Citation

Nosanchuk TA. Soc. Sci. Res. 1972; 1(1): 107-120.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1972, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0049-089X(72)90060-9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This exploratory study reports a first attempt to measure general family status in an urban setting, and further, to do this in an experimental way. The tool investigated is the vignette, a plain-language description of a family containing a measured amount of information. Respondents are asked to read the description and answer a number of status-relevant questions about the family described. The effects on status of each variable investigated may be measured by creating a second vignette on the same family, changing the value of the variable investigated, giving the two forms to two randomly selected groups, and comparing the status scores resulting from the two "treatments". The technique was applied here to five family related variables and appeared to yield valid data.