Research Questions

  1. Human Trafficking:

Research Question:what is the contribution of human trafficking onthe Unlawful Underground Commercial Sex Economy in the United States?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: contribution of human trafficking

Dependent variable: Size of the unlawful underground commercial sex economy

The independent variable in this research question is human trafficking which can measured through the number of reported cases of human trafficking in different states

The independentvariable is thesize of unlawful commercial sex economy, since it is dependent on the prevalence of human trafficking. This can be measured through the available data and interviews with officials, and number of convicted pimps and sex traffickers who are willing to give information.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

Human trafficking: the act of selling, buying or exchanging a person, unlawful removal, unlawful recruitment for exploitation for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor as well as for the commercial marriage market, the selling of organs and for adoption.

Underground commercial sex economy refers to the illegal financial system that revolves around the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of sex.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The variables “unlawful underground commercial sex economy” and “level of human trafficking” can quantitatively be measured and secondary data can be obtained through official government statistics that give the exact data on a particular state. It is a continuous variable and can be measured with the interval scale.  Contribution of human trafficking is also a continuous variable ,measurable with an interval scale.

 

  1. Geographic Policing

Research Question:What are effects of geographic policing on thecrime levels in the community?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: effects of geographic policing

Dependent variable: crime levels

The independent variable in this research question is geographic policing, while Crime levels is the dependent variable as it is subject to the practice of geographic policing.

Operational Definition of Variable

Geographic policing refers to a modern form of policing that involves the assignment of public safety service providers to specific geographic areas. This is meant to build trust and partnership between local communities and police and gives deputies more insight when addressing recurring problems.

Crime levels: this refers to any violent act that goes against legislated laws of the United States. Crime levels refer to the degree of prevalence of reported cases of physical abuse occurring in the community.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The effectiveness of geographic policing can be measured by use of proxies such as the perception of the law enforcement officers and the community towards its effectiveness, and or through the use of official statistics that reflect a change in crime levels since the introduction of geographic policing into the community.  It is a categorical variable which is measurable using an ordinal scale.

Crime levels can be measured using the number of reported cases to law enforcement establishments. It is aa categorical variable and measured using a dichotomous scale, since it has two categories, either crime levels have reduced or not.

 

  1. Geographic Profiling

Research question:  How effective is geographic profiling in identifying the location of an offender

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: effectiveness of Geographic profiling

Dependent variable: identification of the location of an offender

Operational Definition oftheVariable

Geographic profiling refers to an investigative support technique and information management system employed by serial crime investigation that analyses location connected to a series of crimes to determine the most probable area in which an offender lives.

identification of the location of an offenderrefers to the ability of the crime investigator to accurately predict the geographic location of an offender.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

Effectiveness of geographic profiling can be measured both qualitatively and quantitatively. It is a categorical variable, and  Nominal scale of measurement can be used to measure people perception towards the effectiveness of geographic profiling. Identification of  the location of an offender is a categorical variable, which can be measured by a dichotomous scale,  it only has two levels, either the location was correctly identified or not.

 

  1. Criminal Investigative Analysis

Research question:  What is the effectiveness of emerging forensic tools in solving crimes

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: emerging forensic tools

Dependent variable: number of solved crimes

The independent variable in this research questions are the new and emerging forensic techniques that have been developed in criminal investigation to help in the solving of a crime. This can include microscopic technology and forensic tools like chromatography and spectrometry. The dependent variable is the number of crimes which have been solved as a result of the employment of newly developed forensic investigation tools.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

New Forensic Techniques refer to the newly developed tools which are being employed by forensic investigators to aid law enforcement agencies in the solving of criminal acts. Such emerging tools include the use of chromatography and spectrometer to assist in solving a crime.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The new forensic tools can be quantitatively identified and counted. It is a continuous variable, which can  be measured using an interval scale. The number of solved crimes as a result of the use of new forensic techniques can also be obtained through official law enforcement agencies database. It is also a continuous variable, measurable with an interval scale.

 

  1. Suicide by Cop:

Research Question:  what are the contributing factors of suicide by cop and implications to the officers, families and the community?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: contributing factors of suicide by cop

Dependent variables: officers, families and the community

The independent variable in this research questions are the various factors that contribute to the occurrence of suicide by cop. The other variable is the implication of suicide by cop on the officers, families of the victim as well as the officer’s family, and the wider community.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

The factors that contribute to the occurrence of suicide by cop refer to the various influences and circumstances that force an officer to shoot an individual during a confrontation.

The implication of suicide by cop to the officer, the families, and the wider community refers to the consequence and after effect, predominantly emotional and expressive, that suicide by cop usually has on the people involved.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The variables involved in this study are continuous variables. Both can be measured using a nominal scale.

