obtains her master's degree in biology. She is considering returning to her home country because she is concerned with the increase in crime at her college and in the surrounding area. Mary attempts to find information on the crime rates in her hometown to compare to those in the city where she currently attends college. Mary was a crime victim once in the three years that she has been in the United States. Afemale acquaintance assaulted Mary while Mary was out celebrating her birthday at a local barwith some friends. The offender was drunk and became agitated when she thought that Maryhad taken her seat. With regard to female criminality, all of the following are true except: a. Female sex hormones account for more aggressive female behavior. b. Females are socialized to avoid being violent and aggressive. c. Female criminals are troubled, alienated at home, and pursue crime as a means ofcompensating for their disrupted personal lives. d. Girls have been found to be superior to boys in verbal ability, which enable them to diffuseconflict more easily.

Q: CASE 2.3 Mary, a student at a community college in New York, is in the United States on a student visa that allows her to remain in the United States until she obtains her master's degree in biology. She is considering returning to her home country because she is concerned with the increase in crime at her college and in the surrounding area. Mary attempts to find information on the crime rates in her hometown to compare to those in the city where she currently attends college. After doing research on U.S. crime rates over the past few years, Mary is surprised to learn that: a. Over the past two decades, violent crimes have been increasing significantly, but propertycrimes have been decreasing. b. Over the past two decades, property crimes have been increasing significantly, but violentcrimes have been decreasing. c. Over the past two decades, both violent and property crimes have been increasingsignificantly. d. Over the past two decades, both violent and property crimes have been decreasingsignificantly.

Q: Focus groups usually consist of 15 to 20 people. a. True b. False

Q: When dealing with sensitive issues it may be more effective to use a self administered questionnaire. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.3 Mary, a student at a community college in New York, is in the United States on a student visa that allows her to remain in the United States until she obtains her master's degree in biology. She is considering returning to her home country because she is concerned with the increase in crime at her college and in the surrounding area. Mary attempts to find information on the crime rates in her hometown to compare to those in the city where she currently attends college. Why will it be difficult for Mary to compare the crime rates in a U.S. city with her hometownof London, England? a. England does not have any crime statistics that are available to civilians. b. There are differences in the way crime is measured. c. England is a dictatorship and manipulates crime rates so that their country appears to be safe. d. Only solved cases are included in England's crime rates.

Q: As a general rule, the interviewer should dress in formal attire to do the interviewing. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.2 Mr. and Mrs. Jones receive a survey that asks them for information about crimes of which they have been victims. They are asked a series of questions to assess whether they individually have been victims of crime but also whether their household has been victimized. What would be a weakness in the results of the survey being completed by Mr. and Mrs. Jones? a. It does not include crimes not reported to the police. b. It relies on the honesty of the offenders. c. It relies on victim's memory and honesty. d. It uses crime data only for victims over the age of 21.

Q: CASE 2.2 Mr. and Mrs. Jones receive a survey that asks them for information about crimes of which they have been victims. They are asked a series of questions to assess whether they individually have been victims of crime but also whether their household has been victimized. In which survey are Mr. and Mrs. Jones taking part? a. NIBRS b. NCVS c. Self-report survey d. UCR

Q: Face-to-face interviews are best for complex questions and other specialized needs. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.2 Mr. and Mrs. Jones receive a survey that asks them for information about crimes of which they have been victims. They are asked a series of questions to assess whether they individually have been victims of crime but also whether their household has been victimized. About what crime would they not be questioned? a. Aggravated assault b. Burglary c. Murder d. Sexual assault

Q: CASE 2.1 Your local police department is concerned with this year's most recent crime statistics. The police chief meets with city officials and his higher-ranking police personnel. They meet to discuss potential policies and procedures in order to reduce the crime rates in their city. One improvement that pleases the police chief is that over 45% of all of the cities' Part I crimeshave resulted in arrest. When an offender is arrested and charged with a crime the offense isconsidered: a. Adjudicated. b. Cleared. c. Disposed. d. Finished.

