NCJ Number
69666
Journal
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: (JULY 1980) Pages: 13-28
Date Published
1980
Length
14 pages
Annotation
USING DATA COLLECTED IN TWO SURVEYS OF CRIME VICTIMIZATION, THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE IMPACT OF DIRECTLY AND INDIRECTLY EXPERIENCED EVENTS ON CRIME-RELATED JUDGMENTS AND BEHAVIORS.
Abstract
THE STUDY FOCUSED ON THE INTEGRATION OF FIRST HAND, CRIME-VICTIMIZATION EXPERIENCES AND INDIRECT EXPOSURE TO CRIME THROUGH OTHERS INTO OVERALL CRIME-RELATED JUDGMENTS AND BEHAVIORS. TWO SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED. IN LOS ANGELES, 244 PEOPLE WERE INTERVIEWED. THE SECOND SURVEY INTERVIEWED BY TELEPHONE 539 PEOPLE IN CHICAGO, 540 IN PHILADELPHIA, AND 539 IN SAN FRANCISCO. IN BOTH SURVEYS, RESULTS SHOWED THAT JUDGMENTS OF THE BASE RATE OF CRIME WERE UNRELATED TO PERCEPTIONS OF PERSONAL VULNERABILITY TO CRIME. ALSO, IN BOTH SURVEYS, CRIME-RELATED BEHAVIOR WAS LINKED TO JUDGMENTS OF PERSONAL VULNERABILITY. RESULTS OF BOTH SURVEYS WERE THUS HIGHLY CONSISTENT, WITH BOTH SUGGESTING THAT ESTIMATES OF THE BASE RATE OF CRIME WERE NOT LINKED TO JUDGMENTS OF PERSONAL VULNERABILITY OR TO CRIME-PREVENTION BEHAVIOR. JUDGMENTS OF PERSONAL VULNERABILITY WERE STRONGLY RELATED TO CRIME-PREVENTION BEHAVIOR. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT INDIVIDUALS DO NOT DRAW PERSONAL IMPLICATIONS FROM THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE GENERAL STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT. THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THE VICTIMS OF CRIME FEEL MORE VULNERABLE TO FUTURE VICTIMIZATION, WHEREAS THOSE WHO KNOW ABOUT OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED ESTIMATE THE CRIME RATE TO BE HIGHER. IT WOULD SEEM THAT BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO EXPERIENCE ARE SHAPED BY TWO INFLUENCES: (1) DIRECT INFLUENCE THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE AFFECTIVITY AND MEMORABILITY OF THE EXPERIENCE AND (2) AN INDIRECT INFLUENCE THAT IS PRIMARILY BASED ON INFORMATIVENESS. TABULAR DATA, FOOTNOTES, REFERENCE NOTES, AND APPROXIMATELY 50 REFERENCES ACCOMPANY THE ARTICLE.