Chapter 8 - Unobtrusive Measures Flashcards
(26 cards)
what are unobtrusive measures?
nonreactive methods of gathering data; obtaining information in which subjects are not aware of being studied
What book did unobstrusive measures first come from?
“Unobtrusive Measures: Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences” by Webb, Campbell, Schwartz, & Sechert 1966
What are the major types of unobtrusive methods?
-Physical trace analysis
-Archival
-Simple observation
-Disguised observation
-Simulation
What is physical trace analysis?
the study of deposits, accretion of matter, and other indirect substances produced by previous human interaction
(DNA, blood, CSI & Bones, etc.)
what are archival records?
- documents provides a historical overview of criminological issues
-secondary analysis: primary and secondary sources
-personal documents and biographies
-content analysis
-meta-analysis
what is content analysis?
systematic classification and study of the content of mass media (newspapers and magazines)
what is secondary analysis?
entails reanalysis of data that were previously gathered for other purposes (GSS data as example)
what is meta-analysis?
(the analysis of analysis) statistical analysis of data from many different studies dealing with the same question to determine general findings
what is observation?
investigator attempts to examine activity of respondents while keeping their presence to a minimum
what is disguised observation?
investigator hides their presence, assumes a clandestine role
What was discovered with the police raid on Joseph Bonanno’s home?
the FBI had been collecting his trash and confiscating his memoirs
what is the dayton water survey?
water pressure drops considerably during commericals when people use bathrooms
who pioneered the use of personal documents?
thomas and znaniecki in “the polish peasant in Europe and America”
What was the observation of chicago gangs about?
-occurred for 26 years
-observed homicide and gang related crime
-findings highlighted spatial distribution of gang crime and its lingks to territorial disputes
What are examples of GIS analysis?
-automated pin mapping
-hot spot analysis
-grid analysis
-investigative tool
-research
what’s the Chicago jury study controversy?
researchers bugged actual jury deliberations
what did Steffensmeier and Terry find regarding shoplifters?
shoplifters (role playing students)
dressed as hippies were more likely to get reported than those dressed conventionally
what are confederates?
research assistants who pose as subjects in a study
what are simulations?
a situation or game that attempts to mimic or imitate key features of reality
what is debriefing?
after completion of a study, reassurance of subjects and explanation of the purposes of research
what are current obstacles of the implementation of virtual reality?
-Does its probative value (ability to prove a fact in issue) exceed its danger of misleading or prejudicing a jury?
-Will it evoke emotions that will cause a jury to decide a matter on an improper basis?
-Does its prohibitive cost exceed the benefits?
-Is its accuracy still dependent on the information programmed into it (e.g., evidence, witness statements and the like)?
-How authentic is the demonstration?
-How qualified are the experts who authored it?
-How valid and reliable is the software?
what are advantages of unobtrusive measures?
Nonreactivity
- Respondents exhibit more natural behaviors
- Avoid overreliance on attitudinal data
Use of recording hardware can increase accuracy
Collection of physical evidence is inconspicuous and gives anonymity
Use of archival records permits the study of phenomena over time
Observational studies allows the researcher to gain information firsthand
Nonreactive measures may be the best way to study some phenomena
what are disadvantages of unobtrusive measures?
-ethical question of privacy invasion
-respondents may be atypical and unrepresentative
-limiting generalizability
-time and resource limitations
-possible observer biases
-issues of accuracy (surviving records may be biased)
what are GIS?
-geographic information systems
-support crime analysis by mapping crime events, arrests, and complaints
