Greedy, Needy, or Troubled? High School and University Students' Natural and Induced Views of Shopstealers

Abstract

Adolescents and university students processed comprehension packages designed to induce them to adopt schemas for categorising shoplifters as either “greedy”, “needy” or “troubled” persons. Adolescents' subsequent views of shoplifters, measured on a Shop Stealing Attitude Questionnaire (SSAQ) were related to schema conditions in expected ways, demonstrating the influence of the comprehension packages. Subjects who processed the package claiming that shopstealers are greedy displayed tougher attitudes to shopstealers, with higher mean Greed and Condemn Scale scores. Subjects who processed packages claiming that shopstealers are either needy or troubled displayed more lenient attitudes with higher Need and Troubled Scale Scores. Younger adolescents showed harsher views, while older adolescents and all females were more understanding of offenders' circumstances and motives. Schema inducing comprehension packages, subjects' ages, and SSAQ measured views were weakly predictive of penalties assigned to offenders in sample cases. Finding? support general trends of younger adolescents'punitiveness in relation to a specific offence, but indicate the difficulties of inexperienced penalisers in assigning penalties.