NCJ Number
65048
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 67 Issue: 2 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1980) Pages: 57-61
Date Published
1980
Length
5 pages
Annotation
SOCIAL SCIENTISTS FAIL TO ADEQUATELY PREDICT AND EVALUATE SOCIAL CHANGE BECAUSE OF TOO GREAT A RELIANCE ON STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, FADDISHNESS, AND CONFUSION OF PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE.
Abstract
SOCIAL SCIENTISTS WEIGH STATISTICS MORE HEAVILY IN STUDYING HUMAN BEHAVIOR THAN SUPERFICIAL SIMILARITIES AMONG GROUPS AND THEORY WOULD SEEM TO PERMIT. OVERUSE OF COEFFICIENTS OF CORRELATION CONSISTENTLY FAIL TO REGISTER CAUSAL OR FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WHERE THEY EXIST, OR FALSELY INDICATE SUCH RELATIONSHIPS. FURTHER, THE SOCIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN PURE AND APPLIED RESEARCH CAN PREVENT FURTHER KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR. FOOTNOTING, ORGINALLY MEANT TO AUGMENT A PAPER OR STUDY, HAS BECOME SO VOLUMINOUS AND TANGENTIAL IN MANY PUBLICATIONS THAT IT IMPEDES COMMUNICATION. MOREOVER, RESEARCH TOPICS ARE OFTEN CHOSEN FOR FADDISH REASONS RATHER THAN FOR THEIR REAL IMPORTANCE. THIS CAN STUNT RESEARCH, AS IT ENCOURAGES RESEARCHERS TO CONSIDER THE STATUS-VALUE OF A RESEARCH AREA THAN THE AREA ITSELF. FINALLY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCHERS SHOULD CONSIDER USING UNOBTRUSTIVE RESEARCH METHODS AND NONEXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS, AS WELL AS 'TRUE' EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES; DEVELOP SOUND APPLIED SCIENCE RESEARCH STRATEGIES AND PROGRAM EVALUATIONS; AND PUBLISH UNSUCCESSFUL AS WELL AS SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH PROJECTS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)