I created a simple survey about the media effects debate, and I will try and get as many people to do it as possible.
The link is:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=T4uaz6El38TSl_2f1MSVim6g_3d_3d
Any responses would be welcome :)
The purpose of this survey:
My aim was to use this survey as an introduction; something which allowed me to gather a feeling of the general consensus. There are 7 questions on the survey; the first two are statistical, asking age and gender. Then there are 4 other questions, which are in essence closed questions but allow the respondant to go into more detail if they wish. 1 question asks if there is awareness of the phrase 'copycat crime,' and if there is, how they would define it.
Benefits:
- The results are easy to understand, and on the whole can be put into graphs fairly easily
- There is a mix of genders and backgrounds
- As a general introduction, this survey worked fine, helping me to establish some initial hypotheses such as 'newspapers exaggerate the effect media can have on crime rates' and 'exposure to violent material causes people to become desensitised'
Limitations:
- As it was an internet survey, which I linked to on MySpace and my blog, the results I got were almost exclusively from people aged between 16 and 18, which is a clear limitation, although there were a few responses from people of other ages.
- The use of mainly closed questions meant the data was qualitative rather than quantative, which is not necessarily a limitation, but means the level of response was basic, and didn't give me, for example, any quotes that I could use. However, as I plan to conduct 1 on 1 interviews as well, this seems like a fairly minor limitation
- Although I did a pilot survey, a few people told me they still found the wording hard to understand. This could be due to me piloting the survey on people from Latymer, and on mainly other media students as well, who would have a greater understanding of the topic area to begin with.
Showing posts with label copycat crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copycat crime. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Detailed Proposal
I don't think I'm quite ready to fill this out yet but I thought I'd see what I could answer and then that would give me a better idea of what I should focus on in the week before half term.
1. Topic Area
Crime and the Media
2. Proposed title, question, hypothesis
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
3. Teacher approval granted, in principal?
Yes
4. Principle texts (if text based study)
The Jamie Bulger Case
A school shooting case, either Columbine or Virginia Tech
5. Reason for choice
After completing the film censorship unit, which covered many of the same areas of theory, for example the hypodermic needle model as well as just the overall concept of copycat crime, I knew I was very interested in this topic and have a good level of background knowledge to work from. The theory is understandable as well as interesting, and I think I would be able to cover it in more depth . There is a good amount of research and resources to help me, yet it is not an area that has already been done so much that there is nowhere further to go.
6. Academic context for this study (similar research, relevant theory, named theorists)
Many research studies done in this area
Focus on David Buckinghams research which involved holding focus groups with children and asking them what they thought
Also Bandura and the Bobo Doll Study, which is widely known as being 'proof' of the for side of the media effects debate
Relevant theory will include:
- Cause and effect debate
- Hypodermic needle model
- Just in Case argument
- Passive and Active viewing theories
7. Institutional context for this study (industry focus, other texts for comparison, named practitioners, relevant theory, issues, questions)
Industry perspective on the debate, including the opinions of filmmakers such as Ken Russell and Roman Polanski
This section needs work...
8. Identify the audience context for this study (audience profile, access to audience, potential sample)
Audience profile is very wide, almost copletely unlimited as everyone will have their own views on the power that the media has to influence opinions. Key groups will be children (aged between 8 and 16) and adults ages between around 40 and 50, as I think it would be interesting to see whether different generations have different views.
However I will ask a wide range of people, of all ages and both genders and see what patterns I will identify.
Audience research will be conducted mainly using one-to-one interviews, as this allows more detailed answers, and as this issue is quite complex, I think it would be hard to acheive useful material in a group situation.
9. How will the 4 key concepts be relevant to your study (audience, institution, forms and conventions, representation)?
Audience: Audience is key to this study, as everyone consumes media texts and has views on the issue of media effects. It is the general public that reads newspapers, watches films and listens to the radio, and so asking audience opinions is something I will draw many of my conclusions from.
