SOCIAL AND CRIMINOLOGICAL STATISTICS

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

000209L

Academic Year of enrolment:

2021

Year of supply:

2022/2023

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 1st Cycle Degree in SOCIOLOGY AND CRIMINOLOGY

Disciplinary Sector:

Social Statistics

Language:

Italian

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

DI ZIO Simone

Cycle:

First semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

204

Prerequisites:

No one

Objectives

The course aims to provide students with descriptive and inferential statistics and to introduce them to the correct use of related methods in the social field, with particular reference to criminological phenomena. The students will then know the statistical methods necessary to treat, manipulate, represent, analyze and process data (both qualitative and quantitative), mainly of a criminological nature. They will therefore have to be able to use the data in order to turn it into information, for decisionmaking purposes. The ability to represent and interpret the results obtained plays a fundamental role.

Contents

The course covers descriptive statistics, inferential statistics (limited to hypotheses testing and confidence intervals) and some Futures Studies methodologies.

Extended Syllabus

MODULE 1 – Introductory concepts
- Introduction to the course
- Recalls of mathematics
- The statistical survey and its phases
- Official sources of statistical data
- From data to information.
MODULE 2 – Descriptive Statistics
2.1 The statistical data collection
Tools for the collection of statistical data
The Questionnaire
The Qualitative Interview
2.2 The representation of statistical data
Types of variables and Scales
Statistical distributions
Graphic representations
2.3 Measures of synthesis: the averages
The synthesis of frequency distributions
Synthesis for nominal, ordinal, cardinal and interval variables
The measures of synthesis for nominal scales
The measures of synthesis for ordinal scales
The measures of synthesis for interval scales
2.4 Measures of variability
The statistical distance and its measures
The concept of variability of a distribution
The measures of variability for nominal scales
The measures of variability for ordinal scales
The measures of variability for interval scales
The measures of relative variability
The Box plot
2.5 The Measures of the Relationships between Variables
The representation of two statistical variables
Characteristics of the distribution of two variables
Types of relationships between variables
Percentage frequencies for two variables
Relationships between qualitative variables: the Chi-square
Relationships between quantitative variables: the Regression
Relationships between quantitative variables: the Correlation
The Research Report
MODULE 3. Statistical Inference
3.1 Probability and random variables
Combinatorial calculation
The probability as a measure of the degree of possibility. Definitions and
application.
The probability in the classic approach and the conditional probability
Further probability definitions
The random variable: probability and distribution function
Continuous random variable and density function
Expected value and variance
Some discrete random variables
Some continuous random variables
3.2 Sampling techniques
Introduction
Sampling
Differences between probabilistic and non-probabilistic samples
Probabilistic sampling
Non- probabilistic sampling
Sample distributions and sample mean
3.3 Inference from "Statistical experiment"
Concept and types of inference
The estimators and their properties
Point estimate and maximum likelihood
Interval estimate
Statistical hypothesis testing
3.4 Geographic Profiling
Definitions
Geographic Profiling in the criminological field
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
MODULE 4. The Methods of Participation and for the Convergence of
Opinions
4.1 Participation and convergence of opinions
The various forms of participation
Some methods for the detection of "needs" and "desirderate"
The Methods for the convergence of opinions
Delphi method derivatives
4.2 Participation in public decisione and e-participation
Some methods of participation in public decisions
The methods for participation used in architecture
Other useful methods for participation
Methods for Electronic participation

Recommended Bibliography

- Simone Di Zio, Antonio Pacinelli, STATISTICA SOCIALE, Mondadori Università, 2015
- Teaching materials available on the platform https://elearning.unich.it

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

Lectures in the classroom and exercises

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The exam consists of a written test lasting 1 hour and 30 minutes, with various exercises aimed at verifying the mastery of the statistical methodologies, the processing capacities and the interpretative capacity of the results obtained. The test contains data to be processed, multiple choice questions and discursive answers regarding the interpretation of the results obtained, for a total of about 15/20 exercises. Afterwards (same day), an oral interview will take place, which always starts from the discussion of the written test, to then converge, eventually (if the elements deriving from the test are not sufficient to reach an evaluation) on questions concerning the topics of the program not included in the written test. The joint evaluation of the test and the oral interview will lead to a final single mark in thirtieths.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Aree