Unit 9

Secondary Analysis

• Using data collected by other researchers to address a new research question.

• A secondary analysis is when researchers revisit data that was collected for a different reason and analye it again to answer a new research question.

Example• DAWN Data: Drug overdoses in emergency

rooms• DAWN: What is the most common drug

mentioned in drug overdoses? - opiates• Secondary Analysis– Is there a difference in ethnicity and type of drug

used?– Is there a difference in region?– Is there a difference in gender?

Case Study: Gang Membership and Car Lights

• What was the rumor?• How could you gather data to determine

whether or not this rumor was true?

Data from Agency Records or Archives

• Published crime-related statistics• Non-published agency records

Case Study: Sexual Asphyxia

• What is sexual asphyxia?

Case Study: Sexual Asphyxia

• How could you collected data about sexual asphyxia?

Florida Data

• Findings: White young males.• Weaknesses (validity issues)?

Case Study: Males found dead in their bed in the 1990s

• Mission Oriented Serial Killer?

Amyl Nitrite

Validity Issues

• Understanding how agency data are collected is the best guard against issues of validity.

Example: The Victimization of Fraud

• Fraud• The UCR – Victims of fraud are older persons.• The NCVS – Victims of fraud are younger

persons?

• Which data set is most valid?• The UCR or the NCVS?

Content Analysis

• Content analysis is the study of communication.

• Counting or rating data is often called coding.• Manifest coding = counting• Latent coding = rating

Example

• Has violence increased in Children’s Cartoons?• Bugs Bunny Cartoons (1941 – 1964)• Sponge Bob Square Pants (1999 – 2009)• Sampling• Manifest coding• Latent coding

Example

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsAVmbExqDY&feature=fvst

• Over 6,000 salvia videos?• Manifest Coding?• Latent Coding?• Should Salvia be made illegal?– GHB