Transcript CHAPTER EIGHT UNOBTRUSIVE MEASURES, SECONDARY ANALYSIS, AND THE USES OF

CHAPTER EIGHT
UNOBTRUSIVE MEASURES,
SECONDARY ANALYSIS,
AND THE USES OF
OFFICIAL STATISTICS
Unobtrusive Measures

Secretive or nonreactive means of gathering data.

Subjects are unaware they are being studied, i.e.,
surveillance.

This strategy tends to not elicit artificial behavior
or “stooge effects.”
Types of
Unobtrusive Measures:

Physical trace analysis

Archival, existing or available data, and
autobiographies

Simple observation

Disguised observation

Simulation
Physical Trace Analysis

Reconstruction of previous human interaction – after
the fact.

Similar to a detective looking for clues or
circumstantial evidence.

Examples: Vandalism rates and graffiti as indicators
of social environmental atmospheres and
subcultures.
Available Data and Archives

Secondary Analysis: reanalysis of data gathered for other
purposes. Includes both primary data resources, i.e., UCR, and
secondary data sources, i.e., a research study that previously
used UCR data. Examples: Sutherland’s White Collar Crime
and Clinard and Yeager’s Illegal Corporate Behavior and
Corporate Crime.

Personal Documents and Biographies: letters, diary method
(individuals maintain a record of activities for a specified period
of time), and memoirs, i.e., The Valachi Papers, or, Monster: The
Autobiography of an I.A. Gang Member.
Available Data and Archives
Cont’d

Measuring hidden populations: i.e., arrest rates re: estimating
juvenile recidivism or, the IRS - estimating unreported income

Historical and archival data: a method used to chronicle past
events, however, caution must be given to the original
methodology and rationale under which the original data was
collected.
Available Data and Archives
Cont’d

Content Analysis: systematic analysis and selective classification
of the contents of mass communication. Its usefulness is
measured by its replicability. Computer software exists to organize
word search capabilities for scanned documents and text files
which supports the analysis of qualitative data.

Meta-analysis: summarizing results across multiple studies.
Emphasis is on quantification, i.e., analysis of hot spots in criminal
justice (map and identify “hot spots” – provides the ability to
measure concentration of criminal events over time). Also, a metaanalysis by Gottfredson and Hirschi’s using the “general theory of
crime” found support for their proposition that low self-control
increases involvement in crime. Meta-analysis is not used often in
criminal justice research.
Sources of Existing Data
Examples Include:

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR).

National Crime Victimization Studies (NCVS).

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) (BJS).

Offender-Based Transaction Statistics (OBTS) (BJS).

National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) (BJS).

International Consortium for Political and Social Research
(ICPSR) (BJS).
Discussion
Discuss how the Blocks in Exhibit 8.2
utilized existing data in order to investigate
gangs in Chicago.
In other words,
Explain the methodology.
Observation

A strategy in which the analyst minimizes interaction with the
subjects to carefully record and examine their behavior. This
may take the form of laboratory observations or more
“naturalistic” field observations.

Ethical considerations, i.e., “Chicago jury study.”

Example: Stewart’s (1979) “Defendant’s Attractiveness as a
Factor Outcome of Criminal Trials.”
Disguised Observation

A strategy in which the researcher covertly enters the research
scene without the knowledge or permission of the subjects or
group, i.e., Candid Camera. Researchers often pose as a
member of the group, i.e., a watch queen (Humphreys, 1970); a
mental patient (Caudill et al., 1952); and thieves and victims
(Stewart and Cannon, 1977).

Use of confederates or accomplices who facilitate the desired
activity to be observed.

This strategy can be enhanced by videotaping, photography
and other mechanical aids for data gathering.
Simulation

A strategy in which attempts are made to imitate more complex
realities by means of games or controlled experiments or
computer models. “A situation or game that attempts to mimic,
or imitate, key features of reality.”

Examples include Zimabardo’s “Simulated Prison Study,” and
Milgram’s “Obedience to Authority” experiments. Also, virtual
reality computer simulations may be used in courtrooms.

Both disguised observations and simulation strategies include
debriefing sessions in which the true purpose of the deception
are explained to the subjects and any anxiety introduced is
hopefully curtailed.
Advantages of
Unobtrusive Measures

Nonreactivity, i.e., more natural

Avoids overreliance on verbal descriptions by respondents

Mechanical aids, i.e., videotapes - recording hardware
increases accuracy

Inconspicuous and grants anonymity

Archival data allows the study of a phenomena over time –
quickly and inexpensively

Behavior can be observed first hand which can be superior to
survey claims
Disadvantages of
Unobtrusive Measures

Ethical issues - privacy invasion

Researchers have no right to confidentiality or privileged
communication

Subjects may be atypical and therefore not generalizable

Time consuming

Observer bias

Official data is collected for agency purposes and therefore
may not have the degree of accuracy or operationalization the
researcher desires.