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Should any requirements be imposed on researchers who seek
to study other cultures to ensure that procedures are appropriate and
interpretations are culturally sensitive? What practices would you suggest for
cross-cultural researchers to ensure that ethical guidelines are followed?
(Consider the wording of consent forms and the procedures for gaining voluntary
cooperation.)
SPSS or Excel  Exercises

Thinking inductively, write several research questions and
hypotheses about how you think these variables will be related to one another:
1. Friends’ attitudes about drinking and stealing (V79 and
V77)
2. Respondent views on the consequences of delinquency

1.  If the individual has engaged in delinquency, consider
drawing a diagram to help visualize the relationships you expect to find among
variables, paying close attention to the causal ordering you might expect.
Recall that it is conceptually very possible for causes and effects to
reinforce one another over time, as in the case of a vicious circle.
2.Is this set of research questions and hypotheses better
answered by quantitative or qualitative methods? Why?

What historical events have had a major influence on social
patterns in the nation? The possible answers are too numerous to list, ranging
from any of its wars to major internal political conflicts, economic booms and
busts, scientific discoveries, and legal changes. Pick one such event in your
own nation for this exercise. Find one historical book on this event, and list
the sources of evidence it used. What additional evidence would you suggest for
a social science investigation of the event?

1. Do you think researchers using cross-national data should
be sensitive to the cultural ideals of the societies they are studying? Should advisory
groups of local residents or researchers be constructed to advise
cross-national research? What other protections should be taken?
2. Should any requirements be imposed on researchers who
seek to study other cultures in order to ensure that procedures are appropriate
and interpretations are culturally sensitive? What practices would you suggest
for cross-cultural researchers in order to ensure that ethical guidelines are
followed? (Consider the wording of consent forms and the procedures for gaining
voluntary cooperation.)

Dr. Smartypants says, “Let’s see how state characteristics
end up predicting the robbery rate. Consider the following question: Is there a
link between the unhealthy behaviors people engage in and the crime rate? I’m
just fishing for results here, but let’s see what we find!” He tells you to
look into the relationship between the variables tobaccodeathrt and burglaryRt
to see if there is a relationship. He wants a graph of the relationship, a
regression model, and an estimate of the strength of the relationship.
1. Before running a regression model, we should look at the
relationship of the two variables using a scatter plot. This is done by
selecting graphs->legacy dialogues->scatter/dot->simple scatter. Then,
put your dependent variable on the Y axis and the independent variable on the X
axis. Hang on to this graph.
2. Next, we’ll estimate the strength of the relationship
using a Pearson’s correlation coefficient, or Pearson’s r. This is a value
ranging from -1 to 0 to 1, with negative values indicating a negative (inverse)
association and positive values indicating a positive association. Values of
+/−.1 to .3 are considered a weak correlation, +/−.4 to .6 are
moderate, and +/−.7 or higher are considered strong. To estimate
Pearson’s r, select analyze->correlate->bivariate. Hang on to your
correlation coefficient.
3. Now, estimate a regression model by selecting
analyze->regression->linear and putting the independent and dependent
variables in the correct spots. The regression coefficient you want is in the
row named after your independent variable in the “unstandardized coefficients:
B” column. This value reflects the expected change in the robbery rate in light
of a one-unit increase in the tobacco death rate per 100,000 individuals.
4. Now, put together a few sentences summarizing your
results for Dr. Smartypants. Don’t worry about the why part—focus on
incorporating 1a, 1b, and 1c. How comfortable are you with these accuracy
results—can you detect any caveats or concerns that must be considered?

Dr. Smartypants asks you one more favor before you publish
your paper together. He wants you to see if the dependent variable, burglaryRt,
has any problems that might weaken the certainty of your conclusions.
1. What level of measurement is this variable?
2. Use SPSS’s graphing functions to construct a histogram.
How would you describe this distribution —positively skewed, negatively skewed,
or normally distributed? Optional: If you are familiar with the assumptions of
regression models, how do you think this might impact your results?
3. Is there any evidence of extreme outliers?
4. Think carefully about the data you are looking at. It
comes from official police records. Can you think of anything that might
threaten its accuracy? Test your understanding of the chapter content. Take the
practice quiz.

1. As it was described in this chapter, SNA was used in
assessing the investigation of the Green River killer. Can you think of other
situations in which this type of analysis could help researchers or
practitioners learn about or address a problem in society? Write these thoughts
down in a one-page report.
2. Write down at least five different research questions
that crime mapping can answer. Then, find an article that used crime mapping.
Describe how GIS offered new and different information when compared to the
other criminological research articles reviewed from previous chapter
exercises.