Deck 3: Ethics and Criminal Justice Research

Question 1

The research goal of voluntary participation may be impossible to follow.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The researcher can lessen the potential for harm when doing research by

A) having sensitivity to the issue and experience
B) never telling the subject about the potential of harm
C) paying no attention to the potential for harm
D) using tricks to make the subject unaware of the harm potential

Answer 2

having sensitivity to the issue and experience

Question 3

Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) It is often as important to know that two things are not related as to know that they are related.
B) Researchers are not ethically obligated to admit mistakes they made doing their research.
C) Unexpected findings need not be reported.
D) all of the above

Answer 3

It is often as important to know that two things are not related as to know that they are related.

Question 4

Ethical considerations in criminal justice research are always apparent.

Question 5

According to the textbook, a major tenet of medical research ethics is that experimental participation must be voluntary; this same norm applies to

A) humanities research
B) criminal justice research
C) clinical-setting research
D) ecumenical research

Question 6

In the authors' example of proposed legal education research, a questionnaire would be administered at the time the bar exam was taken. This technique was deemed unethical because

A) the results would be affected by the administration of the bar exam
B) those taking the bar had not consented to take the questionnaire
C) findings are not valid when large groups of subjects take a questionnaire at the same time
D) those taking the bar would want to make their law school look good, thus invalidating the results

Question 7

In a web-based survey, anonymity canbe achieved by

A) not requiring participants to provide their name
B) allowing respondents to remain anonymous
C) not requiring participant login information
D) all of the above

Question 8

Social research may cause psychological harm or embarrassment in people who are asked to reveal information about themselves.

Question 9

Confidentiality and anonymity mean the same thing, so they can be used interchangeably.

Question 10

Deception of human subjects is never appropriate.

Question 11

Which of the following are examples of research where there was potential harm to the researcher?

A) Latane and Darley's experimental study of bystander intervention where researchers staged crimes to gauge the reaction of citizens
B) Bruce Johnson's study of heroin users in New York where participants were gathered by word of mouth among addicts
C) Reuter, MacCoun and Murphy's study using probation records to identify drug dealers
D) all of the above

Question 12

In most cases, federal law does not protect researchers from legal action.

Question 13

The promise of anonymity in a mailed survey would be especially important if the subject of that survey were

A) personal drug use
B) information about use of public transportation
C) educational attainment
D) the number of dependent children in the household

Question 14

Which of the following may present an ethical issue where voluntary participation is concerned?

A) a small payment in cash in exchange for participation
B) using prisoners as subjects after they have been told about the nature of the experiment and what their rewards will be
C) getting an informed consent form signed when doing surveys
D) random assignment of subjects to an experimental and a control group

Question 15

As a principle, possible harm to subjects may be justified when the potential benefits of the study outweigh the possible harm.

Question 16

Scientifically "perfect" research designs can be limited only by money and time constraints.

Question 17

In order to conduct research involving nonhuman subjects, a university must establish an institutional review board (IRB).

Question 18

Which of the following is a technique that works well when interviewing subjects about topics that may be emotionally or psychologically challenging?

A) having the researcher ask questions from behind a curtain so that the subject does not see the interviewer
B) asking the subject to respond to questions on a laptop computer
C) putting the researcher in a disguise so that the subject does not know their identify
D) putting the subject in a disguise so that they cannot be identified

Question 19

Webster's New World Dictionary (4^th ed.) defines ethical as "conforming to the standards of conduct of a given profession or group."

Question 20

Which of the following is not essential in maintaining confidentiality in field or survey interviews?

A) remove names and addresses from data-collection forms
B) keep a master identification file linking numbers to names so that at a future date data can be corrected where necessary
C) put the master file on the computer so that you do not leave paper copies of the file laying around
D) only individuals with a legitimate purpose should have access to the master file

Question 21

Attempts to guard against harm to the participants in the simulated prison were accomplished by all of the following except

A) making certain that all participants were psychologically healthy
B) insisting that those who were assigned the guard role would not use physical force against those assigned to the role of prisoner
C) any participant who showed distress was released from the simulation early
D) allowing participants to select their preferred role (prisoner or guard)

Question 22

What was the primary reason for the establishment of institutional review boards?

