Various Pretesting Activities (see attached list)

3

Using Vignettes

Using Vignettes to Explore Sensitive Concepts

Enclosure 2

Vignettes

Mode: INTERNET SEARCH

Ben was doing a Google search to get information for a school project. He typed in the name of his topic and hit “search.” He clicked on the first link in the search results. When the website opened, Ben realized the site was actually an x-rated website. He was curious about the website, so he looked at some of the pictures before closing out of it.

Mode: EMAIL

Heather received an email from someone named “Chris Smith.” The subject of the email said, “Check out these pictures!” Heather didn’t recognize the name. However, she opened the e-mail. She then realized Chris Smith was her friend Susan’s cousin. He had sent everyone pictures from Susan’s recent birthday party. Heather wrote back to thank him for the pictures.

1. Critical Items

   1. Non complicit

      1. Stranger

Mode: INSTANT MESSAGING

Sam was doing his homework on the computer when he received an IM from “KimSmith,” someone he met through online gaming. “KimSmith” wrote that she just saw a great YouTube video that she thinks Sam would really like and put a link to the video in the message. Sam ignored the message.

Mode: CHAT ROOM

Jackie was in a chat room for fans of her favorite TV show, Lost. She was talking back and forth with another fan with the screen name “LostRules07.” While chatting with this fellow fan about how cute some of the cast members are, LostRules07 wrote that some of the girls have “sexy muscles” and asked Jackie if she also had “sexy muscles.” Jackie didn’t respond and left the chat room.

Mode: GAMING

Rick is really into gaming. He often spends hours at a time playing his favorite game, World of Warcraft. During one game, while Rick was planning a move with another character, the player mentions that he lives in Pittsburg and asks Rick where he lives. Rick didn’t answer and kept on playing.

2. Known

SOCIAL NETWORK SITE

Sophie received a message on her MySpace page from Frank, her new neighbor. Frank was about to start college. Because he was new in town, he wrote that he wanted to meet people. Sophie wanted to get to know him so she wrote back. Frank noticed the pictures of the beach Sophie had on her page. He asked about them. Sophie said they were from a family trip to Hawaii. Frank said he thought Sophie would look good in a bathing suit. He asked Sophie to send him a photo of herself on the beach in her bathing suit. Sophie didn’t send him the picture, but still kept writing to Frank.

BLOGS/MESSAGE BOARDS

Courtney is a member of an online message board for runners. She sometimes posts comments back and forth with other members about training for races. One day, Courtney was talking with another member, who is on her high school track team, about how to train for her upcoming race. Her teammate posted his advice and added that his training had given him enough endurance to “really please the ladies.” Courtney wrote back and told him not to write things like that.

2. Complicit

   1. Stranger

Mode: CHAT ROOM

Gary met Anna while in an online Yahoo chat room. The chat room was for teens who like sports. Both Gary and Anna love to play soccer. Eventually, Gary and Anna started writing flirty e-mails, in addition to their conversations in the chat room. In one of these e-mails, Anna asked Gary if he would like to meet her at a hotel the following weekend. Gary agreed to meet up with Anna.

Mode: SOCIAL NEWTWORKING SITE

Matt recently joined the Facebook page for his favorite group, Danger Kitty. He often visits their page to get news on the band and free music. One day a girl named Carrie posted a message with her e-mail address, saying she had some of their live music if anyone wanted it. Matt sent an e-mail to Carrie. Matt and Carrie began emailing back and forth regularly. Matt really liked Carrie, so one day he got up the nerve to ask her out on a date to the upcoming Danger Kitty show. Carrie said yes and they went to the concert together.

Mode: BLOG/MESSAGE BOARD

Jessica was having a hard time at school. No one seemed to like her and she felt alone. Her grades were slipping, and her parents had grounded her. One night in her room, Jessica came across someone’s online blog, “Unhappy Mary.” Mary seemed to feel just like her, so Jessica sent her an e-mail. They had a lot in common and began regularly writing back and forth. After a few months, Mary said she was so unhappy that she was going to run away to New York and asked Jessica to come with her. The next day, Jessica and Mary both ran away from home together.

2. Known

Mode: EMAIL

Donna received an email message from someone named Dr. Lawrence. Dr. Lawrence is a professor at the University where her mom teaches. In the message, Dr. Lawrence said he was working on a research project and was looking for kids to be in it. The study involved visiting a website, looking at photos of kids’ faces and rating how friendly each one looked. Every kid who wanted to be in the study would have to send him a picture of themselves. Dr. Lawrence said he would use the pictures in the study. Donna wrote to Dr. Lawrence’s and said she wanted to be in the study but didn’t want to give him a picture.

Mode: SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE

Chad received a “friend” request on his MySpace page from a girl named Katie. Katie was a friend of Chad’s cousin, Steve, and she attended a different school in the same neighborhood as Chad’s high school. Chad thought Katie was cute in the pictures on her page and decided to “friend” her. They chatted back and forth for a while over MySpace until one day Katie asked if she could call him. Chad said yes. Now Chad and Katie talk on the phone and sometimes hang out after school.