Vignette Character Research Articles

Understanding Challenging Behaviour: Perspectives of Children and Adolescents with a Moderate Intellectual Disability

Background The present study examines understanding of challenging behaviour among a sample of children and adolescents with a moderate intellectual disability, and investigates their behavioural intentions towards peers with challenging behaviour.Methods The study involved the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. In the quantitative part of the study participants (n = 39) completed a modified Friendship Activity Scale (FAS) following the presentation of vignettes depicting individuals with challenging and non‐challenging behaviour. In the qualitative part of the study, participants (n = 31) took part in a semi‐structured interview that sought their views on the causes of the challenging behaviour described in one of the vignettes.Results Analysis of the data from the FAS indicates that participants have significantly more positive intentions towards a vignette character that does not engage in challenging behaviour. Content analysis of the qualitative data indicates that participants hold a variety of beliefs about the causes of challenging behaviour. Suggestions include the possibility that it is a response to transient emotional states and to external events.Conclusions The findings are consistent with the findings of other studies on young people’s understanding of and attitudes towards peers with atypical behaviour. The theoretical and clinical implications for young people with intellectual disabilities are discussed.

Changing Perceptions of Depression: Ten-Year Trends From the General Social Survey

Changing Perceptions of Depression: Ten-Year Trends From the General Social Survey

Neural Correlates of Children’s Theory of Mind Development

Young children show significant changes in their mental-state understanding as marked by their performance on false-belief tasks. This study provides evidence for activity in the prefrontal cortex associated with the development of this ability. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded as adults (N = 24) and 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children (N = 44) reasoned about reality and the beliefs of characters in animated vignettes. In adults, a late slow wave (LSW), with a left-frontal scalp distribution, was associated with reasoning about beliefs. This LSW was also observed for children who could correctly reason about the characters' beliefs but not in children who failed false-belief questions. These findings have several implications, including support for the critical role of the prefrontal cortex for theory of mind development.

Substance Abuse by Elders and Self-Enhancement Bias

Human service professionals regularly do not recognize the symptoms of substance abuse in older populations and are unlikely to provide intervention. In this study, human service students (N = 242) were given one of three vignettes in which the main character was an 80-year-old man, an 80-year-old woman, or they were asked to imagine themselves at 80. The vignette character was described as living alone, smelling of alcohol, and whose garbage was filled with empty beer and wine containers. Respondents were asked whether they believed the character had a substance abuse problem, if intervention was appropriate, if the character was depressed or suffering from self-neglect, and if the neighbors should express their concerns to the character. The largest number of respondents perceived that the vignette character may have a drinking problem, may be lonely, and would benefit from professional help. Most did not believe neighbors should express concern or that the character was suffering from self-neglect. Those who completed the vignette in which they were asked to imagine themselves at age 80 were prone to self-enhancement bias. Using the Wilks' Lambda criteria, the General Linear Model was significant (F = 1.474, p = .024), with 8 of the 25 items possessing significant p values.

Effects of Attire, Alcohol, and Gender on Perceptions of Date Rape

This investigation explored three categories of college students’ perceptions of sexual assault: perceptions of similarity to vignette characters, perceptions of vignette characters’ sexual intent, and victim-blaming behaviors, using a convenience sample of 652 U.S. undergraduates and an on-line factorial survey containing a two-part heterosexual date rape vignette. This investigation predicted that vignette character attire, character alcohol use, and participant gender would each significantly influence perceptions in all three categories. Strong associations appeared between all three experimental variables and perceptions, with characters that wore suggestive attire or became intoxicated perceived as less similar and having greater sexual intent than characters that wore neutral attire or abstained. Few differences in actual victim-blaming appeared, likely because of the elimination of hindsight bias.

Children’s Gender–Emotion Stereotypes in the Relationship of Anger to Sadness and Fear

Children’s perceptions of the emotional reactions of same- and different-sex characters in stories containing ambiguous and unambiguous emotional contexts were examined. According to the Parallel-Constraint-Satisfaction Theory (Kunda and Thagard. Psychological Review, 103, 284–308, 1996), stereotypes are more likely to be utilized in ambiguous contexts, defined here as those likely to elicit multiple emotional responses. Seventy suburban U.S. preschoolers were read vignettes describing boys or girls in ambiguous or unambiguous emotion-inducing events and reported how the vignette characters were feeling. Results suggest that the perceptions of participants were more likely to reflect gender–emotion stereotypes (e.g. perceiving males as angry and females as sad) in ambiguous contexts than in unambiguous contexts. Results are discussed in terms of children’s emerging understanding of gender–emotion stereotypes.

