NCJ Number
91039
Date Published
1983
Length
361 pages
Annotation
Intended for use in a beginning criminal justice course, this book provides basic information on research methods and statistics to acquaint students with (1) the assumptions behind each method and statistic, (2) the primary computations underlying each solution, (3) when and how to apply a method and statistic, (4) how to interpret the statistical solution, and (5) the utilities and limitations of the method and statistic.
Abstract
Criminal justice illustrations are used to help students understand the applicability of research methods and statistics to their chosen field. Following a discussion of the scientific research process, each aspect of the process is considered in detail: hypothesis testing, research design, measurement, data production, sampling, and statistical analysis. In addressing hypothesis testing, attention is given to the formulation of a hypothesis, including setting the level of error. Consideration of research design focuses on relationships and variables, experimental and nonexperimental designs, and models. Chapters on statistical analysis are devoted to univariate analysis, one-sample and two-sample tests, contingency table analysis, analysis of variance, correlation and regression analysis, and regression analysis for statistical prediction. Chapter summaries, review questions, and references are provided: the appendixes contain various tables used in the analyses.