attitudes: Attitudes Experiment 2001
In homerhanumat/tigerstats: R Functions for Elementary Statistics

Description Format Details Source

Study conducted in November 2001 by students in MAT 111. Subjects were 267 Georgetown College students. Not all subjects got the same survey form.

A data frame with 268 observations on the following 8 variables.

def.race: Suggested race of the defendant in the survey form.
vic.race: Suggested race of the victim in the survey form.
conc.situation: Scenario described in the in the "rock concert" question on the survey form.
sentence: Sentence, in years, recommended for the defendant.
conc.decision: Whether or not the subject chose to buy a ticket (or buy another ticket).
year: Class rank of the subject.
sex: a factor with level Sex of the survey participant.
major: possible values: humanities math.sci pre.prof social.sci Type of major the subject intends.

Here is a sample survey form, with variants noted.

Attitudes Survey

Crime: You are on a jury for a manslaughter case in Lewistown, PA. The defendant has been found guilty, and in Pennsylvania it is part of the job of the jury to recommend a sentence to the judge. The facts of the case are as follows. The defendant, Tyrone Marcus Watson, a 35-year old native of Lewistown, was driving under the influence of alcohol on the evening of Tuesday July 17, 2001. At approximately 11:00 PM Watson drove through a red light, striking a pedestrian, Betsy Brockenheimer, a 20-year old resident of Lewistown. Brockenheimer was taken unconscious to the hospital and died of her injuries about one hour later. Watson did not flee the scene, nor did he resist arrest.

The prior police record for Mr. Watson is as follows: two minor traffic violations, and one previous arrest, five years ago, for DUI. No one was hurt in that incident.

Watson has now been convicted of DUI and manslaughter. The minimum jail term for this combination of offenses is two years; the maximum term is fifty years. In the blank below, write a number from 2 to 50 as your recommended length of sentence for Tyrone Marcus Watson. _______________

[In the question above, name of defendant could vary: either William Shane Winchester or Tyrone Marcus Watson. The name of the victim could also vary: either Betsy Brockenheimer or Latisha Dawes.]

Spending Habits

You have purchased a $30 ticket to see a rock concert in Rupp Arena. When you arrive at the Arena on the night of the performance, you find that you have lost the ticket. You have no receipt, so it will not be possible to see the concert unless you purchase another ticket. Would you purchase another ticket? Circle below.

YES NO

[In other forms, the question above could have been: You plan to see a rock concert in Rupp Arena. Tickets for the performance are $30. When you arrive at the Arena on the night of the performance, you find that you have lost two bills from your purse or wallet: a ten and a twenty. Would you buy the ticket anyway?]

Respondent Data

I am (circle one): freshman sophomore junior senior

I am (circle one) male female

(Optional) My intended major is: _____________________

Georgetown College

homerhanumat/tigerstats documentation built on Sept. 27, 2020, 3:21 a.m.