title: Effectiveness of three contingency-nonspecific stimuli on bathroom graffiti prevention in a college setting.
abstract: An A-B-A design was adopted to test the effectiveness of different types of contingency-nonspecific stimuli in the prevention of bathroom graffiti in a college setting. The three stimuli examined in this study have been frequently used to prevent bathroom graffiti in South Korea and they were: (a) "Please do not write, draw, or mark on these walls;" (b) a mirror; and (c) "Courteous people keep public places clean." No graffiti was observed when the first and second stimuli were presented. In contrast, a notable increase in bathroom graffiti was observed when the third sign was presented. The results suggest that a contingency non-specific stimuli posting intervention can be effective in the prevention of bathroom graffiti only when appropriate stimuli are used. The practical implications, including cost-effectiveness, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyong-Mee
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003415:Crime / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011633:Public Facilities; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012919:Social Behavior; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D012945:Social Values; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014038:Toilet Facilities; D014495:Universities; D014956:Writing