SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL INQUIRY INTO THE EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION BY ROBBERY ON COGNITIVE DIMENSIONALITY

• NCJ Number: 36137
• Author(s): D L BLAZICEK
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 253 pages
• Grant Number(s): 75-NI-99-0044
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DISSERTATION - MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Annotation

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ONE VARIABLE OF COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY (COGNITIVE DIMENSIONALITY) AND THE PARTICIPANTS (OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS) IN ROBBERIES.

Abstract

A TOTAL OF 26 VICTIMS AND 26 OFFENDERS, TAKEN FROM DETROIT COURT RECORDS AND A MICHIGAN STATE PRISON RESPECTIVELY, WERE USED FOR THIS STUDY. THE RELATIONSHIP WAS STUDIED BY COMPARING VICTIM AND OFFENDER RESPONSES WHICH REPRESENTED THE VICTIMIZATION EXPERIENCE IN COGNITIVE SPACE, AS WELL AS MAKING WITHIN GROUP COMPARISONS. ALSO INVESTIGATED WAS THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DEGREE OF COGNITIVE DIMENSIONALITY TO SELECT SOCIOLOGICAL BACKGROUND VARIABLES. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS STRONGLY SUPPORTED THE PREDICTION THAT VICTIMS WOULD BE LESS DIMENSIONAL THEN ROBBERY OFFENDERS IN REPRESENTING THE VICTIMIZATION EXPERIENCE IN COGNITIVE SPACE. LAPSED TIME SINCE THE VICTIMIZATION OCCURRENCE AND THE MEASURE OF COGNITIVE DIMENSIONALITY SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS FOR EITHER VICTIMS OR OFFENDERS, AND FURTHERMORE, NO REGRESSION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)