The influence of the perpetrator-target relationship on perceptions of stalking in mock-jury deliberations

Research has shown that a variety of personal and situational characteristics can influence whether behaviour is perceived to constitute stalking, cause alarm or personal distress, and necessitate police intervention. The manner in which this research is framed may produce a confirmatory bias, however, whereby participants focus on the stalking consistent information while disregarding any inconsistent information. The present study utilises hypothetical vignettes and a sample of 265 university students to investigate the influence of framing (stalking, harassment, illegal) and the perpetrator-target relationship (stranger, acquaintance, ex-partner) on perceptions of behaviour. The statistical analyses reveal that participants are more willing to categorise the same behaviour as stalking (67%) or harassment (75%) than to categorise it as illegal (20%). Participants are also more likely to classify behaviour as stalking, harassment or illegal when the perpetrator and target are depicted as strangers (62%) rather than ex-partners (45%).