CJA 386 Wk 2 – Dispersion Indices

In addition to finding available data, as a consumer of research you’ll need to be able to read existing data analyses and research findings. In this assignment, you’ll calculate 3 dispersion indices (range, variance, and standard deviation) to build an understanding of their uses, limitations, and applications in criminal justice research.

Use the same raw data set of at least 20 data points from a criminal justice data source that you used in your Week 1 assignment.

Write a 875- to 1,050-word paper in which you do the following:

• Calculate the range, variance, and standard deviation for your data set.
• Interpret the meanings of these 3 dispersion indices in the data. Address the following questions:
• What do the range, variance, and standard deviation tell you?
• What do they not tell you (i.e., what are their limitations)?
• How could these limitations be addressed?
• Describe another situation, applicable to your career path in criminal justice, where dispersion indices would be relevant. Address the following questions:
• How could measures of central tendency and dispersion indices be used to make policy and procedure decisions in this situation?
• What are the limitations of the dispersion indices and how they could be addressed in this situation?
• Include the data set table with a reference link in an appendix.

Cite a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your paper according to APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.