Perpetrator Gender and Crime Severity on Decision to Report Witnessed Crime

Robles, Siearah Marie

Student Work

Perpetrator Gender and Crime Severity on Decision to Report Witnessed Crime Public

This study investigated gender bias and the effect of stress on the decision to report a witnessed crime. Participants watched a video under the guise of testing a video coding software, during which a theft of either high or low severity was witnessed. Participants were given multiple opportunities to report the witnessed theft. The gender of the perpetrator was manipulated to be either male or female and participant stress was measured through the use of a perceived stress scale. We predicted that people will be more willing to report against a male thief committing a high severity crime and that stress will be highest in those conditions. We found the data to be going in the expected direction, however the only significant result was between crime severity and stress.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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