Adolescents' Sexual Inferences about Girls Who Consume Alcohol

The purpose of this study was to document whether adolescents make inferences regarding male and female vignette characters in terms of the characters' sexuality, social skills, impairment, and aggressiveness when the characters consume alcohol. A Web-based survey of 1,691 middle and high school students (grades 6–11) from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds was conducted. The Dating Vignette and Subjective Perception Form ( George, Gournic, & McAfee, 1988 ) were modified for use with an adolescent sample and embedded within the Web-based survey. There were significant interaction effects between the male and female characters' alcohol consumption in terms of the respondents' perception of the female character for all of the subscales examined (i.e., sexual disinhibition, social skills, impairment, and aggressiveness). In contrast, there were no significant interactions between the characters' drinking and the respondents' perception of the male character. Collectively, these findings suggest that adolescents' perceptions of girls are based not only on the girls' own drinking behaviors, but also their male partners' drinking behaviors.

Children's attitudes and behavioural intentions towards a peer with symptoms of ADHD: does the addition of a diagnostic label make a difference?

This article explores the impact of diagnostic/psychiatric labelling on the attitudes and behavioural intentions of school-aged children towards a hypothetical peer presented with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A sample of 120 children aged 11-12 years read one of three vignettes describing the behaviour of a gender-neutral, same-age peer presenting with symptoms of ADHD. The participants completed self-report measures of attitudes and behavioural intentions after reading the respective vignettes. The majority of participants perceived the vignette character as being male and the attitude held towards him was predominately negative. Significant positive relationships were found between attitudes and children's willingness to engage in social, academic and physical activities. Diagnostic/psychiatric labelling had no additional influence upon attitudes or behavioural intentions. Children's negative attitude towards peers with symptoms of ADHD, given its association with friendship choice, is an important target for change in reducing stigma.

Reluctance to Seek Help and the Perception of Anxiety and Depression in the United Kingdom

We investigated if reluctance to seek help could be explained by how people perceive an illness. Participants were members of the general public who had experienced mental health problems, for which approximately half had sought professional help. We asked them to rate the problems of 2 vignette characters using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ). Participants who had sought help were more likely to see the problems of the vignette characters as having more serious consequences and to understand their problems better, compared with those who had not sought help. The depression vignette character was seen as having a problem that was more serious but less amenable to treatment compared with the anxiety vignette character. Compared with men, women were likely to be more aware of the consequences and chronicity of depression. We conclude illness perceptions may help explain reluctance to seek help and discuss implications for encouraging consultation.

Ageism and Gender among Social Work and Criminal Justice Students

Undergraduate sociatl work and criminal justice students completed 1 of 4 vignettes that were identical with the exception of the age and gender of the vignette's subject. In each vignette, the subject interacted with an opposite-sex 24-year-old waiter or waitress. Following each vignette, respondents answered 20 items relating to the age, gender, and perceived sexual behavior of the vignette's subject. The multivariate general linear model was significant (F = 174.572, p = .000) by the Wilk's Lambda Criterion. Tests of between-subjects effects yielded 17 significant item variables that focused on perceptions of the age appropriateness of the behaviors, perceptions of the sexual behaviors of the vignette's characters, perceptions of the affability of the vignette's characters, perceptions of characters being lonely, perceptions regarding the waiter's/waitress' financial gain/incentive, and perceptions of social acceptance for the vignette's main character and his/her affiliation with the younger service person. The findings suggest that male characters were perceived as sexually interested more often than female characters. Older characters are more likely to be perceived as nonsexual, particularly older women. Sexual behaviors in older characters were perceived as a gender transgression. While perceptions may be negative surrounding older males who engage in sexual behaviors, judgments appear harsher for older women.

Exclusion or Concern: Lawyers' and Community Members' Perceptions of Legal Coercion, Dangerousness and Mental Illness

Forty-six legal professionals and 44 members of the community responded to a questionnaire regarding their perception of the need for legal coercion for treatment for 3 hypothetical vignette characters described as having symptoms of schizophrenia, depression and 'being troubled', [a control] condition. A further condition incorporated in the design was whether or not the vignette character had a comorbid substance abuse issue (alcohol or heroin). Both lawyers and community members over-estimated the schizophrenia and depression vignette characters' potential dangerousness when compared with recent research on the topic. Most legal and community respondents thought legal coercion for treatment was necessary, particularly when there was danger to the individual or to others. However, lawyers were less likely to see a need for legal coercion for treatment than were community members. Contrary to existing research evidence, co-morbid substance abuse for the vignette characters did not significantly increase either lawyers' or community members' perception of vignette characters as being more dangerous to themselves or others.