Q: The subsequent questions in a series are called contingency questions. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.1 Your local police department is concerned with this year's most recent crime statistics. The police chief meets with city officials and his higher-ranking police personnel. They meet to discuss potential policies and procedures in order to reduce the crime rates in their city. One higher-ranking police captain believes that the increase in instrumental crimes is theproblem. Which of the following is an example of an instrumental crime? a. A young man who shoots the cashier of a convenience store that he is attempting to rob. b. A drunken husband who shoots his wife during a late night fight. c. A parent who strikes his child with a belt. d. An alcoholic who commits a DUI and kills a child who is attempting to cross the street.

Q: There are two basic options for researchers when asking questions; open-ended or closed-ended. a. True b. False

Q: The National Crime Victimization Survey can be used to evaluate local crime prevention programs. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.1 Your local police department is concerned with this year's most recent crime statistics. The police chief meets with city officials and his higher-ranking police personnel. They meet to discuss potential policies and procedures in order to reduce the crime rates in their city. The mayor is more concerned with violent crimes. She believes that when people hear that hercity has experienced an increase in violent crimes, they will no longer come to visit. Since thecity is on a beach, tourism is a major source of revenue, so the mayor is concerned that the mostrecent crime statistics will cause a decrease in these revenues. If the mayor is most concernedwith violent crimes, which crime does not concern her as much? a. Murder b. Rape c. Prostitution d. Robbery

Q: The National Jail Census collects information every five years about federal prisons. a. True b. False

Q: Surveys may be used for descriptive, explanatory and applied research. a. True b. False

Q: CASE 2.1 Your local police department is concerned with this year's most recent crime statistics. The police chief meets with city officials and his higher-ranking police personnel. They meet to discuss potential policies and procedures in order to reduce the crime rates in their city. The police chief believes that the department needs to focus on crimes like prostitution anddrug abuse because the two are interconnected and he believes that both are linked to moreserious crimes. Drug use and prostitution are examples of: a. Economic crimes. b. Property crimes. c. Public order crimes. d. Violent crimes.

Q: Currently, which ethnic group does not dominate organized crime? a. Russian b. African American c. Hispanic d. Italian

Q: Compare and contrast in-person interviews and telephone surveys in terms of the role of the researcher and the types of questions appropriate for each.

Q: The ________ was intended to supplement the UCR with more detailed information aboutvictim and offender characteristics. a. NIBRS b. NCVS c. Monitoring the Future Survey d. Self-report

Q: What is CASI? What advantages and disadvantages does it offer for researchers?

Q: Which of the following explanations is no longer considered valid in explaining the differencesin offending patterns between males and females? a. Gender-based traits such as hormonal differences b. Differences in socialization between males and females c. Better verbal abilities in females that promote talking to diffuse conflict as opposed to fighting d. The use of sex by females to control and influence male behaviors.

Q: Write sample questions dealing with the relationship between gender and criminal activity. Have the questions be in the following forms: a. open-ended b. closed-ended c. matrix d. contingency

Q: Which of the following is not considered a problem with self-reporting? a. The subject's reluctance to report crimes they have committed b. Poor recall of past crimes c. The possibility that self-reports are not generalizable to the population at large d. The fact that self-reports capture offenses not reported to the police

Q: Identify the strengths and weaknesses of each of the following. a. open-ended questions b. closed-ended questions

Q: Which of the following viewpoints regarding the definition of crime states that white collarcrime is punished less severely than other crimes because the perpetrators are likely affluentmembers of the ruling class? a. Interactionist b. Conflict c. Consensus d. Crime control

Q: Identify the strengths and weaknesses in general of survey research.

Q: When constructing questions it is a good idea to ensure that a set of given responses is , including all reasonable responses in the categories given.

Q: Which of the following is considered a corporate crime? a. Bribery b. Forgery c. Thwarting competition d. Murder of a the owner of competing business

Q: What is suspected to be involved in half of all U.S. murder, suicides, and accidental deaths? a. Alcohol b. Drugs c. Domestic violence d. Racial tensions

Q: Today, modern gangs seem to be motivated by: a. Drug profits. b. Emotional involvement. c. Expressive violence. d. Neighborhood turf wars.

Q: When any given response fits in only one given set of categories the categories are exclusive.

Q: A closedended question has a response set consisting of the categories "strongly agree", "agree", "disagree" and "strongly disagree". These responses are an example of a ____________________ scale.

Q: The tends to be based on a much less structured set of open-ended questions than other survey or interview techniques.