Question 1

Which of the following is not accurate concerning the validity and reliability of agency records?

Accepted Answer

The statement that the shorter the time intervals under study, the greater the concern about procedure changes is not accurate. In fact, the concern about procedure changes typically increases with the length of the time interval under study, as there is more opportunity for changes in procedures, definitions, and recording practices over longer periods.

Question 2

In Sherman and colleagues' research dealing with crime hot spots, they chose to use "calls for service" to local law enforcement as a means of measuring where different types of crimes happened with greatest frequency. They noted some problems with the use of calls for service. Which of the following represents those problems?

Accepted Answer

Sherman and colleagues identified several issues with using calls for service as a measure for crime hot spots, including the potential for duplicate calls for the same event, false reports where no crime actually occurred, and misleading findings that could incorrectly identify places like parking lots or hospitals as crime hot spots.

Question 3

Secondary analysis encompasses which of the following sources of criminal justice data?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Secondary analysis encompasses which of the following...

Question 4

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Once the units of analysis are defined, the process of sampling agency records becomes relatively simple as researchers can choose a specific set of records to analyze. However, it is important to ensure that the selected records are representative of the larger population to make valid conclusions based on the data.

Question 5

If you wanted to measure the number of date and acquaintance rapes that happen in this country and use UCR data as your source, what is likely to be your most significant problem?

Accepted Answer

The most significant problem would be validity, as UCR data only reports rapes that have been reported to law enforcement and may not capture all instances of date and acquaintance rape, especially those that go unreported.

Question 6

Coding in content analysis involves the logic of conceptualization and:

Accepted Answer

Coding in content analysis involves breaking down the textual data into smaller units of analysis (like words or themes) and assigning them codes. Operationalization involves defining what those codes mean and how they will be applied consistently throughout the analysis process. This is an essential step in ensuring the reliability and validity of the analysis. The other options (application, validity, and generalization) are important considerations in content analysis, but are not directly related to the logic of conceptualization and coding.

Question 7

In Widom's research on the relationship between early child abuse and later delinquency or adult criminal behavior, which of the following were considered to be either validity or reliability problems?

Accepted Answer

Widom's research faced validity and reliability problems due to the use of public records for sample selection, reliance on law enforcement data that only captured individuals caught for their behavior, and the use of court data that only included abuse cases known to public officials, missing unreported cases.

Question 8

A researcher is interested in using content analysis to determine how the United States Supreme Court has changed its interpretation of the Fourth Amendment's "unreasonable" search and seizure prohibition over time. Which of the following are the units of analysis?

Accepted Answer

The units of analysis in this study are the court decisions in Fourth Amendment cases, as the researcher is examining how the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has evolved over time. This requires analyzing the decisions themselves rather than focusing on individual justices or specific types of opinions.

Question 9

In the text, an example was given concerning the difficulty in trying to measure how much crime happened to victims who were not residents of South Florida. Since police only routinely kept records on where victims stayed locally (such as hotel addresses), researchers could have an additional question added to the incident recording form asking for the victim's permanent address. All of the following would be benefits of that except:

Accepted Answer

Adding a question to an existing form is generally a cost-effective method compared to collecting the data independently. The primary expense would be associated with the initial redesign and reprinting of the forms, but this cost is relatively minor compared to the logistical and financial challenges of independently gathering such specific data. Choices A, C, and D highlight the benefits of integrating an additional question into the form, such as cost efficiency, improved control over data measurement, and enhanced reliability of data collection, respectively.

Question 10

Which of the following would not be an appropriate target of content analysis?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis involves analyzing and interpreting textual or visual content, such as speeches, newscasts, and constitutions. However, the number of domestic violence arrests does not provide textual or visual content, and therefore cannot be analyzed through content analysis.

Question 11

Which of the following is an accurate statement concerning the use of content analysis?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis involves a systematic study of messages and the meaning that those messages convey. It involves analyzing different types of messages such as speeches, books, movies, advertisements, etc. and extracting meaningful insights from them. Statistical methods may be used as a part of content analysis, but it is not limited to them. Content analysis may be applied in various contexts, not just criminal justice issues.

Question 12

The underlying meaning of a communication is its:

Accepted Answer

Latent content refers to the underlying meaning or interpretation of a communication, beyond the explicit or surface level (manifest content).

Question 13

Which of the following is not a concern about the use of agency records?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not a...

Question 14

Which of the following situations would not have an impact upon errors in agency records?

Accepted Answer

Having very little data to input would not inherently impact the errors in agency records. Errors typically arise from the process of recording, managing, and interpreting data, rather than the volume of data itself.

Question 15

It is often said that agency data are not designed for research purposes. Which of the following support that statement?

Accepted Answer

A) Agencies often collect data due to legal requirements, not with the intention of facilitating research, which supports the statement that agency data are not designed for research purposes. Choices B and C do not support this statement; privacy regulations and consistency in variable definitions do not inherently relate to the design purpose of the data collection.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of content analysis in criminal justice research?

Accepted Answer

Content analysis involves studying and analyzing the content of texts, such as news articles or social media posts. Counting the number of stories devoted to crime coverage in a local newspaper is an example of content analysis. The other options involve numerical data collection rather than content analysis.

Question 17

Which of the following would not impact the validity and reliability of a study using agency records?

Accepted Answer

The validity and reliability of a study using agency records are impacted by the discretion and decisions made by law enforcement and judicial officials (A, B, D). However, a researcher's recognition of the nature of criminal justice data (C) does not impact the validity and reliability of the study but rather reflects an understanding of the complexities involved in interpreting such data.

Question 18

Which of the following represents reliability or validity concerns when a researcher uses agency records?

Accepted Answer

Changes in the operational definitions the agencies use to specify key terms can affect the reliability and validity of the data collected.

Question 19

Which of the following is accurate concerning having agencies collect original research data?

Accepted Answer

Each statement accurately reflects considerations in collecting original research data through agencies. A) highlights the challenge of adding significant extra work, B) suggests that more intrusive data collection methods may face resistance, and C) indicates that projects beneficial to the agency are more likely to gain support.

Question 20

Which of the following is not an advantage of using secondary data?

Accepted Answer

Using secondary data may actually increase validity threats, such as issues with data quality or relevance to the research question. The other options (B, C, and D) are all advantages of using secondary data.

Quiz 12: Agency Records Content Analysis and Secondary Data