1 / 10

CJ 526 Statistical Analysis

CJ 526 Statistical Analysis. Research methods and statistics. Assumptions 1. there is order in nature 2. every event has an explanation 3. we will never know everything. Terminology. Variable: any trait or characteristic which can take on a range of values

evonne
Download Presentation

CJ 526 Statistical Analysis

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. CJ 526 Statistical Analysis Research methods and statistics

  2. Assumptions • 1. there is order in nature • 2. every event has an explanation • 3. we will never know everything

  3. Terminology • Variable: any trait or characteristic which can take on a range of values • Hypothesis: Question or statement about the relationship between two or more variables i.e., is there a relationship between number of police on the streets and the crime rate?

  4. Terms • Independent variable (IV): a variable thought to have an effect • Dependent variable (DV): affected variable

  5. Terms • Units of analysis: units observed and described to create summary descriptions of all units and to explain differences among them • Individuals • Groups (i.e., families, gangs) • Organizations (police departments) • Social artifacts (traffic accidents, court cases, prison riots)

  6. Terms • Theory: an explanation that systematically organizes observations and hypotheses • Basic vs. Applied Research • Basic--why questions; Applied--solve problems • Cross-sectional vs. Longitudinal Research • Experimental vs. Ex Post Facto Research

  7. Types of research methods • Experiments (manipulation and control) • Surveys (written and interviews) • Field or observational research • Record or archival research (content analysis, secondary analysis) • Case study • Evaluation research

  8. Choosing a research problem • Reviewing the literature: abstracts and journals, books, collected readings, computer searches (NCJRS), CD ROMS, and the internet • Conceptualization of variables, hypotheses, questions

  9. Steps in research • Selecting how to measure variables (operationalization) • Selecting subjects for the study: population and sample • Method: making observations and measurements • Data processing and analysis

  10. Steps in research (continued) • Interpreting the results and their applications

More Related