University of Phoenix Material

Scientific Method Matrix

Research is a primary component of sociology. Valid and relevant sociological research is dependent upon a commitment to applying the scientific method in a systematic and organized way in order to ensure maximum objectivity and consistency in research. Complete the following matrix based on a social problem of your choice. The matrix will serve as a guide for creating a preliminary plan for the basic steps of the scientific method.

Scientific Method Matrix
Social problem

Identify a social problem of your choice.
Problem definition

A problem statement is often written as a research question. Limit the problem statement to one sentence.

Example: Is going to college worth the time and money?

Operational definition

Develop operational definitions for two abstract concepts in the problem statement that you believe are measurable and subject to change under different conditions. Create the operational definitions so another researcher can understand and assess your definition of the abstract concepts. Limit your definitions to one sentence each.

Example: For purposes of this study, schooling is defined as the ¬¬¬¬number of completed grade levels in public education institutions. For purposes of this study, pay off is defined as an increase in income level.

Literature review

Conduct a short literature review of one peer-reviewed article pertaining to the chosen social problem. Include an APA citation of the article.
Speculative hypothesis

Formulate a speculative hypothesis statement about the relationship between the operationally defined variables. Suggest how one variable is expected to influence the other. The hypothesis must clearly identify which variable you believe will predict or cause a change in the other—this is the independent variable—and which variable’s actions or change will be dependent on change in the other—this is the dependent variable.

Independent variable

Identify the independent variable (IV), which is the variable that you hypothesize will cause or influence the other variable.
Dependent variable

Identify the dependent variable (DV), which is the variable that you hypothesize will change due to the influence or presence of the independent variable.

Hypothesis

Write the hypothesis in the form of an if–then statement.

Example: If the grade level of schooling is related to the level of income, then a change in the grade levels of schooling (IV) will affect a change in the level of income (DV).

Major research design

Identify the major research design—including the interview survey, questionnaire survey, observation, experiment, and existing sources—you would use to collect and analyze your research data and information. Explain why you believe this is the best research design for your research problem.
Conclusion

Suggest a preliminary conclusion to the problem based on the author or researcher’s information or results in the one literature review article. Limit the conclusion to one paragraph.

University of Phoenix Material

Ethics Issue Presentation

For this assignment, you will select one of the following criminal justice positions as a basis to discuss ethics in the criminal justice system. You will create a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation that addresses several ethical questions that pertain to the position you selected.

Select and complete one of the following assignments:

Option 1: Law Enforcement Ethics
Option 2: Defense Attorney Ethics
Option 3: Prosecution Ethics
Option 4: Corrections Ethics

Option 1: Law Enforcement Ethics

Law enforcement scandals often stem from the unethical actions of a single officer or a small group of officers, which have far-reaching implications for policing agencies and the public. Research the ethical duties of police officers for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• What are some real-life examples of law enforcement misconduct? Do you feel the examples provided were ethical or unethical? Explain your answer.
• What changes were recommended to avoid a reoccurrence of the misconduct?
• How do these incidents affect the reputation of the affected policing agency directly, and how do they affect law enforcement agencies across the United States?
• What would you recommend to improve the image of policing agencies across the United States?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

Option 2: Defense Attorney Ethics

Unlike most of the other participants in the criminal justice system, defense attorneys may be accused of unethical behavior simply for agreeing to represent an accused individual or for winning a trial. On the other hand, in situations when defense attorneys neglect their duties and a criminal defendant is wrongfully convicted or receives a harsher sentence than typical, the public may ignore these facts. Research the role and duties of the criminal defense attorney for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• Is it ethical for a criminal defense attorney to represent a person believed to be guilty? Explain.
• Is it ethical for a public defender to refuse to represent a person believed to be guilty? Explain.
• What are the obligations of a criminal defense attorney when the defendant wishes to testify and the defense attorney believes that the defendant is guilty of the offense?
• What are examples of instances when criminal defense attorneys neglected their ethical responsibilities and a defendant was wrongfully convicted or received a harsher sentence as result?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.
.
Option 3: Prosecution Ethics

It is the duty of the prosecutor to seek justice, which does not always mean a conviction. Does the adversarial system of justice interfere with this duty? Research the role and duties of a criminal prosecutor for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• Is it ethical for a prosecutor to file criminal charges when the prosecutor does not have sufficient evidence of guilt, but believes the individual is guilty? Explain.
• What considerations might legitimately factor into a decision to charge an individual with a crime? What considerations should be excluded from this exercise of discretion?
• How does plea bargaining in federal court help to cover up abuses in the system?
• Should the prosecutor be required to help the defendant by providing potentially exonerating evidence in its possession or evidence that might assist the defendant in an affirmative defense or sentence reduction? Explain your answer.
• What are some examples of prosecutorial misconduct? Do the ends justify the means in the examples you provided?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.
.
Option 4: Corrections Ethics

