Situational Cues and Crime Reporting: Do Signs Make a Difference? Article

Bickman, L, Green, SK. (1977). Situational Cues and Crime Reporting: Do Signs Make a Difference? . JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, 7(1), 1-18. 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1977.tb02413.x

cited authors

  • Bickman, L; Green, SK

authors

abstract

  • Two field studies were conducted to assess the effect of signs describing how to report a shoplifting on bystander intervention to a staged theft. In the first study, signs providing directions and one of three rationales for reporting had a small effect on attitudes toward reporting and no effect on intervention. In the second study, a definition of the situation as a shoplifting by a confederate had a strong influence on subjects reporting, but presence or absence of signs describing how to report had no impact. Differences between interpersonal and nonpersonal influences are described, and implications for informational campaigns to increase crime reporting are discussed. Copyright © 1977, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved

publication date

  • January 1, 1977

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 18

volume

  • 7

issue

  • 1