A) questionnaires administered that asked subjects to report on deviant sexual behaviors
B) research on juveniles that focuses on their treatment as adults by the criminal justice system
C) medical experimentation
D) personal interviews with prisoners asking them to describe crimes that were not known to the police

Question 23

The Humphreys study involved

A) participant observation involving human deviance
B) participant observation in a laboratory setting
C) observation of prison inmates in a maximum-security setting
D) participation in parole activities

Question 24

Which of the following is not a purpose of institutional review boards?

A) to determine whether adequate safeguards are in place to protect the welfare of human subjects
B) to make sure that grant money is spent appropriately
C) provide outside or third-party judgments
D) to provide expert advice on the resolution of ethical dilemmas

Question 25

Which of the following is necessary in order to establish informed consent of research subjects?

A) telling subjects the purpose of the research
B) telling subjects about the procedures that will be used during the research
C) telling subjects about the possible risks and side effects of the research
D) telling subjects the results of the research

Question 26

Criminal justice researchers have ethical obligations to

A) make shortcomings known to readers
B) report negative findings
C) colleagues in the scientific community
D) all of the above

Question 27

With regard to drug formulation research, which of the following is a consequence of not publishing unsuccessful research findings?

A) accusations of fraudulent practices
B) legal liability
C) research bias
D) studies on ineffective drugs are repeated unnecessarily

Question 28

Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo designed a simulated prison to measure

A) the dispositional hypothesis
B) the degree of violence that prison guards innately have
C) the situational hypothesis
D) how violent inmates can be subdued

Question 29

Critics of Humphreys's "Tearoom Trade" cited all but which of the following as potential ethical issues?

A) the invasion of privacy
B) the value of the study
C) the fact that he traced the participants to their homes
D) the deceit involved

Question 30

When a survey is confidential rather than anonymous

A) the researcher must make this fact clear to respondents
B) the researcher must abort the research project
C) the researcher may release information to third parties
D) the researcher is obligated to disclose participant identities

Question 31

In Humphreys's research on anonymous homosexual acts in public bathrooms, he was

A) arrested because of his participation
B) playing one of the roles, a lookout known as a "watch queen"
C) often engaging in homosexual acts himself
D) considered the standard for good techniques in studying deviant behavior

Question 32

In order for there to be no ethical considerations in doing criminal justice research, the researcher must do all of the following except

A) ensure that participation in the study is voluntary
B) make sure that no physical, emotional, or psychological harm comes to the subjects
C) adhere to either confidentiality or anonymity-whichever is promised to the subjects
D) make each subject fully aware of purpose, reasons, and outcomes of the research

Question 33

Ethical issues surrounding the prison simulation include all of the following except

A) subjects were not fully informed of the procedures they would undergo
B) the researchers were not fully aware of what they could expect from the simulation
C) the project utilized only 21 participants
D) guards were allowed to make up and modify rules as the project progressed

Question 34

The value of institutional review boards includes which of the following?

A) They provide expert advice on how to resolve ethical dilemmas present in some research.
B) Since some researchers are not disinterested parties, IRBs offer outside judgments about ethical considerations.
C) They make sure that researchers are not overlooking the rights and well-being of their subjects.
D) all of the above

Question 35

Federal regulations and IRB guidelines address ethical issues in social research. Which of the following represents the foremost or key ethical issue in social research?

A) principle of do no harm
B) principle of humane treatment
C) principle of voluntary participation
D) principle of special populations

Question 36

Supporters of Humphreys's "Tearoom Trade" cited all of the following reasons for Humphreys's methods except

A) deceit used in the research was essentially harmless
B) the topic of anonymous sex in public places was worthy of study
C) being a voyeur in sexual encounters is something that "caught on," resulting in many replications of his study
D) anonymous sex in public bathrooms could not be studied any other way

Question 37

In order to protect prisoners since they are a special population, researchers should do all of the following except

A) make sure there are no repercussions if prisoners choose not to participate in the research
B) offer the prisoners money to participate
C) have at least one member of the institutional review board be either a prisoner or someone designated to represent the interests of the prisoners
D) do not expose prisoners to risks that would be considered excessive for non-prison subjects

Question 38

Which of the following is not an accurate description of the simulated prison project?

