Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, - - PDF document

Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, B. A. (2018, March). The Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ): A measure of violent behavior for research in forensic and non‐forensic settings and populations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology‐Law Society, Memphis, Tennessee. 1

The Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ): A Measure of Violent Behavior for Research in Lab and Forensic Settings and Populations

Kevin L. Nunes, Chantal A. Hermann, Sacha Maimone, Maya Atlas, and Brian A. Grant Carleton University Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ)

• 10 vignettes
• Say what you really would do if you were actually in that

situation right now

– Initial scenario – First response – Reaction from antagonist – Second response

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Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, B. A. (2018). The Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ): A measure of violent behavior for research in forensic and non-forensic settings and populations. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Response Options: “What do you do?”

• Report it to someone – report what he’s doing (or what he did) to someone like the

manager, police, or security, and ask them to deal with the problem

• Talk it out – without insulting him, say something to let him know you’re not okay with

what he’s doing (or what he did) and to try to work things out peacefully

• Insult him – say something insulting to him, like swearing at him or calling him a name
• Joke about it – joke about it to yourself or other people around you
• Shove him
• Hit, punch, kick, or tackle him
• Threaten to hurt him
• Ignore it – don’t do or say anything about it
• Leave – go somewhere else to get away from the person or situation

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Illustration of Procedure with Vignette 9

• You’re at a bar standing beside your girlfriend/wife when a guy strolls

up to her, puts his arm around her, and starts trying to pick her up. He acts like you aren’t even there.

• What do you do?
• Report it to someone
• Talk it out
• Insult him
• Joke about it
• Shove him
• Hit, punch, kick, or

tackle him

• Threaten to hurt him
• Ignore it
• Leave

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• You say to him, “Buddy, what are you doing? You know she’s with me.

Go talk to someone else.”

• He ignores you, steps between you and your girlfriend/wife, turns his back

to you, tells her that you’re a loser, and asks her to dance.

• What do you do?
• Report it to someone
• Talk it out
• Insult him
• Joke about it
• Shove him
• Hit, punch, kick, or

tackle him

• Threaten to hurt him
• Ignore it
• Leave

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Non-violent Violent Violent Non-violent

Validation

• If the VPVQ really does measure current propensity

for violent behavior, then responses should be associated with independent indicators of violent behavior

– Past violent behavior – Physical aggressiveness – Risk of violent re-offending

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Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, B. A. (2018, March). The Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ): A measure of violent behavior for research in forensic and non‐forensic settings and populations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology‐Law Society, Memphis, Tennessee. 2

Samples

• 471 adult male community participants in US and

Canada via online survey

–Median age was 35 years old (range 18-81 years old)

• 52 adult male offenders in medium- and maximum-

security prisons in Canada

–Mean age was 31.04 years old (SD = 8.59) –Most had at least one violent offence on record

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Violent Behaviour Scale

• From when you were 16 years old to today, how

many times have you

• Started a physical fight with someone?
• Threatened to physically hurt someone?
• etc.

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Past violent behavior (community participants N = 462 to 471)

0.95 0.61 0.58 0.81 0.86 0.80 0.98 0.61 0.60 0.62 0.80 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any Violent Behaviour Scale Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

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Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

0.77 0.81 0.91 0.72 0.79 0.81 1.13 0.55 0.21 0.96 0.93 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any Violent Behaviour Scale Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

Past violent behavior (offenders N = 52)

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Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

Physical Aggression scale of the Aggression Questionnaire

• Once in a while I can’t control the urge to strike

another person

• Given enough provocation, I may hit another person
• etc.

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Aggressiveness (community participants N = 462 to 471)

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0.92 0.87 0.76 0.94 0.86 0.86 0.90 0.73 0.87 0.91 1.15 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any Physical Aggression (Aggression Questionnaire) Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, B. A. (2018, March). The Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ): A measure of violent behavior for research in forensic and non‐forensic settings and populations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology‐Law Society, Memphis, Tennessee. 3

1.22 0.91 1.41 0.83 1.31 1.30 1.60 0.99 0.56 1.59 1.75 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any Physical Aggression (Aggression Questionnaire) Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

Aggressiveness (offenders N = 52)

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Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

Number of violent convictions (Offenders only)

• Number of violent offence convictions (e.g., uttering

threats, assault, robbery, murder)

• Coded from criminal records

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0.29 0.20

• 0.37

0.11

• 0.12
• 0.11

0.27 0.13

• 0.35
• 0.03 -0.27

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any Violent convictions Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

Number of violent convictions (offenders N = 45) (Study 4)

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Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

Statistical Information on Recidivism (SIR) Scale (Offenders only)

• Actuarial risk assessment instrument for general re-
• ffending, but also predicts violent re-offending
• Higher scores indicate lower risk

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• 0.35

0.19

• 0.23
• 0.44
• 0.21

0.06

• 0.12
• 0.36
• 0.36 -0.37 -0.85
• 2
• 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any SIR Score Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

Estimated risk of re-offending (SIR) (offenders N = 47)

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Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) (Offenders only)

• Self-report risk assessment instrument for general and

violent re-offending

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Nunes, K. L., Hermann, C. A., Maimone, S., Atlas, M., & Grant, B. A. (2018, March). The Violence Propensity Vignette Questionnaire (VPVQ): A measure of violent behavior for research in forensic and non‐forensic settings and populations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology‐Law Society, Memphis, Tennessee. 4

0.59 0.55 1.14 0.91 0.84 0.92 1.54 0.83 0.36 1.32 1.32 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Any Self-Appraisal Questionnaire Vignette Violent response Non-violent response

Estimated risk of re-offending (SAQ) (offenders N = 50)

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Effect sizes (Cohen’s d)

VPVQ was associated…

• strongly with more self-reported violence and

more physical aggressiveness

• with higher risk of violent recidivism

– Strongly for the SAQ – Slightly for the SIR

• weakly and inconsistently with number of

violent convictions

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Limitations and Next Steps

• Unsupportive findings with number of violent

convictions

–Method bias? –Or just poor criterion for current propensity for violence?

• Replicate and extend to indicators of violent

behaviour beyond self-report (e.g., VRAG-R, violent re-offending, peer-reports)

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Conclusion

• Findings suggest that the VPVQ is a useful measure
• f violent behavior
• VPVQ may facilitate greater symmetry and

consilience between the forensic and non-forensic literatures

• VPVQ may facilitate research on the causes and

reduction of violence

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Acknowledgements

Stephanie Biro, Carolyn Blank, Nick Chadwick, Colette Cousineau, Erin DeJong, Jenn Denny, Lana Di Fazio, Justin Gileno, Becky Grace, Janet Graham, Lindsay Grenon, Devon Gunn, Sara Johnson, Alicia LaPierre, Peter Marquis, Erin McCormick, Andrea Moser, Chloe Pedneault, Ali Phillips, Penny Scott, Terri Scott, Tori Semple, Geris Serran, Emily Start, John Weekes, Mandie Woods, and many more

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kevin.nunes@carleton.ca Aggressive Cognitions and Behaviour Research Laboratory www.carleton.ca/acbrlab

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