Deck 2: Research Methodology, Assessment, and Theories: Investigating the Problem of Family Violence

Question 1

Which statement about the diversity of backgrounds and goals is TRUE of people concerned with family violence?

A) They have chosen to accept some forms of research and to exclude others.
B) They have had difficulty accommodating opposing points of view.
C) They have had difficulty accepting the validity of other disciplines' research.
D) Advocates have worked very harmoniously with researchers but not with professionals.

Answer 1

They have had difficulty accommodating opposing points of view.

Question 2

Which of the following is the most accurate description of debates in the field of family violence?

A) Moderate.
B) Low-key.
C) Thoughtful.
D) Fractious.

Answer 2

Fractious.

Question 3

Which is FALSE about sociological approaches to family violence?

A) They developed after medical approaches.
B) Their approaches often rely on survey research.
C) They frequently postulate structural causation.
D) Feminist researchers often come from sociology.

Answer 3

They developed after medical approaches.

Question 4

In the past, criminologists:

A) Were the first to conceptualize family violence as a crime.
B) Often studied psychologists' failures to follow ethical guidelines in treating victims.
C) Focused on stranger violence more than family violence.
D) Usually obtained professional training in a law school.

Question 5

Social work researchers most often use ________ to investigate family violence.

A) Handy clinical samples.
B) Large banks of crime statistics.
C) Large national surveys.
D) Government epidemiological data.

Question 6

In the past and currently, criminologists?

A) Were the first to conceptualize family violence as a crime.
B) Primarily studied psychologists' ethical failures.
C) Have primarily investigated forensic samples.
D) Have usually obtained professional training in the law.

Question 7

Which of the following is FALSE about sociological approaches to family violence?

A) They developed after epidemiological survey research.
B) Their approaches generally rely on survey research.
C) They frequently postulate structural causation for family violence.
D) They would examine topics such as marital power.

Question 8

Which pair of terms is LEAST appropriate in terms of research topics covered by family violence researchers?

A) Sociologists - socioeconomic status
B) Criminologists - effectiveness of protection orders
C) Public health experts - victim injuries
D) Psychologists - effects of incarceration

Question 9

Public and medical health researchers would be most interested in which of the following?

A) The functioning of child protective orders.
B) The role of prosecutors in domestic violence cases.
C) Counseling outcomes compared with incarceration outcomes.
D) Prevalence and incidence statistics of family violence.

Question 10

Psychologists most commonly:

A) Study the impact of cultural forces on the acceptance of family violence.
B) Obtain their research data from clinical samples of victims or perpetrators.
C) Work in settings such as the medical clinics and emergency rooms.
D) Investigate breakdowns in service delivery to victims of family violence.

Question 11

When investigating family violence, neuroscientists are the group most likely to study:

A) Orthopedic injuries related to battering.
B) The brain's reactions to fear stimuli.
C) Whether protection orders protect victims.
D) Hormonal changes correlated with battering.

Question 12

Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a topic studied by family violence researchers within the field of medicine, nursing, and public health?

A) The prevalence and incidence of rates of victims seeking assistance in an emergency room
B) The role that health care providers can play in intervention and prevention of family violence.
C) Variables that enhance the conviction rate of family violence perpetrators.
D) The nature of victims' injuries stemming from family violence.

Question 13

Legal research in family violence most clearly focuses on:

A) The application and outcomes of family violence laws.
B) The political ideology of the legislators constructing the laws.
C) The impact of child victims' advocates on the construction of laws
D) Whether shelter workers and researchers agree upon the need for laws.

Question 14

Which statement is TRUE about populations sampled in family violence research?

A) They frequently include individuals with no telephones.
B) They must exclude confidential documents like hospital records.
C) They may include special group like military recruits.
D) They are usually representative samples.

Question 15

Which factor is most likely to influence a researcher's selection of topics to investigate?

A) The agency's workload.
B) The availability of private funding.
C) The researchers' ideology.
D) An adviser's directives.

Question 16

Americans tend to believe that it is acceptable to?

