The various method of acquiring knowledge without necessarily conducting research include;
Intuition- Using this method, we rely on our emotions, guts, and instincts to guide us.
Rationalism – the method involves the use of reasoning and logic to obtain knowledge. Logical rules are followed, and premises are stated before arriving into a sound conclusion.
Authority- the method involves accommodating new ideas because people in authority stated they are true. The authority may include parents, priests, media, professors, etc.
Empiricism- involves acquiring knowledge using senses. It’s the study of issues we can hear, see, taste, touch, or feel.
Some of the ways political pressure influences research include; Political interests are given too much weight in research agencies. Again, Research agencies prioritize relations with lawmakers and government agencies than efforts to further their research.
Inductive reasoning begins with a particular observation and looks at patterns to develop a theory of an event; for example, if one student, maybe Joseph, studies 5 hours and make an “A,” inductive reasoning, we might theorize that every student who studies 5 hours will make an “A” too. Unlike inductive reasoning, Deductive reasoning starts with a theory and tries to test the theory with specific observations.
The idiosyncratic explanation is concerned with an in-depth study of a single specific case, while a nomothetic explanation describes a class of cases.
The natural human inquiry is based on our personal experiences or individuals that we know. In contrast, systematic scientific inquiry is based on an existing theory that is tested systematically from many observations.
Errors in human inquiry
Overgeneralization – e.g., assume that a few similar events in criminal justice are evidence of a general pattern
Illogical reasoning- e.g., past behavior of someone represent their behaviors today.
Inaccurate observation- e.g.
Quantitative data numerical data utilizes statistical analysis, while qualitative data is non-numeric data that utilizes observations and detailed study to yield a better understanding of a research problem. Examples of quantitative data are the height of criminal, ages of the criminal, etc. examples of qualitative data is the sex of the criminal (either male or female).
Both types of data can be used for research because they validate each other and create basics for concluding the intervention.
The social scientist explains aggregates rather than individuals because individuals may change over time. The focus on aggregate helps distinguish criminal justice research activities from daily sequences of most criminal justice specialists.
An example of authority forms of inquiry
is when our parents taught us how to make beds.