INSTEAD OF GATHERING DATA THROUGH THE INVESTIGATION OF ACTUAL CASES, IN WHICH NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION AND VICTIM SELF-REPORTS POSE FORMIDABLE PROBLEMS FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY, RESEARCHERS CREATED THEIR OWN VICTIMS BY HIRING PARTICIPANTS WITH ALL POSSIBLE VARIETIES OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS. DESCRIPTIONS FOCUS ON THE SETTINGS FOR THE FICTITIOUS THEFTS AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THE PARTICIPANTS WERE LED TO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAD BEEN THE VICTIMS OF AN ACTUAL THEFT. FOUR EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED, AT THE CONCLUSION OF WHICH THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO DESCRIBE THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE EVENTS IN THE EXPERIMENT. THEY WERE ALSO ASKED TO COMPLETE AN ANONYMOUS QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSING THEIR REASONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE STUDIES. THIS CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT OFFERED A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR OBSERVING VICTIMS' DISCOVERY OF THEIR VICTIMIZATION AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT DECISIONMAKING. VARIABLES INFLUENCING THE DECISION TO REPORT THE CRIME WERE FOUND TO BE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VICTIM, THE OFFENDER, AND THE BYSTANDER; VICTIMS' AGE, RACE, SEX, FAMILY EARNINGS, AND DEGREE OF ANGER ALSO INFLUENCED THE DECISION, AS DID BYSTANDERS' OFFERS OF SUPPORT IN THE VICTIM'S SUBSEQUENT DEALINGS WITH THE POLICE. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE BASES FOR VICTIMS' DECISIONS TO REPORT CRIMES OF THEFT. THE UNDERSTANDING DERIVED FROM SUCH RESEARCH CAN SERVE TO ENHANCE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, SINCE VICTIMS ARE THE PRINCIPAL GATEKEEPERS OF THE SYSTEM. A LIST OF 12 REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. (LGR)