Variability in lay perceptions of depression: A vignette study

This paper describes a study investigating lay perceptions of depression in terms of perceived severity. Students (N = 128) were presented with vignettes describing individuals with symptoms of depression based on DSM-IV. The descriptions were varied in terms of gender, social status, and a self-referent manner of communicating depressive symptomatology. Participants were asked to rate the degree to which vignette characters were thought to be depressed on a Likert-type scale. Results indicate that a non-self-referent style of communicating depressive symptoms by female vignette characters was seen as an indication of elevated levels of depression, and these findings are discussed with reference to the literature.

Cystic fibrosis disclosure may minimize risk of negative peer evaluations

Background Given the relatively lower body weight associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) and the visible regimen associated with eating, there is a risk that individuals with CF may be mistakenly perceived to have an eating disorder or otherwise be negatively evaluated. Based upon a theoretical model, this study explored whether disclosing CF would curtail negative peer perceptions. Methods Young adult respondents ( N = 391) read vignettes that varied in a 2 (male vs. female character) × 2 (preventative disclosure of disorder vs. nondisclosure) design and answered 28 questions, which resulted in three subscales that were validated using confirmatory factor analysis: Abnormal Behavior, Hiding an Eating Disorder, and Worry. Vignettes depicted a lunchtime interaction including concerns about gaining weight and taking enzymes before eating. Results Disclosure of CF significantly reduced perceptions of abnormal behavior, ameliorated perceptions of an eating disorder, and alleviated respondents' worries. Manipulations of vignette character gender did not result in any significant differences; however, female respondents reported significantly more worry for the character than males. Conclusions Individuals who disclose their CF may potentially curtail negative peer perceptions. Those who choose not to disclose may risk having their thinness and appropriate self-care misperceived as signs of an eating disorder.

Children's beliefs about the continuity of aggression

Elementary school students (N = 139) read vignettes describing aggressive peers and rated the extent to which they believed the peers' aggression would continue over time and in different contexts. Children also rated their social and moral acceptance of aggression, and how difficult it would be to help the vignette characters desist from aggression. Teachers rated participants' aggressive and prosocial behaviors. Results indicated that aggression is generally viewed as continuous across time and context, and likely to produce little acceptance. Beliefs about continuity were positively associated with perceived difficulty of changing aggression and negatively associated with social acceptance. Gender moderated the association between continuity beliefs and moral acceptance. Teacher-rated behavior was associated with social perceptions. Findings are discussed with regard to their implications for future research as well as their potential application to the design of interventions for youth aggression. Aggress. Behav. 00:00–00, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Psychiatrists' attitudes toward involuntary hospitalization.

This study examined whether psychiatrists' attributions of responsibility for mental illnesses affect their decisions about involuntary hospitalization. A survey that was mailed in 2002 to members of the Illinois Psychiatric Society elicited recommendations for involuntary commitment for vignette characters. The survey also sought respondents' attributions of personal responsibility for the onset and recurrence of mental illnesses. A total of 432 psychiatrists responded to the survey. Decisions to involuntarily hospitalize persons with mental illness increased significantly with the level of risk of harm and varied significantly between psychiatric diagnoses. Attributions of responsibility were not related to commitment decisions.

Categorical Ethnicity and Mental Health Literacy in New Zealand

Objective. Public social policies in New Zealand assume that there are fundamental differences between Maori views of health phenomena and non‐Maori perceptions. The biomedical model and a Maori model known as Te Whare Tapa Wha are commonly employed to characterise these differences. Using the categorical ethnicity demarcation ‘Maori/non‐Maori’ we investigate this claim with respect to mental health literacy about depression. Design. Participants were randomly selected from the General and Maori Electoral Rolls and recruited by post (N=205). A vignette methodology was employed and involved the development of a fictional character as a target stimulus who exhibited the minimum DSM‐IV‐R criteria for a major depressive disorder. Participants responded to items regarding problem recognition, well‐being, causal attributions, treatment preferences, and likely prognosis. Results. The majority of Maori and non‐Maori participants correctly identified the problem the vignette character was experiencing and nominated congruent attributions for the causes of the problem. In relation to treatment strategies and likely prognosis, independent of self‐assigned ethnicity, participants rated professional treatments above alternative options. Overall the categorical ethnicity distinction ‘Maori and non‐Maori’ produced no systematic variation with regards to individual evaluative responses about a major depressive disorder. Conclusions. Contrary to the embedded assumption within New Zealand's public health strategies that there are essential differences between the way Maori and non‐Maori view health problems, and that the categorical ethnicity demarcation reliably reflects these differences, we found no evidence for the veracity of this claim using a major depressive disorder as a target for judgements. Alternative explanations are canvassed as to why this assumption about fundamental differences based on categorical ethnicity has gained ascendancy and prominence within the sphere of New Zealand health.

