Ambiguity and legal compliance

Research Summary: This study examines the independent and joint effect of ambiguity and perceived certainty of apprehension on law-breaking decision-making. Data come from a survey of experienced drivers (N = 1147) who viewed videos depicting a car speeding on an interstate highway under experimentally manipulated circumstances. The sampled drivers were generally ambiguity averse, opting to reduce speeding as ambiguity about the perceived certainty of apprehension increased. However, perceived ambiguity interacted with perceived certainty such that increases in ambiguity increased the deterrent effect of ambiguity for low certainty probabilities and decreased the effect for high probabilities. Policy Implications : Ambiguity may serve as a valuable tool for increasing the efficacy of crime-prevention strategies, especially for crimes with naturally low levels of risk. However, researchers should think carefully about the effects of ambiguity when analyzing the efficacy of certainty-based policies because the injection of ambiguity can both increase and decrease legal compliance. Also, discussed are the implications for a key function of policing —traffic safety. <br

Sanction risk perceptions, coherence, and deterrence

Research from environmental criminology, policing, and related literatures consistently finds that objective conditions related to risk of apprehension affect crime. The mechanism underlying this relationship is not explicitly tested; instead, perceptual deterrence is assumed. In this analysis we explicitly investigate that mechanism. This test is not straightforward, however, as some research shows that risk perceptions are susceptible to various cognitive biases and framing effects. Thus, we advance a framework of sanction risk perception that combines individual and contextual determinants. Specifically, we investigate whether contextual factors materially influence risk perceptions and in turn intentions to offend after accounting for the influence of individual‐specific determinants. Our data come from an experimental survey on speeding (N = 1,919). Respondents viewed videos from the driver's perspective of a sedan speeding on a highway and provided estimates of sanction risk, safety perceptions, and behavioral intentions. Although sanction risk and safety perceptions for speeding varied widely across respondents, they remained grounded in the objective conditions of the experimental videos. In turn, citizen perceptions of apprehension risk were comparable with risk estimates elicited from state troopers after viewing the same videos. The results suggest deterrence and safety considerations are important contributing factors that help shape intentions to transgress

Books

Progress in Medical Virology. Vol. 39. Ed. by J. L. Melnick. Pp. x + 270. Illustrated. £115,70. Basel: S Karger. 1992.Assisted reproduction Micromanipulation of Human Gametes and Embryos. By J. Cohen, H. E. Malter, Beth E. Talansky and J. Grifo. pp. ix + 325. Illustrated. $111,50. New York: Raven Press. 1992.Congenital rubella syndrome EpideIDio1ogy and Infection. Vo!. 107 No. 1. Ed. by J. R. Partison, D. Baxby, J. G. Cruickshank, C. R. Madeley and W. C. Noble. Pp. viii + 239. Illustrated. £25. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1991.Rural and urban hospitals The Hospital in Rural and Urban Districts: Report of a WHO Study Group on the Function of Hospitals at the First Referral Level. pp. vii + 74. SFr.120. Geneva: World Health Organisation. 1992.Perinatology Perinato1ogy: Nestle Nutrition Workshop Series. Vol. 26. Ed. by Erich Saling. pp. xiii + 194. illustrated.$69. New York: Raven Press. 1992.Anaesthetists Five Decades: The South African Society· of Anaesthetists 1943 - 1993. By Nagin Parbhoo. 330 pages and 70 phoros and illustrations. Published by the South African Society of Anaesthetists. Printed by National Book Printers.

Controlling parenting and physical aggression during elementary school

The goal of the present study was to examine whether controlling parenting contributes to the problem of physical aggression. Developmental trajectories of children’s physical aggression were modeled from yearly teachers’ ratings, from ages 6 to 12. Multinomial logistic regressions (N = 1,508) served to identify risk factors that distinguish children who display different levels of physical aggression throughout grade school. Results revealed that being a boy and having a reactive temperament were important child predictors. Parental separation and an early onset of motherhood were also significant risk factors. Finally, mothers’ controlling parenting increased the odds of following the highest trajectory of physical aggression, above and beyond the previous risk factors

Monitoring and Pay: An Experiment on Employee Performance under Endogenous Supervision

We present an experimental test of a shirking model where monitoring intensity is endogenous and effort a continuous variable. Wage level, monitoring intensity and consequently the desired enforceable effort level are jointly determined by the maximization problem of the firm. As a result, monitoring and pay should be complements. In our experiment, between and within treatment variation is qualitatively in line with the normative predictions of the model under standard assumptions. Yet, we also find evidence for reciprocal behavior. Our data analysis shows, however, that it does not pay for the employer to solely rely on the reciprocity of employees

Profiles of physical, emotional and psychosocial wellbeing in the Lothian birth cohort 1936

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical, emotional, and psychosocial wellbeing are important domains of function. The aims of this study were to explore the existence of separable groups among 70-year olds with scores representing physical function, perceived quality of life, and emotional wellbeing, and to characterise any resulting groups using demographic, personality, cognition, health and lifestyle variables.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify possible groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results suggested there were 5 groups. These included High (n = 515, 47.2% of the sample), Average (n = 417, 38.3%), and Poor Wellbeing (n = 37, 3.4%) groups. The two other groups had contrasting patterns of wellbeing: one group scored relatively well on physical function, but low on emotional wellbeing (Good Fitness/ Low Spirits,n = 60, 5.5%), whereas the other group showed low physical function but relatively well emotional wellbeing (Low Fitness/Good Spirits, n = 62, 5.7%). Salient characteristics that distinguished all the groups included smoking and drinking behaviours, personality, and illness.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite there being some evidence of these groups, the results also support a largely one-dimensional construct of wellbeing in old age—for the domains assessed here—though with some evidence that some individuals have uneven profiles.</p