A) subjects accepted their roles very readily with guards becoming aggressive while prisoners became passive
B) debriefing sessions were held at the conclusion of the project to insure that there was no long-term damage to the participants
C) participants were allowed to select their preferred role (guard or prisoner)
D) videotapes and audio tapes were made of the entire simulation

Question 39

Which of the following are not exempt from IRB review under federal guidelines?

A) research involving the analysis of existing data
B) research involving the use of educational tests that are cognitive in nature
C) research conducted in established educational settings that involve normal education practices
D) research that uses living subjects who have participated in at least one prior research study

Question 40

According to federal regulations, which of the following represent special populations for purposes of criminal justice research?

A) police officers
B) juveniles
C) corrections officers
D) parolees

Question 41

Crime surveys where respondents are asked about their experiences as victims of crime have the potential to cause

A) physical trauma to the researcher
B) psychological harm
C) false data as participants always fabricate information to avoid revealing embarrassing details
D) crime rates to increase

Question 42

A researcher is least likely to encounter legal liability in which of the following situations?

A) In an observational study, you see juveniles spray-painting walls at their school, and you say nothing.
B) You watch one of your subjects deal drugs on the corner, and you alert him when a police car turns the corner.
C) One of your subjects tells you he committed a rape, and you do not tell anyone even though you know what he told you is true.
D) You refuse to reveal confidential information under a claim of immunity.

Question 43

Which statement is the most accurate?

A) harm to subjects is never a real concern
B) harm to subjects is never appropriate
C) harm to subjects may occur if the benefits outweigh the harm
D) harm to subjects is appropriate if it is only psychological in nature

Question 44

Which of the following is generally recognized as an ethical procedure for subject/participant selection?

A) assimilation
B) correlation
C) randomization
D) deception

Question 45

Prisoners are considered as special population because they are

A) readily accessible for experimentation and interviews
B) exposed to risks
C) a true representative population sample
D) segregated from the main population sample

Question 46

If a researcher uses only those subjects who volunteer for a study, then which of the following may result?

A) non-volunteers feel left out
B) the results could not be generalized to a larger group of people
C) no one would be interested in the outcome because non-volunteers are not included
D) none of the above

Question 47

Which of the following comes closest to the purpose of an institutional review board?

A) to determine if adequate safeguards for general welfare of subjects arein place
B) to determine if the proposed research is worthy of study
C) to turn violators of ethical principles over to the police
D) to make it difficult for any social science research to be completed

Question 48

When information is gathered by researchers and there are no identifying characteristics allowing the researchers to match up results to individual subjects, this illustrates

A) confidentiality
B) the absence of deception
C) anonymity
D) assurance of voluntary participation

Question 49

Many police departments around the country now have the ability to produce crime maps identifying where crimes happen. Are there any problems with giving the public access to these maps?

A) no, because they are public record if the police produce them
B) no, because the maps only identify locations where crimes happen, not the individuals involved
C) yes, because if the maps are detailed, someone may recognize their neighbors' victimization
D) yes, because the victims did not volunteer to be part of the maps

Question 50

The National Crime Victimization Survey prevents researchers of the public from having information on a victim's

A) age
B) relationship to an offender
C) place of residence
D) gender

Question 51

A promise of anonymity is unlikely to be extended in which of the following techniques?

A) use of department of corrections summary data
B) personal interviews
C) questionnaires that do not request identifying information
D) anonymity is really impossible in all forms of research

Question 52

Which of the following represents voluntary participation?

A) giving small amounts of money to a subject
B) asking people on the street at the noon hour if they would like to participate in research
C) using a class of students at the local college
D) full disclosure of research purpose with informed consent

Question 53

You are conducting research dealing with recreational marijuana use. You plan to ask questions of subjects brought into the laboratory, and in order to pay them, you need their names and addresses. You tell the subjects that you plan not to reveal their answers to your questions. What type of technique are you using?

A) confidentiality
B) anonymity
C) secrecy
D) privacy

Question 54

Which of the following have the potential to present ethical dilemmas/challenges to researchers?