The impact of contact on stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental illness

Background: A growing body of research suggests that personal experience with people who have a mental illness can reduce stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness. However, the generalizability of these findings has been restrained by their samples and operational definitions of contact and stigma. Aims: To test the contact-stigma link using a nationally representative sample and comprehensive measures of both contact and stigma. Method: Data were collected in a 1990 American telephone survey of attitudes towards homelessness and homeless people with mental illnesses. By telephone, 1507 respondents completed measures of the perceived dangerousness of people with mental illnesses and their contact experiences with mental illness. A subsample of 640 respondents was read a vignette of a character with mental illness and then completed measures of their desired social distance from the character and the perceived dangerousness of the character. All respondents completed measures of political conservatism, social desirability, and anomia as well. Results: As total contact increased, the perceived dangerousness and desired social distance from the vignette character decreased, as did the perceived dangerousness of people with mental illnesses in general. However, the contact types did not consistently predict the vignette stigma measures. Conclusion: While more research is needed to clarify and extend these findings, this study provides strong evidence for the importance of different contact types in reducing stigmatizing attitudes and the potential usefulness of incorporating contact into any stigma reduction intervention. Declaration of interest: None.

Perceptions of Women's Power as a Function of Position Within an Organization

In the present study the authors investigated how people perceive women as a function of position within an organization. Introductory psychology students (N = 456) were given 1 of 6 vignettes depicting people in various occupations, along with an adjective checklist adapted from the Bem Sex Role Inventory (S. L. Bem, 1974). The students indicated on a Likert-type scale the adjectives they believed described the character in the paragraph they received. They were also given a power style scale by T R. Hinkin and C. A. Schriesheim (1989) and were asked to rate the vignette characters' ability to use each different style (e.g., reward, expertise, referent, legitimate, coercive). The students rated women in high positions as more masculine than men and women in low positions and as masculine as men in high positions. There was little difference in power styles as a function of either the sex or the position level of the vignette character.

An Exploratory Study of Grandparents' and Stepgrandparents' Financial Obligations to Grandchildren and Stepgrandchildren

The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs about intergenerational financial responsibilities between (step)-grandparents and (step)grandchildren. Two hundred women and 116 men responded to questions about hypothetical characters in multi-paragraph vignettes. Perceived obligations to assist a (step)grandchild pay for music schooling did not differ for grandparents and stepgrandparents. Divorce and remarriage of the middle generation did not affect grandparents' perceived obligations, but they did change perceptions about stepgrandparents' obligations to help. Stepgrandparents were no longer seen as obligated to assist following divorce and remarriage. The financial status of the oldest generation, prior commitments to assist, quality of the relationships, and mutual agreement between all family members were among the considerations that affected perceptions of intergenerational obligations for both grand parents and stepgrandparents.

Children’s Personal Distance and Their Empathy: Indices of Interpersonal Closeness

We examined relations between children’s preferred physical closeness with other persons and both their specific responsive empathy with these persons and their more general dispositional or trait empathy. Children ( N 73) in three age groups (5-, 9-, and 13-year-olds) viewed persons in videotaped vignettes, were interviewed for responsive empathy with these persons, and then placed photos of them on a grid at individually preferred distances relative to themselves. Dispositional empathy was assessed by questionnaire in a separate session. Older children placed vignette characters closer to themselves when they reported greater responsive empathy with them. There were substantial differences in responsive empathy across characters and situations, as would be expected: Adults who punished rarely elicited empathy, nor did a child who lied about another child. Consistent with the within-subjects analysis, vignette characters who elicited greater empathy also elicited closer personal distances. In both analyses (within-subjects and across vignette characters), strength of relation increased with age and was stronger for girls than boys. In contrast to responsive empathy, dispositional empathy was not significantly associated with closer personal distance, despite the significant correlation of the two empathy measures. Thus, it seems important to distinguish empathy that is responsive to particular persons and contexts from more general attitudes that may or may not generalise to specific contexts.