Industry: Industry is also important, as they present almost the other side of the debate. The majority of filmmakers believe in freedom of expression, which comes into the debate of how important censorship is in minimising media effect.
Forms and conventions: ???
Representation: Representation comes into my study in different ways. It could be discussed in the way that how violence, sexual violence or imitable techniques are represented on screen changes the effect it has on the consumer. Equally it could be looked at by researching how media is represented in newspapers etc - ie, it is said to have a negative effect, and is overexaggerated at times, creating moral panics.
10 Potential research sources (secondary): secondary academic books and websites, secondary industry books and websites, secondary popular criticism. Please identify specific examples you have come across.
Books
'Crime And Law In Media Culture' - Sheila Brown
'Film Censorship' - Guy Phelps
'Classified! A Teachers Guide To Film Censorship And Classification' - Richard Falcon
'Crime And The Media' - David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne
Websites:
To be added
11. Potential research sources (primary): audience reception research, your own content/textual analysis etc
Audience research collected, in the form of questionnaires as well as notes from interviews
Content analysis of sequences from Childs Play 3, in relation to the Jamie Bulger case
12. Modifications agreed with your lead teacher
tbc
13. Potential limits/obstacles/problems?
none that I can think of at the moment
14. Teacher concerns
tbc
15. Teacher approval
tbc
After completing this, it seems the main areas I need to work on are the industry context, as well as relating my study to forms and conventions. I also need to start adding websites and other primary and secondary sources to my lists.
1. Topic Area
Crime and the Media
2. Proposed title, question, hypothesis
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
3. Teacher approval granted, in principal?
Yes
4. Principle texts (if text based study)
The Jamie Bulger Case
A school shooting case, either Columbine or Virginia Tech
5. Reason for choice
After completing the film censorship unit, which covered many of the same areas of theory, for example the hypodermic needle model as well as just the overall concept of copycat crime, I knew I was very interested in this topic and have a good level of background knowledge to work from. The theory is understandable as well as interesting, and I think I would be able to cover it in more depth . There is a good amount of research and resources to help me, yet it is not an area that has already been done so much that there is nowhere further to go.
6. Academic context for this study (similar research, relevant theory, named theorists)
Many research studies done in this area
Focus on David Buckinghams research which involved holding focus groups with children and asking them what they thought
Also Bandura and the Bobo Doll Study, which is widely known as being 'proof' of the for side of the media effects debate
Relevant theory will include:
- Cause and effect debate
- Hypodermic needle model
- Just in Case argument
- Passive and Active viewing theories
7. Institutional context for this study (industry focus, other texts for comparison, named practitioners, relevant theory, issues, questions)
Industry perspective on the debate, including the opinions of filmmakers such as Ken Russell and Roman Polanski
This section needs work...
8. Identify the audience context for this study (audience profile, access to audience, potential sample)
Audience profile is very wide, almost copletely unlimited as everyone will have their own views on the power that the media has to influence opinions. Key groups will be children (aged between 8 and 16) and adults ages between around 40 and 50, as I think it would be interesting to see whether different generations have different views.
However I will ask a wide range of people, of all ages and both genders and see what patterns I will identify.
Audience research will be conducted mainly using one-to-one interviews, as this allows more detailed answers, and as this issue is quite complex, I think it would be hard to acheive useful material in a group situation.
9. How will the 4 key concepts be relevant to your study (audience, institution, forms and conventions, representation)?
Audience: Audience is key to this study, as everyone consumes media texts and has views on the issue of media effects. It is the general public that reads newspapers, watches films and listens to the radio, and so asking audience opinions is something I will draw many of my conclusions from.
Industry: Industry is also important, as they present almost the other side of the debate. The majority of filmmakers believe in freedom of expression, which comes into the debate of how important censorship is in minimising media effect.
Forms and conventions: ???