A) mandatory reporting requirements
B) withholding desirable treatments
C) staff misbehavior
D) all of the above

Question 55

Virtually all research that uses human subjects is

A) subject to international review board review
B) considered to be unethical
C) considered unreliable
D) subject to institutional review board review

Question 56

The excitement and commitment to scientific advancement may lead researchers to

A) overlook possible harms to participant wellbeing
B) overlook possible participant harms
C) allow the ends to justify the means
D) all of the above

Question 57

A researcher may face legal liability when

A) they observe crime occurring during the course of their study but decide not to report it to the police
B) they become a participant in the criminal activity they are observing
C) they have knowledge that research subjects have committed illegal acts
D) all of the above

Question 58

Those doing research in the fields of criminal justice and criminology have ethical standards set by

A) the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
B) the American Society of Criminology
C) the Committee for Ethical Science Standards
D) the National Academy of Sciences

Question 59

Immunity as part of federal protection from legal action requires

A) researchers to prominently display all licenses
B) researchers to testify in open court
C) confidential information to be protected
D) confidential information to be revealed

Question 60

Explicitly telling people that their participation is voluntary is

A) a necessary component of informed consent
B) a necessary component of confidentiality
C) a necessary component of anonymity
D) a necessary component to obtain grant funding

Question 61

When reporting your findings, which of the following is not necessary for you to disclose?

A) any failures of your study
B) who your subjects are and what city they live in
C) any negative finds
D) technical shortcomings

Question 62

Federal regulations require special provisions for all of the following categories of subjects, except one. The one not covered is

A) elderly
B) juveniles
C) prisoners and juveniles
D) prisoners

Question 63

In which of the following research settings would you not need to get approval from an institutional review board?

A) research involving interviews of undercover police officers
B) research involving surveys given to students in all sociology classes at your university when students' names are not recorded
C) interviews with faculty in your major about the most pressing issues that they see with respect to their students
D) research involving observations in a county clinic regarding the prescription dosages for adult patients

Question 64

Ethical issues found in the Stanford Prison Experiment included all of the following except

A) signed consent forms were obtained
B) participants in the role of guard were given minimal instructions
C) subjects were not fully informed of the procedures
D) as the study progressed, guards were permitted to modify or create rules

Question 65

Sources of distinction between "right " and "wrong" include

A) religion
B) political ideology
C) pragmatic observations of successes and failures
D) all of the above

Question 66

When a researcher cannot match a given response to a specific research subject this is known as  __________ .

Question 67

Which of the following is most correct with respect to the concept of ethical issues?

A) ethical issues are always obvious
B) ethical issues are not always apparent
C) ethical issues can often be ignored
D) ethical issues are only problems if the subject realizes they have been treated unethically

Question 68

Harm to subjects, researchers, and third parties is especially risky when doing __________ studies.

Question 69

An example of __________ is when a researcher is able to link information with a given person's identity but promises not to do so publicly.

Question 70

The use of agency data, court data, and research that is conducted at an established educational institution represent  __________  from HHS rules governing human subjects.

Question 71

Research involving observations of subjects involved in criminal activities may expose the researcher to  __________ .

Question 72

Haney, Banks, and Zimbardo's prison simulation examined whether the prison environment itself creates brutal, dehumanizing conditions unrelated to the kinds of people who live and work in the institutions. The term used to describe this explanation is  __________ .

Question 73

When using students in your class as research subjects and having them complete a questionnaire, there is a potential for ethical problems in that their participation may not be  __________ .

Question 74

The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted in

A) a maximum security prison
B) a laboratory
C) a death row wing of a federal penitentiary
D) a mental hospital

Question 75

Because of some controversial medical and social science research, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has had to step in and establish regulations designed to protect  __________  subjects.

Question 76

The two main ways of promoting compliance with ethical principles are codes of ethics and  __________ .

Question 77

As a researcher keep in mind that when individuals are selected to participate in any sort of research study it  __________  their regular activities.

Question 78

Which of the following may not constitute voluntary participation?

A) give students who complete the research questionnaire extra credit
B) allow students to fill out a questionnaire on their own time, and when they finish put them, in a box outside the departmental secretary's office
C) ask that students fill out a questionnaire and not include their name or student identification number
D) for in-class questionnaires, have the professor leave the room while they are being filled out and turned in, and allow students to remain anonymous

Question 79

Which of the following is not considered a special population that requires more careful treatment?

A) prisoners
B) juveniles
C) mental patients
D) ethnic minorities

Question 80

Which of the following is not considered a requirement of informed consent?

A) informing subjects of the research purpose
B) alerting the subjects to possible risks
C) telling the subject where the funding for the research came from
D) letting the subjects know about the specific procedures that will be used