A) Gently hit or push a stranger.
B) Kick a spouse in the shins or legs.
C) Hit a child when he/she misbehaves.
D) Let a sibling push another sibling off a roof.

Question 17

One task of macrotheories is to:

A) List all the possible causes of violence within families, such as genetic, cultural, and stress.
B) Explain the value of using the largest data bases possible, such as criminal statistics
C) Advocate the superiority of specific explanations compared with broad-based rationales
D) Identify the broad structural factors, such as income, that make families prone to violence.

Question 18

Patriarchy may contribute to family violence through:

A) Social approval of corporal punishment.
B) Attitudes that approve of women's equal rights.
C) Beliefs that men should have more privilege than women.
D) Cultural glorification of violence in the media and sports.

Question 19

Which of the following theories is NOT a macrotheory?

A) Individual difference factors in aggression.
B) Cultural factors such as patriarchy.
C) Structural factors such as poverty.
D) Deterrence factors such as punishment.

Question 20

Which factor is most likely a focus of feminist researchers?

A) Hormonal sex differences related to fear and aggression.
B) What happens when women are more aggressive than men.
C) The historical salience of family as a social institution.
D) How violence against women affects society at large.

Question 21

Which family factor is LEAST likely to stimulate family violence?

A) Power differentials among members.
B) Presence of extended family.
C) Concerns about family privacy.
D) Strong emotional investment.

Question 22

Deterrence theory assumes that:

A) Deviance is common when it does not engender costs.
B) Humans are born "evil" and are molded into conformity.
C) Humans are violent because they have not observed nonviolent control.
D) Deviance occurs as a "tit-for-tat" exchange of behaviors.

Question 23

People who believe that deterrence theory accounts for family violence point out that:

A) Justice is not meted out equitably.
B) Only public violence is condemned.
C) Family abusers are seldom punished severely.
D) Victims have the responsibility to avoid violence.

Question 24

Psychopathological explanations of family violence would be considered:

A) Macro theory approaches
B) Microtheory approaches
C) Multidimensional approaches
D) Outdated according to today's ideologies

Question 25

The aspect of social learning theory that most accurately explains family violence is?

A) Insight.
B) Biofeedback.
C) Active participation.
D) Observation of others

Question 26

Which statement is FALSE about the popularity of social learning theory?

A) Violence appears to transfer from one generation to the next.
B) Human laboratory experiments support the theory.
C) The theory accounts for over 90% of known cases of violence.
D) Boys abused as children are prone to violence as adults.

Question 27

An operant conditioning model suggests that a child molester who procured sex through verbal seduction would:

A) Forego other sexual encounters for some time.
B) Use verbal seduction the next time he wanted sex.
C) Try something like pornographic films next time.
D) Become interested in teaching others how to procure sex.

Question 28

What is TRUE about trauma theory?

A) Children traumatized by abuse suffer from PTSD.
B) A bullied child may avoid going to school.
C) Victim compliance reinforces the perpetrator's aggression.
D) Narcissism is a direct result of either early or late trauma.

Question 29

If a child avoids school because he or she is afraid of being bullied, the child is probably demonstrating:

A) Modeling.
B) Classical conditioning
C) Operant conditioning
D) Avoidance conditioning

Question 30

Which term LEAST belongs?

A) Psychopathological theories.
B) Narcissism.
C) Revictimization.
D) Antisocial personality disorder

Question 31

Which statement is TRUE of traits?

A) They refer to temporary mood states.
B) Their manifestation is seen only in specific situations.
C) They are constructs that do not exist in reality.
D) They are genetic descriptions rather than learned behaviors.

Question 32

Which of the following is TRUE about individual trait theories?

A) They emphasize patriarchal explanations of family violence.
B) They are more popular among criminologists than psychologists.
C) They usually emphasize the situational contributions, such as a run-down neighborhood, to family violence.
D) They assume that personality characteristics such as low self-esteem strongly contribute to family violence.

Question 33

The term typology refers to:

A) A pattern of traits.
B) Links between traits.
C) A group of situations.
D) A statistical summary of numerous studies.

