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1. Review the frequency distributions and graphs in this
chapter. Change one of these data displays so that you are “lying with
statistics.”
2. Consider the relationship between gender and delinquency
that is presented in Exhibit 14.13. What third variable do you think should be
controlled in the analysis to better understand the basis for this
relationship? How might criminal justice policies be affected by finding out
that this relationship was due to differences in teacher expectations rather
than to genetic differences in violence propensity?
SPSS or Excel Exercises

D1 measures delinquency differently than the
interval/ratio-level variable called delinquency. Is the variable D1
appropriate for use in an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis? Why
or why not? If you have been taught them, consider how it will or will not meet
different assumptions of OLS.

1. List the primary components of qualitative data analysis
strategies. Compare and contrast each of these components with those relevant
to quantitative data analysis. What are the similarities and differences? What
differences do these make?
2. Does qualitative data analysis result in trustworthy
results—in findings that achieve the goal of authenticity? Why would anyone
question its use? What would you reply to the doubters?

1. Which qualitative data analysis alternative is most
appropriate for the qualitative data you proposed to collect for your project?
Using the approach, develop a strategy for using the techniques of qualitative
data analysis to analyze your textual data.
2. Write a narrative in class about your first date, car,
college course, or some other topic to which you and your classmates agree.
Then collect all the narratives and analyze them in a committee of the whole.
Follow the general procedures discussed in the example of narrative analysis in
this chapter.

1. Qualitative Research is an online journal about
qualitative research. Inspect the table of contents for a recent issue at its
website (http://qrj.sagepub.com). Read one of the articles and write a brief
article review.
2. Be a qualitative explorer! Go to the QualPage website
(http://www.qualitativeresearch.uga.edu/QualPage) and see what you can find
that enriches your understanding of qualitative research. Be careful to avoid
textual data overload.
Ethics Exercises

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so to speak, but is
that a thousand words too many? Should qualitative researchers (like yourself)
feel free to take pictures of social interaction or other behaviors anytime,
anywhere? What limits should an Institutional Review Board place on
researchers’ freedom to take pictures of others for their studies? What if the
pictures include participants who admitted to wrongdoing in interviews or who
were observed committing a crime and these acts were discussed in the research?
What if the picture was in a public park rather than in a private residence?

Rate four criminological journal articles for overall
quality of the research and for effectiveness of the writing and data displays.
Discuss how each could have been improved.
4. How firm a foundation do social research methods provide
for understanding the social world? Stage an in-class debate, with the pro and
con arguments focusing on the variability of social research findings across
different social contexts and the difficulty of understanding human
subjectivity.

Plagiarism is not a joke. What are the regulations on
plagiarism in class papers at your school? What do you think the ideal policy
would be? Should this policy take into account cultural differences in teaching
practices and learning styles? Do you think this ideal policy is likely to be
implemented? Why or why not? Based on your experiences, do you believe that
most student plagiarism is the result of misunderstanding about proper citation
practices, or is it the result of dishonesty? Do you think that students who
plagiarize while in school are less likely to be honest as social researchers?

Full disclosure of funding sources for research as well as
of other medically related funding has become a major concern for medical
journals. Should researchers publishing in criminology and criminal justice
journals also be required to fully disclose all sources of funding? Should full
disclosure of all previous funds received by criminal justice agencies be
required in each published article? What about disclosure of any previous jobs
or paid consultations with criminal justice agencies? Write a short
justification of the regulations you propose.