Researching Deviance

1
Researching Deviance

• 3 Primary Sources of Information/Data
• Official Data
• Survey Data
• Qualitative Data

2
Official Data Sources

• Reliance on agencies (and their agents) who
  police/advocate specific behaviors
• Sample
• Persons/behaviors that come to attention of
  official agents/agencies
• Whos left out?
• Goal/Strengths
• Uniformity of data
• Generalize-ability to a large population
• Problems
• Missing data Consequences of sample bias?
• Data may simply be artifacts of reporting
  procedures
• Politics of control agents and clients
  inducements/deterrents
• Trends may reflect cultural focus of moral panics
  rather than real change
• How are these reflected in the study of Child
  Abuse Reporting?

3
Self-report Surveys

• Mode of Administration
• Phone, Mail and In-person
• Sample Probability sample
• representative of (sub)population(s) of interest
• Sample size determined by need for precise
  estimates
• http//www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
• Response rate sample bias
• Data generated from a questionnaire
• Asking good questions
• Limit sources of measurement error and other
  response burdens

4
Self-report Surveys

• Goal/Strengths of Surveys
• Generalize to population (external validity)
• Efficiency
• Uniformity
• Problems/Issues to be aware of
• Cooperation Response rate issues of sample
  bias?
• Missing data
• Measurement error
• Candor, especially about deviant behavior
• Asking the wrong questions
• Constraining responses

5
Qualitative Research

• In-depth interviews
• Ethnography
• Goal/Strengths
• Gathering the viewpoint of subjects/internal
  validity
• M. Webers concept of Verstehen
  (understanding) objectivity
• Thick description of context and behavior which
  give life to social meanings

6
Qualitative Research

• Long-term Observation
• Sample referral snowball
• Problems/Issues to be aware of
• Ethical dilemmas Human subjects (IRB)
• Covert vs. Overt research informed consent
• Legal issues
• Navigating scientific and deviant subcultural
  terrains (at odds)
• Rapport and trust is critical
• Going Native
• Hawthorne effect?