Correctional officers are often referred to as “the other inmates,” because the officers are in the facility working and may begin to feel like they are inmates. Research the role, duties, and subculture of correctional officers for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• What are some real-life examples of correctional officer misconduct? Do the ends justify the means in the examples you provided? Explain your rationale.
• To what do you attribute these violations—the personality of the guards, lack of training, or some other factor? How might these violations be deterred or prevented? Explain.
• Correctional facilities operate in relative secrecy and are like a society unto themselves because of an isolated location and the visitor restrictions. Moreover, if inmates complain, they are often not believed or they are ignored. What safeguards might be employed to reduce or eliminate unethical activity within the correctional facility?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

University of Phoenix Material

Ethics Issue Presentation

For this assignment, you will select one of the following criminal justice positions as a basis to discuss ethics in the criminal justice system. You will create a Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation that addresses several ethical questions that pertain to the position you selected.

Select and complete one of the following assignments:

Option 1: Law Enforcement Ethics
Option 2: Defense Attorney Ethics
Option 3: Prosecution Ethics
Option 4: Corrections Ethics

Option 1: Law Enforcement Ethics

Law enforcement scandals often stem from the unethical actions of a single officer or a small group of officers, which have far-reaching implications for policing agencies and the public. Research the ethical duties of police officers for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• What are some real-life examples of law enforcement misconduct? Do you feel the examples provided were ethical or unethical? Explain your answer.
• What changes were recommended to avoid a reoccurrence of the misconduct?
• How do these incidents affect the reputation of the affected policing agency directly, and how do they affect law enforcement agencies across the United States?
• What would you recommend to improve the image of policing agencies across the United States?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

Option 2: Defense Attorney Ethics

Unlike most of the other participants in the criminal justice system, defense attorneys may be accused of unethical behavior simply for agreeing to represent an accused individual or for winning a trial. On the other hand, in situations when defense attorneys neglect their duties and a criminal defendant is wrongfully convicted or receives a harsher sentence than typical, the public may ignore these facts. Research the role and duties of the criminal defense attorney for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• Is it ethical for a criminal defense attorney to represent a person believed to be guilty? Explain.
• Is it ethical for a public defender to refuse to represent a person believed to be guilty? Explain.
• What are the obligations of a criminal defense attorney when the defendant wishes to testify and the defense attorney believes that the defendant is guilty of the offense?
• What are examples of instances when criminal defense attorneys neglected their ethical responsibilities and a defendant was wrongfully convicted or received a harsher sentence as result?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.
.
Option 3: Prosecution Ethics

It is the duty of the prosecutor to seek justice, which does not always mean a conviction. Does the adversarial system of justice interfere with this duty? Research the role and duties of a criminal prosecutor for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• Is it ethical for a prosecutor to file criminal charges when the prosecutor does not have sufficient evidence of guilt, but believes the individual is guilty? Explain.
• What considerations might legitimately factor into a decision to charge an individual with a crime? What considerations should be excluded from this exercise of discretion?
• How does plea bargaining in federal court help to cover up abuses in the system?
• Should the prosecutor be required to help the defendant by providing potentially exonerating evidence in its possession or evidence that might assist the defendant in an affirmative defense or sentence reduction? Explain your answer.
• What are some examples of prosecutorial misconduct? Do the ends justify the means in the examples you provided?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.
.
Option 4: Corrections Ethics

Correctional officers are often referred to as “the other inmates,” because the officers are in the facility working and may begin to feel like they are inmates. Research the role, duties, and subculture of correctional officers for this assignment.

Develop a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation.

• For assistance with this type of assignment, review these resources.

Address the following in your presentation:

• What are some real-life examples of correctional officer misconduct? Do the ends justify the means in the examples you provided? Explain your rationale.
• To what do you attribute these violations—the personality of the guards, lack of training, or some other factor? How might these violations be deterred or prevented? Explain.
• Correctional facilities operate in relative secrecy and are like a society unto themselves because of an isolated location and the visitor restrictions. Moreover, if inmates complain, they are often not believed or they are ignored. What safeguards might be employed to reduce or eliminate unethical activity within the correctional facility?

List major points in the slides. Include detailed explanations in the speaker notes section that correlate to each point.
Include videos, audio, photos, diagrams, or graphs as appropriate.
Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.