Abstract
In this paper, the validity of vignette analyses of various forms of deviant behavior in the presence of opportunities is analyzed on the basis of ideas derived from cognitive psychology. Abelson’s Script Theory together with insights into human memory of visual and verbal information, allow the assumption that vignette analyses using visual stimuli are valid measures of deviant behavior in particular. The study includes an empirical examination of these ideas (n = 450). Nonparticipant observations and vignette analyses with visual and verbal material were carried out with regard to three forms of deviant behavior occurring in the presence of opportunities presenting themselves in everyday life. Observed and self-reported frequencies of deviant behavior or deviant intentions were counted and cross-tabulated. Log-linear analyses with dummy coding using observation data as reference category were run. Data analyses yielded the result that frequencies of deviant behavior were related to the techniques of data collection under consideration. Especially vignette analyses of the return of ‘lost letters’ that use both visual and verbal stimuli overestimate ‘actual’ (i.e. observed) return rates. This result is discussed with regard to the underlying methodological assumptions as well as its implications.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Abelson R.P. (1976). Script processing in attitude formation and decision making. In: Carroll J.S., Payne J.W.(eds) Cognition and Social Behavior. Hillsdale, NJ, Erlbaum, pp. 33–67
Agresti A. (1990). Categorical Data Analysis. New York, Wiley
Ajzen I., Madden T.J. (1986). Prediction of goal-directed behavior: attitudes, intentions and perceived behavioral control. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 22: 453–474
Bentrup, C. (2004). Problems of behavior measurement. An empirical analysis of the validity of scenario techniques (orig.: Probleme der Erfassung von Verhalten. Eine empirische Analyse zur Validität von Vignettenanalysen). Master Thesis, Faculty for Sociology, University of Bielefeld, Germany.
Bower G.H. (1970). Imagery as a relational organizer in associative learning. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 9: 529–533
Clarke R.V. (eds) (1992). Situational Crime Prevention Successful Case Studies. Harrow and Heston, Albany, NY
Cloward R., Ohlin L. (1959). Illegitimate means, anomie, and deviant behavior. American Sociological Review 24: 164–177
Cloward R. Ohlin L. (1960). Delinquency and Opportunity. Glencoe, IL, Free Press
Cohen L., Felson M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends. A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review 44: 588–608
Cornish D.B., Clarke R.V. (1986). The Reasoning Criminal. Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending. New York, NY, Springer
Crick F.I.M., Asanuma C. (1986). Certain aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the cerebral cortex. In: McClelland J.L., Rumelhart D.E. (eds) Parallel Distributed Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition, Vol. 2. Cambridge, MIT Press/ Bradford Books, pp. 333–371
Eifler, S. (2002). Finders are keepers. Empirical examinations of criminal opportunities using scenario techniques (Bielefelder Arbeiten zur Sozialpsychologie, Nr. 203). Bielefeld: University of Bielefeld.
Farrington D.P., Kidd, R.F. (1977). Is financial dishonesty a rational decision?. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 18: 277–284
Farrington D.P., Knight B.J. (1979). Two non-reactive field experiments on stealing from a “lost” letter. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 18: 277–284
Farrington D.P., Knight, B.J. (1980a). Stealing from a “lost” letter. Effects of victim characteristics. Criminal Justice and Behavior 7: 423–436
Farrington D.P., Knight B.J. (1980b). Four studies of stealing as a risky decision. In: Lipsitt P.D. (eds) New Directions in Psycholegal Research. New York, NY, VNR Company, pp. 26–50
Felson M. (1998). Crime and Everyday Life 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks, Pine Forge Press
Finch J. (1987). The vignette technique in survey research. Sociology 21: 105–114
Fishbein M., Ajzen I. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, Addison-Wesley
Goldstone R.L., Chin C. (1993). Dishonesty in self-report of copies made: moral relativity and the copy machine. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 14: 19–32
Hagenaars J.A. (1990). Categorical Longitudinal Data: Log-Linear Panel, Trend, and Cohort Analysis. Newbury Park, Sage
Jasso G., Opp K.D. (1997). Probing the character of norms: a factorial survey analysis of the norms of political action. American Sociological Review 53: 919–932
Kamat S.S., Kanekar S. (1990). Predictions of and recommendation for honest behavior. Journal of Social Psychology 130: 597–607
Kerlinger F.N., Pedhazur E.J. (1973). Multiple Regression in Behavioral Research. New York, Holt, Rinehart & Winston
Knoke D., Burke P.J. (1980). Log-Linear Modeling. Beverly Hills, CA, Sage
Manstead A.S.R., Parker D. (1995). Evaluating and extending the theory of planned behavior. In: Stroebe W., Hewstone M. (eds) European Review of Social Psychology, Vol. 6. Chichester, Wiley, pp. 69–95
Paivio A. (1971). Imagery and Verbal Processes. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston
Paivio A. (1986). Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach. New York, Oxford University Press
Roland P.E., Friberg L. (1985). Localization of cortical areas activated by thinking. Journal of Neurophysiology 53: 1219–1243
Rossi P.H., Anderson A.B. (1982). The factorial survey approach. An introduction. In: Rossi P.H., Nock S. L. (eds) Measuring Social Judgements. The Factorial Survey Approach. Beverly Hills CA, Sage, pp. 15–67
Schank R., Abelson R.P. (1977). Scripts, Plans, Goals and Understanding. Hillsdale, Lawrence Erlbaum
Shepard R.N. (1967). Recognition memory for word, sentences, and pictures. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 6: 156–163
Simon W.E., Gillen M.J. (1971). Return rates of “lost” letter as a function of whether the letter is stamped and amount money apparently in the letter. Psychological Reports 29: 141–142
Sutton S. (1998). Predicting and explaining intentions and behavior: How well are we doing?. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 28: 1317–1338
Tootell R.B.H., Silverman M.S., Switkes E., DeValois R.L. (1982). Deocyglucose analysis of retintopic organization in primate striate cortex. Science 218: 902–904
Webb E.J., Campbell D.T., Schwartz R.D., Sechrest L., Grove J.B. (1981). Nonreactive Measures in the Social Sciences. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eifler, S. Evaluating the Validity of Self-Reported Deviant Behavior Using Vignette Analyses. Qual Quant 41, 303–318 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-007-9093-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-007-9093-3