Chapter 3
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Research
Methods and
Theory
Development
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Science of Criminology
Present day
criminology is
more scientific
than in
the past
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Science of Criminology
• Amenable
to objective
scrutiny
• Identify relationships
among gathered facts
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Theory Building
Goal of Research
To construct theories or
models that allow for a
better understanding
of criminal
behavior…
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Theory Building
Goal of Research
…and permit development
of strategies to address
the problem of crime.
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Theory Building
Theory
A series of interrelated
propositions which
attempt to describe,
explain,…
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Theory Building
Theory
…predict, and
ultimately to control
some class of events
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Role of Research
• Knowledge is built
on experience and
observation
• Scientific
research requires
data collection
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Role of Research
Research
The use of standardized,
systematic procedures
in the search for knowledge
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Role of Research
Applied Research
Scientific inquiry that is
designed and carried
out with practical
application in mind
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Role of Research
Pure Research
Inquiry which is
undertaken solely for
the sake of advancing
scientific knowledge
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Role of Research
Primary Research
Original and
direct
investigation
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Role of Research
Secondary Research
New evaluations of existing
information which has
already been collected by
other researchers
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Research Designs
• Structure the research
process
• Serve as guides to the
systematic collection
of data
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Research Designs
Validity
• Internal
• External
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Research Designs
Threats to Internal Validity
• History
• Maturation
• Testing
• Instrumentation…
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Research Designs
Threats to Internal Validity
• Statistical regression
• Differential selection
• Experimental mortality
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Research Designs
Threats to External Validity
• Reactive effects
of testing
• Self-selection
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Research Designs
Threats to External Validity
• Reactive effects of
experimental
arrangements
• Multiple-treatment
interference
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Research Designs
• Experimental
• Quasi-Experimental
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Research Designs
Controlled Experiments
Those that attempt
to hold conditions
constant
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Research Designs
Controlled Experiments
Experiments =
Controlled
Observation
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Research Designs
Quasi-Experimental Designs
Give researchers
control over the
“when and to whom”
of measurement
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Techniques of Data
Collection
• Surveys
• Case Studies
• Participant Observation
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Techniques of Data
Collection
• Self-reporting
• Secondary
analysis
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Problems in Data
Collection
• Intersubjectivity
• Replicability
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Problems in Data Collection
Intersubjectivity
For observations to be
valid, independent
observers must
report…
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Problems in Data Collection
Intersubjectivity
...seeing the same thing
under the
same
circumstances
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Problems in Data Collection
Replicability
When the same
conditions exist,
the same results
can be expected
to follow
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Data Analysis
The use of mathematical
techniques intended to
uncover correlations
between variables
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Data Analysis
Statistical Techniques
• Descriptive Statistics
• Inferential Statistics
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Data Analysis
Descriptive Statistics
Those that describe,
summarize, or highlight the
relationships within the data
which have been gathered
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Data Analysis
Inferential Statistics
Attempt to generalize
findings by specifying
how likely they are to
be true…
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Data Analysis
Inferential Statistics
…for other populations
or in other locales
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Data Analysis
Quantitative Methods
Produce measurable
results which can
be analyzed
statistically
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Data Analysis
Qualitative Methods
Produce subjective
results, or results
that are difficult
to quantify
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Values and Ethics
Researchers must:
• Safeguard human
subjects
• Preserve privacy
• Disclose methodology
• Protect confidentiality
of data
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