Research Paper

Use the Kaplan Library to obtain academic journal articles (studies) My studies Library Kaplan Online Library Electronic Articles Academic Search Premier Click on box: Scholarly (peer reviewed) journal

Summarizing and Article (Study) What is the research question? How was the study set up? What were the findings? It should take a minimum of one page to summarize an article or study.

Let’s look at some examples

M-Rated Video Games and Aggressive Behavior Does playing M-rated video games increase aggression in children? Survey data were collected from 1,254 7 th and 8 th graders in tow states. Independent Variable? Dependent variables = attitude towards aggression and bullying Findings: Time spent playing M-rated video games was positively related to attitude toward aggression and bullying Weaknesses?

The Effects of Community Policing on Complaints Against Citizens Research Question? Experiment: examined different neighborhoods Control group = neighborhoods with no community policing Experimental group = neighborhoods with community policing Dependent variable? Independent variable? Findings: The results show that officers working in areas where community policing had been implemented had fewer complaints than officers working in other areas. Weaknesses?

Review: Variables Dependent variable Independent variable What are the dependent and independent variables is the following studies?

Use of Tasers Dependent variable = police shootings Dependent variable = custody deaths Independent variable = use of tasers Time is a major in issue in this study.

Do have school programs reduce juvenile crime? Dependent variable = victimization Independent variable = after school program Control group and experimental group Survey

Is DARE effective? Dependent variable? Independent variable? Control and experimental groups Survey research: 8 th and 10 th grade

Child Abuse Research Question: What are the consequences of child abuse. Survey Dependent variable – choose one consequence Independent variable = measure of child abuse

Domestic Violence and Mandatory Arrest Research Question: Do mandatory arrest laws reduce future violence? Dependent variable Independent variable Experiment Control group? Experimental group?

Cyber-Bullying Can be a descriptive study = Survey Research Question: Does the use of face-book increase one’s likelihood of being a victim of cyber-bullying? Dependent variable = cyber bullying Independent variable = number of hours on face-book per week.

Community Policing Research Questions Does race matter? Does region or location matter? Officer attitude toward community policing? Fear of crime and community policing.

Unit 3 Chapter 4: Conceptualization, Operationalization and Measurement

1. Conceptualization Clarifying or defining a concept Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Symptoms of OCD Checking Need for cleanliness Counting Need for symmetry Rituals centered around superstition Dislike of certain numbers. Hoarding

2. Operationalization Describing how a concept will be measured. Creating a measure for a concept.

How OCD are you? 1. I often worry about dirt and/or contamination. 2. I like things in order or place “just right.” 3. I often find myself counting things, such as stairs. 4. I often check and recheck things, such as my alarm clock 5. I often find my self disliking certain numbers, for example the volume on my TV always has to be on an even or odd number.

6. I am fairly superstitious person, for example I try to step on crack in the side walk. 7. I have a certain way I like to eat my food. 8. I tend to make a lot of lists. 9. I find myself keeping, collecting, hoarding certain items. 10. I carry out a lot of tasks slowly and carefully, with a great attention to detail.

Now that we have a measure of OCD we can design a research study. Purpose of Study: This study will examine the relationship between OCD and marijuana use Hypothesis: There is a negative correlation between OCD and binge Independent Variable: OCD Dependent Variable: marijuana use Measure of Marijuana Use: How many times in the last 6 months have you use marijuana?

Religiousness Commitment to one’s religion (Christianity) How would you measure or operationalize the concept: religiousness?

Composite Measures: combining several survey questions often results in a better (more valid) measure

Combining several questions to measure a variable is called an index (scale)

1. How often do you go to church? 2. How often do you pray? 3. How often do you read the Bible? 4. How often do you give money to a church? 5. How often do you attend other church affairs, such as Bible Study or meetings Answer Categories: 1 = never, 2 = less than once a month, 3 = monthly, 4 = at least once a week

Measuring variables on an index usually makes measures much more valid. Example: Prejudice or Racism

How would it make you feel if a close relative of yours was planning to marry a minority. Would you be uneasy, somewhat uneasy, or not uneasy at all? – Uneasy – Somewhat Uneasy – Not uneasy at all How would it make you feel of your supervisor at work was a minority? How would it make you feel if a minority moved into a house next to yours?

Reliability Reliability is a matter of whether a particular measurement technique, applied repeatedly to the same thing, will yield the same result each time. Reliability is often concerned with the issue of timing.

Example: A survey concerning drug and alcohol use is distributed to students during the first week of class. Example: A survey concerning drug and alcohol use is distributed to students in every 9:00 AM class at USC.

Researcher Reliability Different research can obtain different results Purpose of Research: To determine common MO’s among incarcerated child molesters. A team of two researchers. Dr. Suzanne Smith Dr. John Petersen

Validity Are your measuring a variable or concept correctly? Is your measure a “good” measure?

Example: Harvard’s Measure of Binge Drinking In the last two weeks, how many time have you drank 5 alcoholic drinks or beers or more in one sitting.

Better measure of binge drinking? How many times in the last two weeks have you had five or more alcoholic drinks (including beer) in less than an hour?

Let’s practice

Problem with reliability or validity? A researcher measures athletic ability by having subjects of the study see how much they can bench press.

Problem with reliability or validity? A researcher want to determine on much Americans charge on their credit cards (on average). He distributes a survey to 5,000 U.S. citizens on December 20 th.

Problem with reliability or validity? ADHD is measured by the following question. Are you currently on a medication for ADHD, such as Ritalin?

Problem with reliability or validity? Two professors, Smith and Jones, had out a survey to their class to assess their teaching ability. Before the survey his handed out to his class, Dr. Jones gives his students freshly baked cookies.

Measurement Issues: Exhaustiveness and Mutually Exclusiveness

Survey Questions should be exhaustive What was the last illicit drug that you used Marijuana Cocaine Heroin

Answer categories should also be mutually exclusive. What type of alcoholic beverage did you consume the last time you went to out to dinner? Distilled alcohol (a mixed drink) Beer wine

Levels of Measurement Nominal Ordinal Interval ratio

The Time Dimension There are two types of studies in regard to time. 1. Cross-sectional 2. Longitudinal

Types of Longitudinal Research Trend Studies Example - MTFS Cohort Studies Example: College class Panel Studies studies with small samples Example: medical study with 100 subjects