Capital Punishment for the Crimes - Research Proposal Example

?Running Head: Research Proposal Research Proposal [Institute’s Capital punishment is the verdict of death on an individual by legal procedure as a penalty for an offence. Crimes that can be the cause of a death penalty are identified as capital crimes. Quantitative research is the methodical experimental study of social occurrence by the use of statistical, numerical, or computational methods. The aim of quantitative research is to expand and utilize statistical approaches, theories, and/or theory relating to the occurrence. The research questions will be answered by applying learning theory of Skinner on capital punishment. This theory is based on the thought that learning is a function of alteration in explicit activities. This study will use a cross tabulation method. The ‘dependent variable’ is the way individuals perceive capital punishment and the nature of their opinions about it. The ‘independent variable’ will be age bracket (24 to 38 years) and gender (male). TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 RESEARCH DESIGN 4 Stage 1 4 Stage 2 6 Stage 3 7 Stage 4 9 CONCLUDING NARRATIVES 9 REFERENCES 11 RESEARCH DESIGN Stage 1 From the start of the capital punishment, quantitative methods have offered the main research methods for studying the distribution as well as causes. Quantitative methods offer various methods to acquire data that are functional to several features of society. The application of quantitative methods, for instance, as ‘survey research’, ‘field research’ and ‘evaluation research’ facilitate researchers to collect consistent and legitimate data, useful in the field of capital punishment. The data can, and is frequently, utilized by criminologists as well as other social scientists in making contributory statements regarding variables being studied. “Quantitative methods of research are the methods such as surveys and experiments that trace deviation within social life with respect to groupings that differ in amount. Data treated as quantitative are either numbers or features that can be structured in terms of magnitude” (Creswell, p. 92, 2008). Capital punishment is the verdict of death on an individual by legal procedure as a penalty for an offence. Crimes that can be the cause of a death penalty are identified as capital crimes. Quantitative research is the methodical experimental study of social occurrence by the use of statistical, numerical, or computational methods. The aim of quantitative research is to expand and utilize statistical approaches, theories, and/or theory relating to the occurrence. The method of measurement is essential for quantitative research for the reason that it offers the basic link between pragmatic study and statistical expression of quantitative links. Empirical links and associations are as well studied by applying some type of common “linear model, non-linear model, or by using factor analysis” (Creswell, p. 102, 2008). A basic standard in quantitative study is that ‘correlation’ does not involve ‘causation’. This belief pursues from the information that there is always a possibility of unauthentic link exists for variables between which ‘covariance’ is found in some amount. Connections may be studied between any permutation of incessant and uncompromising variables by techniques of statistics. In the study of capital punishment, the research methods are likely to be quantitative due to the possibility for preconception in qualitative research. One can come across many data that social scientists utilize to assess capital punishment these days. There are usually four methods to evaluate it with the intention of getting quantitative statistics. These four methods include monitoring, persecution descriptions, surveys of delinquents, and utilizing data that have been acquired previously. Monitoring is the excellent way to measure capital punishment. Another good way to measure data is surveying individuals who have been sufferers of it. This method is usually carried out in the form of a survey. Surveys can have quite a lot of benefits, for instance, getting information that has not been reported to concerned persons; knowing about offenses reported to law enforcement, but not documented formally; and can offer data on victims. This is because it is a survey intended to symbolize countrywide levels of capital punishment, but cannot offer approximates for towns or states (Mandery, p. 394, 2004). The surveys regularly assess how many offenses the criminal has committed. As with all surveys, there are a number of setbacks one might face, for instance, untruthfulness in answers as well as overstatement; however, these surveys facilitate in finding out the data that would not be known otherwise. Since offense is somewhat difficult to assess, it is usually best to unite many of these techniques to get the most applicable data for measurement. One significant issue in the entire research is that techniques will carry on changing, improving the strong point, range, extent, and usefulness of data gathered via research. Researchers, like all other investigators, will make use of developments in other fields of research to facilitate improving their own. Stage 2 How will any type of execution be sanctifying that it is the rightful way of measure to the cause of crime? Why does religion and politics always have to play a part in the value of the translation validity? These questions will be answered by applying learning theory of Skinner on capital punishment. This theory is based on the thought that learning is a function of alteration in explicit activities. Alterations in activities are the outcome of a person’s reaction to happenings within the surroundings. When a specific stimulus-response outline is rewarded, the person is accustomed to act in response. The individual trait of operant conditioning in relation to earlier types of behaviorism is that the individual can release replies rather than merely extracting response because of an exterior stimulus. A re-inforcer is something that supports the preferred reaction. It could be oral admiration, an excellent grade, or a sense of increased achievement or fulfillment. The theory as well includes unconstructive re-inforcers - any stimulus that causes the bigger occurrence of a reaction when it is withdrawn – penalty, which give rise to reduced reactions. A great deal of concentration was given to plans of support in addition to their outcomes on starting and maintaining activities (Skinner, p. 124, 1976). Skinner's method is based on ‘operant conditioning’ (Skinner, p. 124, 1976). The individual, while carrying on with its daily activities, is in the process of operating on the surroundings. During the route of its actions, the individual runs into a particular type of stimulus, known as a strengthening stimulus, or a reinforcer. This particular stimulus has the effect of raising the behavior-taking place just prior to the reinforcer. The behavior is pursued by an outcome, and the