CCJ3701 Exam 1 UF GIBSON Questions and
Verified Answers
What is positivism and its importance for research in criminology? Correct Answer:
-asserts that a well-designed test of a specific prediction can move us closer to
understanding actual social processes
-objective reality apart from perceptions
-less biased approach
-assume as scientists:
what we want to study can be observed and measured,
non-randomness,
no proof, only support
Who is Lombroso and what is he known for in criminology? Correct Answer: -
Father of positivism
-innate criminality and criminal anthropology (discovery of physical features)
-THE CRIMINAL MAN:
evolutionary theory of criminality 1876
germs of ancestral past lay dormant
evolutionary throwbacks
identify by decisive physical stigmata
,large ears, long arms, high cheek bones, deviation in head size
SYSTEMATIC STUDY with numerical basis for important claim:
criminals generally have smaller brains than normal people
What is a constant Correct Answer: characteristic or property that cannot vary
What is a variable? Correct Answer: characteristic or property that can vary
What is an independent variable? Correct Answer: -causes/leads to variation in
another variable
proposed influence
explanatory variable
predictor or cause
What is a dependent variable? Correct Answer: hypothesized to change/vary
depending on the variation in another variable
outcome variable
effect
variation in this variable is the function of an independent variable
What is a unit of analysis Correct Answer: -major entity you are analyzing in your
study
-level of social life in which the research question is focused:
individuals, neighborhoods, groups, cities, social interactions, artifacts, etc.
, -can be more than one!!
example: primary and secondary syphilis - rates by counties graph
unit of analysis = counties
What is an ecological fallacy? Correct Answer: drawing conclusions about
individuals from group level data
Inductive research Correct Answer: -data, empirical generalizations, theory
-empirical generalizations describe patterns found in data
descriptive research
-motive = exploration
Deductive research Correct Answer: -theory, hypothesis, data
-motives = explanation AND evaluation
experimental
3 types of validity in research Correct Answer: 1. Measurement
2. Causal
3. Generalizability
measurement validity Correct Answer: is a measure measuring what we think it
measures
causal validity Correct Answer: A results in B
Verified Answers
What is positivism and its importance for research in criminology? Correct Answer:
-asserts that a well-designed test of a specific prediction can move us closer to
understanding actual social processes
-objective reality apart from perceptions
-less biased approach
-assume as scientists:
what we want to study can be observed and measured,
non-randomness,
no proof, only support
Who is Lombroso and what is he known for in criminology? Correct Answer: -
Father of positivism
-innate criminality and criminal anthropology (discovery of physical features)
-THE CRIMINAL MAN:
evolutionary theory of criminality 1876
germs of ancestral past lay dormant
evolutionary throwbacks
identify by decisive physical stigmata
,large ears, long arms, high cheek bones, deviation in head size
SYSTEMATIC STUDY with numerical basis for important claim:
criminals generally have smaller brains than normal people
What is a constant Correct Answer: characteristic or property that cannot vary
What is a variable? Correct Answer: characteristic or property that can vary
What is an independent variable? Correct Answer: -causes/leads to variation in
another variable
proposed influence
explanatory variable
predictor or cause
What is a dependent variable? Correct Answer: hypothesized to change/vary
depending on the variation in another variable
outcome variable
effect
variation in this variable is the function of an independent variable
What is a unit of analysis Correct Answer: -major entity you are analyzing in your
study
-level of social life in which the research question is focused:
individuals, neighborhoods, groups, cities, social interactions, artifacts, etc.
, -can be more than one!!
example: primary and secondary syphilis - rates by counties graph
unit of analysis = counties
What is an ecological fallacy? Correct Answer: drawing conclusions about
individuals from group level data
Inductive research Correct Answer: -data, empirical generalizations, theory
-empirical generalizations describe patterns found in data
descriptive research
-motive = exploration
Deductive research Correct Answer: -theory, hypothesis, data
-motives = explanation AND evaluation
experimental
3 types of validity in research Correct Answer: 1. Measurement
2. Causal
3. Generalizability
measurement validity Correct Answer: is a measure measuring what we think it
measures
causal validity Correct Answer: A results in B