Question 34

Which of the following is TRUE about psychobiological theories?

A) They are the most popular explanations for family violence.
B) They are viewed as "fads" by most criminologists.
C) They emphasize situational conditions that contribute to family violence.
D) They often include speculations about the genetic bases of violence.

Question 35

Which of the following is TRUE about systems theory?

A) It assumes that family violence stems from interactions between persons in a specific relationship.
B) It is the belief that certain personality traits are typical of offenders or victims of family violence.
C) It claims that aggression is related to self-esteem, anger, hostility, and poor problem-solving skills.
D) It claims that a type of learning occurs in violent families that allows for revictimization.

Question 36

An interpersonal interactional theory would assume that family violence:

A) Occurs whether or not the abused child is provocative and blameworthy.
B) Arises from the sheer volume of interactions between a parent and a child.
C) Stems from a stressor displayed one way in parents and another way in children.
D) Arises between specific pairs of family members rather than all family member pairs.

Question 37

Which of the following is TRUE of dyadic stress theories?

A) They explain violence as the result of a reciprocal interaction between two people.
B) They assume violence stems from the link between psychopathology and hostility.
C) They suggest that the perpetrator is far more to blame than the victim.
D) They are more popular with feminists than with those in the legal profession.

Question 38

Attachment theory suggests that:

A) Securely attached female infants rarely marry abusive men.
B) Disturbed patterns of attachment are found among abusive and neglecting families
C) Insecure attachment is the basis of men's desire to sexually assault women.
D) Manifestations of love hinder displays of violence within a single relationship.

Question 39

Which of the following is a major problem in studying family violence?

A) The lack of random assignment.
B) Jealousy and anger of other researchers toward those doing the study.
C) Blatant disregard for research in this area by the public.
D) The interjection of negative comments by IPV prevention experts.

Question 40

Which of the following does NOT represent an official statistic?

A) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
B) National Electronic Injury Surveillance System
C) National Violence Against Women Survey
D) Federal Bureau of Investigation

Question 41

Which statement is TRUE about victimization surveys?

A) They capture information about crimes that do not come to the attention of the police.
B) They show that victims prefer reporting to the police rather than to confidential surveys.
C) The anonymity of the respondents completely eliminates falsification of reports
D) They are good at tracking the chronic nature of family violence crimes.

Question 42

Which of the following is TRUE about data from informants?

A) Data are extremely reliable and very objective.
B) Data are freer of psychological distress than the victim's.
C) Data are surprisingly accurate about sexual crimes.
D) Data may not reflect a broad spectrum of observed behavior.

Question 43

Which of the following is a very infrequent data source for family violence?

A) Informants (e.g., parents).
B) Face-to-face interview.
C) Direct observation.
D) Anonymous school survey.

Question 44

Which of the following is a potential problem of data gleaned from self-report surveys of marital violence?

A) Data on the severity of marital assaults is excluded.
B) Perpetrators are likely to underreport their own violence.
C) Some surveys, such as the National Family Violence Surveys are unrepresentative.
D) Responses to the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS1) overemphasize sexual assaults.

Question 45

Children reporting on parental arguments are probably participating in what type of study?

A) Victimization survey
B) Self-report
C) Direct observation
D) Informant reports

Question 46

In defining family violence, researchers need to differentiate _______ from "normative" abuse or common couple violence.

A) Battering.
B) Sexual abuse.
C) Rough-housing.
D) Intimate partner violence.

Question 47

All of the following are study samples used in researching family violence EXCEPT?

A) A representative sample
B) A clinical sample
C) A forensic sample
D) A systematic sample

Question 48

Which of the following is a disadvantage of relying on normative group scores?

A) Any comparison with the scores of representative persons is lost.
B) Scores from normative groups are prone to exaggerate racial differences.
C) Scores from normative groups represent scores from idealized persons.
D) The comparison does not control for any confounding variables.

Question 49

Which of the following is TRUE about using longitudinal studies?

A) It reduces the cost of an investigation.
B) It enhances recruitment possibilities.
C) It is fairly immune to changes attributable to aging.
D) It is preferable to cross-sectional studies.

