NCJ Number
146013
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1993) Pages: 412-425
Date Published
1993
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The author discusses philosophical, theoretical, and empirical problems in criminological research.
Abstract
Criminology will become more sophisticated. Criminologists will become increasingly aware of three methodological issues: Overgeneralization, narrow conception, and hazardous collinearity. Overgeneralization refers to an overestimation of the applicability of findings, based on misguided faith in the representativeness of the sample. Narrow conception has to do with notions of causality. Much research has been focused on environmental and biological or psychological conditions; future researchers should focus on learning how these conditions influence motives. Hazardous collinearity is also known as self-fulfilling prophesy, experimenter effects, and effects of labeling. It is not just a measurement problem, but an observational bias problem. 1 table and 44 references