type of the outcome transforms the individual's inclination to repeat the behavior at some point. A behavior pursued by a reinforcing stimulus is a cause of a better chance of behavior taking place at some point (Skinner, p. 124, 1976). Skinner specially dealt with the applications of behaviorism as well as operant conditioning to learning practice. He thought that the objective of learning was to guide learners in endurance abilities for self and community. Skinner's studies can be separated into ‘independent variables’ that can be controlled by the researcher, and ‘dependent variables’ that cannot be controlled by the researcher and are considered to be influenced by the independent variables (Skinner, p. 124, 1976). Stage 3 This study will use a cross tabulation method. The ‘dependent variable’ is the way individuals perceive capital punishment and the nature of their opinions about it. The ‘independent variable’ will be age bracket (24 to 38 years) and gender (male). Cross tabulation is the method of forming a ‘possibility table’ from the ‘multivariate frequency distribution’ of statistical variables. Profoundly applied in survey research, cross tabulations can be created by a number of numerical packages. “Survey weight often requires being included. Unweighted tables can come under easy production by some spreadsheets and other business intelligence tools, where one commonly knows them as pivot tables” (Muijs, p. 82, 2010). Most pertinent data will be used here to create a fine statistical value to the use of capital punishment. Data will be collected by interviewing a few offenders to answer the questions. During the process of interview, Likert Scaling will be applied to assess the percentages of those who are in favor of and those who are against capital punishment. Likert Scale is a “psychometric scale, usually utilized in questionnaires, and is the most commonly applied scale within survey research. When acting in response to a Likert survey item, respondents indicate their ‘level of agreement or disagreement’ on a ‘symmetric agree-disagree scale’ for a number of queries” (Paltridge & Phakiti, pp. 27, 2010). Therefore, the scale indicates the strength of their thoughts. Likert scales may be experience misrepresentation from quite a lot of reasons. Respondents may stay away from making use of extreme reply categories (known as central tendency unfairness), be consistent with queries as presented (known as agreement unfairness), or make an effort to represent themselves or their group in a more encouraging light (known as social popularity unfairness). Forming a scale with unbiased keying - means an equal number of affirmative and negative statements - can prevent the setback of agreement unfairness, in view of the fact that agreement on positively mentioned items will balance agreement on negatively mentioned items, but central inclination as well as social popularity is more difficult to some extent. Replies to quite a lot of Likert queries may be summed, giving that each query utilize the similar Likert scale and that the scale is an unassailable estimate to an interval scale, “in which case they may be treated as interval data measuring a latent variable” (Spector, p. 63, 1991). If the summed replies complete these suppositions, parametric statistical checks, for instance, the investigation of inconsistency can be used. Stage 4 In this study, data is analyzed by using quasi type of experiment. “The design of a quasi-experiment links to a specific form of research or other study within which one has little or no power on the distribution of the behaviors or other aspects being researched” (Achen, p. 23, 1987). The main variation within this pragmatic approach is the need of unsystematic assignment. Another exceptional component usually incorporated within this testing technique is utilization of ‘time series analyses’ - both episodic as well as non-episodic. Experiments planned in this way are said to have quasi-experimental design (Achen, p. 23, 1987). In view of the fact that quasi-experimental designs are utilized when randomization is not possible and/or unrealistic, they are classically more convenient to set up as compared to true investigational designs, which involve unsystematic assignment of issues. In addition, utilizing quasi-experimental designs lessens risks to outer validity, as natural surroundings do not undergo the similar setbacks of artificiality in comparison with well-controlled laboratory surroundings. In view of the fact that quasi experiments are natural trials, result in one may be useful for other issues and settings, permitting a few overviews to be prepared on the subject of population. In addition, this testing technique is resourceful in longitudinal study that involves longer periods, which can be followed up within various settings (Shadish et al, p. 65, 2001). CONCLUDING NARRATIVES For the most part, previous study on this subject is a theoretical and is unsuccessful to extend the various aspects of religion. Nonetheless, more up to date studies have used theoretical outlines to examine the race, religion, capital punishment attitudes connection, and they have expanded the conceptualization of religion further than the usual basic divisions. This more up to date body of study has discovered quite a lot of trends. This research planned to offer a more broad account of public stances toward capital punishment, primarily by finding out the level to which loyalty group, religiosity, and cast had an effect on public feelings. Without a doubt, there is something regarding ‘fundamentalist Protestant’ religious convictions that either attracts public with some specific qualities or alters the activities and way of life of their associates even without a high level of dedication and participation from them (Mandery, p. 34, 2004). Theological importance is a special and perhaps more specific element of religious conviction, because it is an actual evidence of people’s opinions of God, but faith group is a structural level measure of religious conviction that may or may not be insightful of people’s individual way of life, as it enforces a theological position on members. REFERENCES Achen, C. H. (1987). The Statistical Analysis of Quasi-Experiments. University of California Press. Creswell, J. W. (2008). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications. Mandery, E. J. (2004). Capital Punishment: A Balanced Examination. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Paltridge, B., Phakiti, A. (2010). Continuum Companion to Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Continuum International Publishing Group. Muijs, D. (2010). Doing Quantitative Research in Education. Sage Publications Ltd. Shadish, W. R. Cook, T. D., and Campbell, T. D. (2001). Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Generalized Causal Inference. Wadsworth Publishing. Skinner, B. F. (1976). About Behaviorism. Vintage. Spector, P. E. (1991). Summated Rating Scale Construction: An Introduction. Sage Publications. Read More