Question 50

Which of the following is TRUE about most family violence research?

A) It tries to determine risk markers.
B) It is correlational in nature.
C) It includes well-conceptualized comparison groups.
D) It is forced to use normative data.

Question 51

The term "cultural malpractice" refers to researchers' tendencies to:

A) Interpret research of minority groups unfavorably.
B) Understudy certain groups of individuals.
C) Assume that studying minorities focuses unjustly on the group.
D) Use of minority persons for collection of self-incriminating data..

Question 52

Which statement is TRUE about the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) (Straus, 1979)?

A) It is most fruitfully used when several tests/retests are required over the research period.
B) Its purposes are to identify and quantify specific forms of violent behaviors.
C) The scale focuses exclusively on physical forms of violence.
D) It is intended to measure inter-group conflicts.

Question 53

Which criticism of the original Conflict Tactic Scales (CTS) is LEAST valid?

A) It fails to measure the antecedents of aggression.
B) It fails to take gender differences into account.
C) It assumes violence occurs only within a conflict.
D) It is unreliable according to several researchers.

Question 54

Family violence experts are increasingly calling for more research on:

A) Psychological abuse.
B) Prepubescent boys.
C) Types of sexual abuse.
D) Physical punishment.

Question 55

Family violence incidence rates refer to the ______ of the condition/event within a given time and population.

A) Frequency
B) Severity
C) Duration
D) Ratio

Question 56

The case histories in the book are most likely to provide:

A) Recency data.
B) Frequency data.
C) Prevalence data.
D) Qualitative data.

Question 57

One way that researchers have fallen short in presenting a comprehensive view of family violence is that they fail to:

A) Include some of the most important types of individuals (e.g., homeless) in their samples.
B) Recognize the breadth of the problem throughout all segments of the society.
C) Use multivariate research designs and statistical evaluations.
D) Examine the most probable cause and effect relationships.

Question 58

The "Duty to warn" is a guideline devised to?

A) Help policemen during an arrest.
B) Protect certain endangered people.
C) Protect undocumented workers from harassment.
D) Protect neighborhoods from convicted sex offenders.

Question 59

Which statement about conflicting goals of researchers and practitioners is FALSE? (Box 2.3)

A) Agency directors tend to be arrogant and believe research is unimportant.
B) Researchers focus on issues related to implementing the scientific method.
C) Practitioners center on improving clients' functioning.
D) The resolution about conflicting goals is genuine researcher-practitioner collaboration.

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT a treatment issue?

A) Insufficient training.
B) Lack of caring for clients.
C) Failure to use evidence-based methods.
D) Lack of cultural sensitivity.

Question 61

Discuss one of the two most common debates that occur in the field of family violence.

Question 62

Explain social learning theory and its applicability to family violence.

Question 63

Describe three interpersonal interaction theories.

Question 64

Describe as many data sources that may be used in family violence research that you can...

Question 65

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of obtaining self-report data about family violence.

Question 66

Thoroughly discuss the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) (Straus, 1979) in terms of its purposes, questions, and used.

Question 67

Discuss the types of research in family violence undertaken in one of the following academic areas: sociology, psychology, or criminology, biobehavioral, or neuroscience.

Question 68

Discuss some of the most common methodological problems in conducting family violence research.

Question 69

Discuss the need for diversity awareness and cultural competence in research and practice.

Question 70

Discuss why it is so difficult to study family violence.

Question 71

Discuss the importance of ethics in family violence research and practice.

Question 72

Discuss five questions related to family violence research (e.g., "Who asks the questions?).

Question 73

What do you think is/are some of the root cause(s) of family violence?

Question 74

Propose an investigation of family violence that you would like to conduct. Describe the populations and data sources that you would plan to use.

Question 75

Analyze the case of Juanita and Miguel in terms of its causes.

Question 76

If you were appointed to distribute federal research money, what type of research would you select to fund and why?

Question 77

What can be done to encourage cross-disciplinary research?

Question 78

If you were a research participant, which ethical guidelines would be most important to you?