RESEARCH METHODS & ANALYSIS

CCJ 4700 RVC 1208 RESEARCH METHODS & ANALYSIS FALL 2020
ASSIGNMENT 1
In Modules 2 and 3, you have learned about how to turn concepts into variables; how to define,
measure, and label variables; and how to build a research design for a study. The purpose of this
assignment is to show me that you understand these activities and can take the first steps toward
designing your own study. There are two parts to this assignment (see next pages), and you are
responsible for completing both parts.
Your answers to each part of the assignment can be written in paragraph form or kept separate in
numbered lists, but please use complete sentences either way. Your answers should be spellchecked and grammar-checked. Be clear and concise: you should not need more than 2 doublespaced pages for this assignment. Please use 12-point Times New Roman font, with standard 1-
inch margins.
Submit your answers as a Word file through the Canvas site (as a submission under Assignment
#1). All submissions will be run through Turnitin to check for plagiarism.
The deadline to submit this assignment is September 13 at 11:59 pm. Late assignments will not
be accepted.
Grading: Your score for this assignment will be based on:
Part 1 Content (completeness and accuracy/logical sense) 20 points
Part 2 Content (completeness and accuracy/logical sense) 20 points
Organization/Clarity 5 points
Spelling/Grammar 5 points
Total 50 points
Part 1
First, imagine that it is your job to design a study that focuses on the concept of violence. Part 1
of this assignment walks you through the first steps you would take to design your study on
violence. Please do the following:
1. Identify a concept that you believe might be related to violence.
2. Explain exactly what you believe is the relationship between violence and your concept.
3. Describe how you will operationalize violence, including the name of the variable and
what the values will be
4. Describe how you will operationalize your concept, including the name of the variable
and what the values will be
5. Explain which variable (yours or violence) is the independent variable.
6. Explain which variable (yours or violence) is the dependent variable.
7. Identify a third variable that you will use as a control variable in your study, and explain
why you believe this variable makes sense to use as a control.
8. Describe how you will measure the control variable, including what values the variable
will have.
Be as creative as you like in choosing your concept and your control variable, but I want you to
demonstrate to me that you have been thoughtful when deciding what the relationships among
the concepts/variables are and what the best way to measure each one is.
Part 2
In Part 2 of the assignment, I would like for you to apply the research design terminology that
you have learned to an existing study. Read through the below description of a study about
punitiveness, which tries to test for a causal relationship. Once you have read about the study,
answer the questions provided after the study description.
THE STUDY: A researcher wants to know whether educating judges about drug addiction can
lower their punitiveness in cases involving drug possession. To assess whether this type of
education lowers punitiveness, the researcher first recruits 100 judges to participate in the study.
Each judge rolls dice to determine whether he/she will attend a 4-hour training course that
educates people about the causes and consequences of drug addiction. If the judge rolls an odd
number, the judge attends the course. If the judge rolls an even number, the judge does not
attend the course. 58 judges roll an odd number, so 58 judges are assigned to the course and the
other 42 judges are not.
At the start of the study, the researcher calculates the average sentence length given in drug
possession cases by each judge in June 2020. For the group of judges who are assigned to the
course, the average sentence length in drug possession cases is 1.8 years. For the group of
judges who are not assigned to the course, the average sentence length is 1.9 years. Judges
assigned to the training course then complete the course in July 2020.
At the end of the study, the researcher again calculates the average sentence length given in
drug possession cases by each judge in August 2020. The researcher finds that the average
sentence length assigned by judges who completed the course is 1.6 years, and the average
sentence length assigned by judges who did not complete the course is 1.7 years.
Answer the following:
1. What are the two main concepts being studied?
2. What is the treatment (including duration)?
3. Who represents the treatment group?
4. Who represents the control group?
5. Is this study an experimental or a quasi-experimental design? Explain.
6. What is the dependent variable being studied?
7. What represents the baseline?
8. Do the findings in this study convince you that the treatment has a causal effect on the
dependent variable? Use the three elements of causal evidence to support your answer.