 

  1. Policing in the United States:

Research question:  what are the effects of the legislations on gun ownership on law enforcement?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: legislations on gun ownership

Dependent variable: law enforcement

The independent variable in this research questions are the number of state and federal legislations which have been passed that touch on private firearm ownership, the independent variable is their impact on the effectivenessof the practice of law enforcement.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

State and federal laws refers to the laws that have been legislated into law having passed through the legislation process in congress. The practice of law enforcement refers to all the activities that law enforcement agencies engage in, in their quest to maintain law and order in the community.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The number of States and Federal legislation is a continuous variable measurable using an interval scale. They can be obtained from official congress records such as the congressional records. Law enforcement is a categorical variable that can be measured using a dichotomous scale; either it has negatively or positively been affected by legislations on gun ownership.

 

  1. Cognitive Ability

Research question:The Role of Genetics and Environment in Determining Intelligence

Variables in the Question:

Independent variables: Genetics and Environment

Dependent variable: Intelligence

The independent variables include genetics and environment, while the differences inindividual’s intelligence as measured by their intelligence quotient form the dependent variable.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

Genetics and environment: genetics refers to the inheritance of parental traits by their biological offspring’s. Environment in this research refers to the immediate surrounding of a person, this encompasses the social environment as well as the physical environment within which a person has been born and raised.

Intelligence, this refers a range of cognitive abilities which can be measured using different identified tools of measuring intelligence. The best proxy that can be used to measure it would be the intelligence quotient.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

Genetics and environment are categorical variable which can be measured using an ordinal scale.

The role of genetics can be measured through a comparison of the parent’s genetic composition to that of the offspring. This can be measured against their respective performance in an intelligence test to find if there is any correlation between their genetic composition and intelligence.The role of the environment can be measured through the use of longitudinal research design which will involve comparing intelligence data from persons raised in different family environment and backgrounds, and measuring these against their intelligence quotients to find whether there is any correlation

Intelligence is a cognitive ability which can be measured using different created test instruments that can measure intelligence through intelligence quotient. It is a continuous variable that is measurable using a ration scale.

 

 

  1. Bipolar Disorder

Research question:  what are the effects of bipolar disorder on the routine life of a person?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: Bipolar disorder

Dependent variable: the routine life of a person

The independent variable is the Bipolar disorder condition, while the independent variable is changes in the routine life of the person as a result of suffering from the Bipolar Disorder.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

Bipolar disorder:  thisis a family of mental health problems whose essential feature involves oscillating between manic (or hypomanic) and depressive effective states. It is a mood disorder characterized by swings between the opposite and extreme emotional states of mania and depression. A manic episode involves the experience of inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, minimal sleep, excessive and pressured speech and poor judgment.

Routine life of a person: this refers to the normal way that people do things, that is, a prescribed course of action to be adhered to regularly and forms a set of customary and often mechanically performed procedures or activities. In this case, routine life encompasses every person waking up and follows a pre-established regular way of doing things without any form of follow up or special treatment paid to a particular individual.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

Bipolar disorder is a categorical variable measurable using a dichotomous scale. Its either a person is suffering from the disorder or not.  The changes in the routine life of a person due to the influence of bipolar disorderare also a categorical variable that can be measured using a nominal scale.

 

  1. Depression

Research question:which are the most effective treatments for depression?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: available treatments

Dependent variable: depression

The independent variables are the various treatments options available in treating depression.This can be proxied using the different types of medication and therapies that are used in the treatment of depression. The independent variable is the successful treatment of depression.

Operational Definition oftheVariable

Treatment: this refers to the practice of the diagnosis, medication and prevention of a disease, as well as the promotion of health. It also refers to the complete restoration of health and recovery from depression.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The number of available treatments is a quantitative variable which is measurable using ration scale.

The successful treatment of depression is a categorical variable which is measurable using ordinal scale. It is either the individual is feeling better or the treatment did not treat the condition.

 

  1. Predicting who Reoffends

Research question:What is the Influence of a Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status on Rates of Reoffending among Ex-Prisoners?

Variables in the Question:

Independent variable: socioeconomic status of a neighborhood

Dependent variable: rates of reoffending

The independent variable is the socioeconomic status of a neighborhood within which an ex-prisoner resides; the dependent variable is the rates of reoffending which are subject to an ex-convict committing an offence as a result of the socioeconomic status of the environment within which he lives.

Operational Definition ofthe Variable

Socioeconomic status: this refers to the hierarchical ranking of an individual or family in terms of possession and influence over wealth, power and social status. It incorporates income, education levels and occupation of the family, and in extent an aggregate of these characteristics to the entire neighborhood.

Rates of reoffending refer to the Frequencies with which a previously convicted person commits a crime.

Variable’s Scale of Measurement

The socioeconomic status of a neighborhood is a categorical variable which can be measured using a nominal scale. The socioeconomic status can be categorized into below average, average, above average. The rates of reoffending is a continuous variable which can be measured using a ration scale.

 

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