Reconsidering the impact of behavior prediction questions on illegal drug use: The importance of using proper analytic methods

Schneider, Daniel; Tahk, Alexander; Krosnick, Jon A.

doi:10.1080/13506280701396517

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Three tests (i.e., the OLS t-test, the permutation test, and the bootstrap test) yielded marginally significant differences between the question and the control group (p , .10). The remaining eight tests conducted by Schneider et al (2007) indicated that the effect of the behavior prediction question was non-significant. In a situation such as this the reader could reasonably (i) conclude that there is mixed evidence for whether the difference between the groups was significant, or (ii) determine for themselves which test they felt was most appropriate and put increased weight on that test.…”

Section: Was a T-test The ''Right'' Test?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perhaps due to the simplicity of the design and the relatively straightforward continuous nature of the dependent variable, we neglected to do so. As Schneider et al (2007) have laid out, a number of reasonable courses of action are available to the researcher when their data do not meet the assumptions required to perform a t-test. Without going through in detail all of the various approaches (which Schneider et al have very nicely and clearly laid out) the results of the various tests were as follows: two of the tests (i.e., the Zscore and the negative binomial regression) yielded significant differences (p , .05) between the group asked a question about drug use and the control group not asked a question.…”

Section: Was a T-test The ''Right'' Test?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of a t-test to test for differences between groups assumes a number of basic elements, which Schneider et al (2007) have very clearly laid out. The most basic assumption is of course that the data are normally distributed.…”

Section: Was a T-test The ''Right'' Test?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their comment on that paper in the previous issue of Social Influence, Schneider, Tahk, and Krosnick have conducted a reanalysis of the data and concluded that the data do not support drawing a conclusion consistent with what we reported in Williams et al (2006); namely that asking questions about seemingly negative behaviors such as using drugs can in fact lead to an increase in those vice behaviors. In this reply, we will review the concerns Schneider et al (2007) raise in their commentary, and discuss areas in which we agree with their perspective as well as areas in which we disagree. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We will address a number of issues that Schneider et al (2007) raise in turn, starting with whether Williams et al (2006) made any inadvertent errors in reporting. We will then address the issue of whether a t-test is the appropriate test for examining differences between conditions like those we observed in the original experiment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Asking questions about vices really does increase vice behavior

2007

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In a commentary in the previous issue of Social Influence, Schneider, Tahk, and Krosnick raise concerns about the analytical techniques and conclusions drawn in Williams, Block, and Fitzsimons (2006). In this response, we address a number of issues raised by their comment. We discuss their thorough reanalysis of our data, what we believe it implies, and what conclusions should be drawn. We also briefly present a number of replications of the Williams et al. experiment and discuss what the collective implications of this work are. Ultimately, we conclude that the original warning cast by Williams et al. still stands: when we ask questions about vice behaviors we should do so with great care as we may unintentionally be increasing the behavior we are asking about.In our paper on the effects of asking questions about health-related behaviors we reported the results of a relatively simple experiment. In their comment on that paper in the previous issue of Social Influence, Schneider, Tahk, and Krosnick have conducted a reanalysis of the data and concluded that the data do not support drawing a conclusion consistent with what we reported in Williams et al. (2006); namely that asking questions about seemingly negative behaviors such as using drugs can in fact lead to an increase in those vice behaviors. In this reply, we will review the concerns Schneider et al. (2007) raise in their commentary, and discuss areas in which we agree with their perspective as well as areas in which we disagree.

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Section: Was a T-test The ''Right'' Test?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Was a T-test The ''Right'' Test?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Was a T-test The ''Right'' Test?mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Asking questions about vices really does increase vice behavior

2007

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Should we ask our children about sex, drugs and rock & roll? Potentially harmful effects of asking questions about risky behaviors

Fitzsimons

Moore

2008

J Consum Psychol

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Research shows that asking questions can fundamentally change behavior. We review literature on this question-behavior effect, which demonstrates that asking questions changes both normal and risky behaviors. We discuss potential explanations for the effect and review recent findings that reveal interesting moderators of the influence of questions on behavior. We then highlight the potential impact of the question-behavior effect in an important public health context: screening adolescents for risky behavior. While medical guidelines emphasize the importance of asking adolescents questions about substance (drug, alcohol) use and sexual behaviors, research on the question-behavior effect suggests that asking adolescents about risky behaviors has the potential to increase the frequency with which they engage in these behaviors. We argue that the act of screening or measuring risky behavior is potentially counterproductive. We emphasize the importance of interventions beyond screening, and suggest ways in which screening can be carried out to minimize its impact. In short, asking questions about behaviors can change behavior, and asking questions about risky behaviors may itself be a risky undertaking.The issue of when or how to talk to children about behaviors that parents view negatively is one that all parents must address as their children approach and progress through adolescence. While we might like to pretend that our children would never engage in risky behaviors the reality of teenage life is quite sobering. In the United States each year, there are 831,000 pregnancies among women aged 15-19 years, an estimated 9.1 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases among persons aged 15-24 years, and an estimated 4,842 cases of HIV/AIDS among persons aged 15-24 years. The prevalence of these conditions is partially caused by sexual behavior among adolescents: 46.8% of high school students have had sexual intercourse at least once, and 37.2% of sexually active high schoolers did not use a condom during their last sexual episode. In the past 30 days, 43.3% of our children have drunk alcohol, 9.9% have driven a car or other vehicle when they had been drinking alcohol; 18.5% have carried a weapon; and 20.2% have used marijuana. In the past 12 months, 28.5% of students nationwide have felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for more than 2 weeks in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities, and 13% of students have made a suicide plan. 8.4% of teens have actually attempted suicide in the past year (Centers for Disease Control, 2007). How can we know if our own children are at risk? Should we, as parents and public policy makers, ask children about these issues? If so, what should we say?Our focus in this paper will be on interacting with children about what we refer to as "risky behaviors" or "vices." Examples of these behaviors are listed above, and are referred to as

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Response of sensitive behaviors to frequent measurement

Axinn

Jennings

Couper

2015

Social Science Research

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We study the influence of frequent survey measurement on behavior. Widespread access to the Internet has made important breakthroughs in frequent measurement possible—potentially revolutionizing social science measurement of processes that change quickly over time. One key concern about using such frequent measurement is that it may influence the behavior being studied. We investigate this possibility using both a population-based experiment with random assignment to participation in a weekly journal for twelve months (versus no journal) and a large scale population-based journal-keeping study with weekly measurement for 30 months. Results reveal few of the measured behaviors are correlated with assignment to frequent measurement. Theoretical reasoning regarding the likely behavioral response to frequent measurement correctly predicts domains most vulnerable to this possibility. Overall, however, we found little evidence of behavioral response to frequent measurement.

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Reconsidering the impact of behavior prediction questions on illegal drug use: The importance of using proper analytic methods

Cited by 8 publications

References 32 publications

Asking questions about vices really does increase vice behavior

Asking questions about vices really does increase vice behavior

Should we ask our children about sex, drugs and rock & roll? Potentially harmful effects of asking questions about risky behaviors

Response of sensitive behaviors to frequent measurement

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