Representation: Representation comes into my study in different ways. It could be discussed in the way that how violence, sexual violence or imitable techniques are represented on screen changes the effect it has on the consumer. Equally it could be looked at by researching how media is represented in newspapers etc - ie, it is said to have a negative effect, and is overexaggerated at times, creating moral panics.
10 Potential research sources (secondary): secondary academic books and websites, secondary industry books and websites, secondary popular criticism. Please identify specific examples you have come across.
Books
'Crime And Law In Media Culture' - Sheila Brown
'Film Censorship' - Guy Phelps
'Classified! A Teachers Guide To Film Censorship And Classification' - Richard Falcon
'Crime And The Media' - David Kidd-Hewitt and Richard Osborne
Websites:
To be added
11. Potential research sources (primary): audience reception research, your own content/textual analysis etc
Audience research collected, in the form of questionnaires as well as notes from interviews
Content analysis of sequences from Childs Play 3, in relation to the Jamie Bulger case
12. Modifications agreed with your lead teacher
tbc
13. Potential limits/obstacles/problems?
none that I can think of at the moment
14. Teacher concerns
tbc
15. Teacher approval
tbc
After completing this, it seems the main areas I need to work on are the industry context, as well as relating my study to forms and conventions. I also need to start adding websites and other primary and secondary sources to my lists.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is a theorist I have found who deals specifically in the area of copycat cri
me; he has written more than one book on the subject. The website http://www.copycateffect.com// provided me with some interesting case studies and thougts on crime as a result of media.
The Copycat EffectHow The Media and Popular Culture Trigger The Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlinesby Loren ColemanParaview Pocket Books - Simon and Schuster, 2004, 308 pages
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 - Montreal, Quebec - Kimveer Gill, the 25-year-old shooter came to Dawson College, fully armed. He appeared to target what students call the "Jew Caf" a
nd opened fire, killing Anastasia de Sousa, 18, and wounding 19 other students. Gill was obsessed by the Columbine massacre. He mentioned online being a fan of several computer games (e.g. Super Columbine Massacre) and movies (e.g. Natural Born Killers, Matrix) with violent themes that have been played out in several school shootings.
Type of source: Secondary popular
Benefits of source:
- Published 2004-2006 so quite up to date
- By a recognised author
- Again gives specific case studies
Limitations of source:
- Personal opinions - made and edited by one man
- Also fails to name the case studies
Notes from criminology website
http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/learning.htm
From: Greek, Cecil. 1997a. Copy-cat crimes. In Rasmussen, R. Kent (ed.). Ready reference: Censorship. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Until the 1980s there was little empirical research dealing exclusively with copycat crime.
For example, an Australian study used a 3-year timeframe to compar
e police data on bank and other armed robberies with local newspaper stories on robberies during the same period. Robberies were compared for two 7-day periods immediately before and after the date of any newspaper story reporting a successful robbery. There was no evidence of any copycat effect following newspaper stories or after possible word-of-mouth communication about the commission of high-value bank robberies. Research results did not support the idea that newspaper reports of successful bank robberies stimulate copycat robberies of banks or other targets.
Ray Surette has done extensive research on copycat crimes since the mid-1980s. He argues that copycat crime is a persistent social phenomenon, common enough to influence the total crime picture, but mainly by influencing crime techniques rather than the motivation to commit a crime or the development of criminal tendencies.
In some cases, alleged copycats have stated they knew nothing of the previous publicized incident.
In 1995, a group of Tampa, FL teens bragged to police they stole cars and
shoot at robbery victims because earlier in the same week a 12-year-old
repeat robber had been granted probation rather than prison. The case had been given major media attention. Since terrorism is partially driven by media attention, it is not surprising that terrorists choose to repeat methods that have produced high media ratings in the past.
(This post isn't finished, I'm planning to refine and use this research)
Type of source: Secondary academic
Benefits of source:
- Academic, so more trustworthy than some websites.
