Examining the Temporal Stability of Evaluative Attitudes Toward Violence

Abstract

Evaluative attitudes toward violence are related to violent behaviour and are important predictors of violence. The temporal stability of evaluative attitudes toward violence has not yet been examined. Attitudes have been shown to have a high degree of stability, but with the potential to change through manipulation or intervention. I assessed for the degree of stability of evaluative attitudes toward violence using the Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire (EVQ) across four days, four weeks, and three months. I found participants' EVQ scores to be highly stable across all assessments; however, the results from the weekly and monthly assessments lacked power due to small sample sizes. The results from this study do, however, give preliminary evidence that evaluative attitudes toward violence are highly stable in the short-term, and potentially also in the long-term. Future research is needed to better understand the degree of stability of evaluative attitudes toward violence in the long-term.