NCJ Number
44102
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (FALL 1977) Pages: 205-216
Date Published
1977
Length
12 pages
Annotation
THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEMORY BIASES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF INCIDENTS AND RESPONDENTS IN VICTIMIZATION SURVEYS WERE STUDIED USING NATIONAL CRIME SURVEY VICTIMIZATION DATA.
Abstract
APPROXIMATELY 22,000 INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH PROBABILITY SAMPLES OF PERSONS 12 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER IN ATLANTA, BALTIMORE, CLEVELAND, DALLAS, DENVER, NEWARK, PORTLAND, AND ST. LOUIS BETWEEN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 1972. COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION OF VICTIMIZATIONS APPEARING IN POLICE OFFENSE REPORTS AND THE MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION OF VICTIMIZATIONS REPORTED TO SURVEY INTERVIEWERS REVEALED EVIDENCE OF SUBSTANTIAL MEMORY EFFECTS IN VICTIMIZATION SURVEY RESULTS, PARTICULARLY THE TENDENCY OF RESPONDENTS TO REPORT TO INTERVIEWERS A RELATIVELY HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF VICTIMIZATIONS OCCURRING IN MONTHS NEAREST TO THE INTERVIEW. HOWEVER, NO SUBSTANTIAL BIASES WERE FOUND IN THE VICTIMIZATION DATA ACCORDING TO (1) THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE EVENT, (2) WHETHER OR NOT THE EVENT WAS REPORTED TO THE POLICE, OR (3) RESPONDENT CHARACTERISTICS. THESE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT, WHILE MEMORY EFFECTS OF THE KIND STUDIED ARE PRESENT IN REPORTS OF VICTIMIZATION EXPERIENCES, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT THESE EFFECTS ARE SUBSTANTIALLY RELATED TO RESPONDENT AND INCIDENT CHARACTERISTICS, AND THEY ARE THEREFORE MUCH LESS PROBLEMATIC FOR THE USE OF VICTIMIZATION SURVEY RESULTS THAN WOULD OTHERWISE BE THE CASE. TABLES AND GRAPHS PRESENT SUPPORTING STATISTICS. NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).