- Relates copycat crime to other sources of media - ie newspapers, makes the link that if criminals receive publicity for something, it is likely to be repeated
- Use of examples, ie of research studies/theorists
Limitations of source:
- Published in 1997, so quite out of date
- Examples aren't named, so I cannot do much further research
From: Greek, Cecil. 1997a. Copy-cat crimes. In Rasmussen, R. Kent (ed.). Ready reference: Censorship. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
Until the 1980s there was little empirical research dealing exclusively with copycat crime.
For example, an Australian study used a 3-year timeframe to compar
e police data on bank and other armed robberies with local newspaper stories on robberies during the same period. Robberies were compared for two 7-day periods immediately before and after the date of any newspaper story reporting a successful robbery. There was no evidence of any copycat effect following newspaper stories or after possible word-of-mouth communication about the commission of high-value bank robberies. Research results did not support the idea that newspaper reports of successful bank robberies stimulate copycat robberies of banks or other targets.Ray Surette has done extensive research on copycat crimes since the mid-1980s. He argues that copycat crime is a persistent social phenomenon, common enough to influence the total crime picture, but mainly by influencing crime techniques rather than the motivation to commit a crime or the development of criminal tendencies.
In some cases, alleged copycats have stated they knew nothing of the previous publicized incident.
In 1995, a group of Tampa, FL teens bragged to police they stole cars and
shoot at robbery victims because earlier in the same week a 12-year-old
repeat robber had been granted probation rather than prison. The case had been given major media attention. Since terrorism is partially driven by media attention, it is not surprising that terrorists choose to repeat methods that have produced high media ratings in the past.
(This post isn't finished, I'm planning to refine and use this research)
Type of source: Secondary academic
Benefits of source:
- Academic, so more trustworthy than some websites.
- Relates copycat crime to other sources of media - ie newspapers, makes the link that if criminals receive publicity for something, it is likely to be repeated
- Use of examples, ie of research studies/theorists
Limitations of source:
- Published in 1997, so quite out of date
- Examples aren't named, so I cannot do much further research
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
First Thoughts
After reading some of the posts on the main critical research blog, I think the area I am most interested in is 'Crime in the Media,' and specifically the notion of crimes as a result of media, or copycat crimes. This links quite closely with the censorship unit we have just finished, which could be seen as a plus or a minus, but it is definitely one of the topic areas I think will be quite interesting and something I could go into a lot of depth about.
I tried to answer the initial proposal questions
1. Which topic area is this proposal for?
Crime and the Media
2. What is the suggested focus?
Copycat crimes, and specifically as a result of film. Specific examples will include 'Childs Play 3,' and a more recent example about college shootings such as Columbine or Virginia Tech
I tried to answer the initial proposal questions
1. Which topic area is this proposal for?
Crime and the Media
2. What is the suggested focus?
Copycat crimes, and specifically as a result of film. Specific examples will include 'Childs Play 3,' and a more recent example about college shootings such as Columbine or Virginia Tech
3. Do you have an idea for a question/problematic?
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
4. Why would you choose this?
It is an area I have a lot of thoughts about, and think it would be interesting to discuss the perceived view and then use facts to try and prove or disprove this. There is a lot of opportunity to use theory effectively, as well as presenting a balanced argument.
5. Do you have any concerns or are there any limitations to this proposal?
I'm not sure if it's a bad thing that we have just finished the censorship unit that deals with this exact subject. Although that was only in film, so I could look at video games, magazines etc and give a wider scope.
6. Can you rate it on a sliding scale 1- 5?
4
Is there such a thing as copycat crime?
4. Why would you choose this?
It is an area I have a lot of thoughts about, and think it would be interesting to discuss the perceived view and then use facts to try and prove or disprove this. There is a lot of opportunity to use theory effectively, as well as presenting a balanced argument.
5. Do you have any concerns or are there any limitations to this proposal?
I'm not sure if it's a bad thing that we have just finished the censorship unit that deals with this exact subject. Although that was only in film, so I could look at video games, magazines etc and give a wider scope.
6. Can you rate it on a sliding scale 1- 5?
4
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