Laura Crysel Being
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Stetson University Summer Grant Progress Report – Laura Crysel Being the “Catcher in the Rye”: What is the Harm in Challenged Books? To what extent does a controversial book affect the individual who reads it? Research has failed to address the causal effects of reading banned or challenged literature. There have been some changes to the project since my initial proposal. For example, I have spent the summer reviewing previous literature and collecting materials for my project, some of which are slightly different from those I originally planned to use. I tried to select materials that would reduce the burden on participants (fewer items) and would be as close to what I actually wanted to test as possible, rather than simply replicating previous research. I have also changed the project to reflect the current funding available, hoping to seek out more participants through connections with the ALA and local high schools. Moreover, I reduced the amount of money offered for participation in order to ensure the study will be sufficiently powered. Possibly due to the sensitive nature of the project, I have had difficulty getting the study approved by the IRB, but will begin collecting data once I have approval. I have attached materials below for a more comprehensive review of my progress. Literature Review Mark David Chapman associated J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” with his assassination of John Lennon (CNN, 2013). This, along with the content of the book itself, made the book extremely controversial. The American Library Association (ALA) reports attempts to censor such controversial literature every year (http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10). However, research has yet to demonstrate whether controversial books actually have the potential for harm. While research frequently addresses the role of violent video games or television in aggression, books can be controversial for a variety of reasons (i.e., sexual or religious content, different moral perspectives). A book becomes a “challenged book” when an attempt is made to restrict access to it, and the ALA keeps records of frequently challenged books. For example, in the previous decade, the “Harry Potter” series topped the list for exposing children to witchcraft. The censorship debate goes beyond potential harm: for example, the ALA values intellectual freedom highly. The merits of a no-censorship policy would be a completely separate issue from whether concerns about specific literature have any grounds whatsoever. In fact, whether any harm is done at all is an empirical (not ethical) question that has not been fully addressed. One correlational study found naturally occurring differences; there was poorer mental health only for a small portion of those who chose to read challenged literature (Ferguson 2014). However, only experimental research can test the causal nature of this relationship, if it exists. The only study to use experimental design thus far (Coyne, 2012) showed an association between aggressive behavior and aggressive passages. However, the stimuli were passages created for the study, not works of creative fiction or whole novels. Once again, the focus on aggression leaves out the more common concerns in book challenges. For example, the concern over the “witchcraft” in Harry Potter is not over whether children will be more aggressive, but whether it will change children’s religious conviction. In contrast, there is also research suggesting that books like these can do good, at least from an anti-prejudice perspective (Vezzali, Stathi, Giovannini, Capozza, & Trifiletti, 2014). The study I propose will test whether reading challenged books does some form of harm or benefit to those that read it, and define that harm broadly to address concerns from various groups. I intend to use four books in each condition for the sake of stimulus sampling (Wells & Windschitl, 1999). Stimulus sampling involves using more than one stimuli per condition in a study, and is important when a researcher is varying stimuli between conditions. If a study uses an image of one male and one female to test differences caused by gender, there may also be differences, such as attractiveness, which would be indiscernible from the manipulated difference (gender). Therefore it is insufficient to use one book for each condition, as the books differ in more than “challenged” status. This study may replicate the results of Ferguson (2014), showing that increased civic behaviors, as well as certain mental health issues, are associated with reading challenged books for some participants. However, if the causal order is such that distressed participants are seeking out controversial material, there may be no differences between the groups. In fact, reading challenged books may actually be associated with “improvement,” such as higher empathy towards disadvantaged groups. This may occur because those books contain themes of mistreatment by society. For example, previous research has found that reading Harry Potter can lead to a decrease in prejudice (Vezzali et al., 2014). However, it is not sufficient to say that failing to find group differences means that no effect occurred, as there are many reasons one may fail to find group differences (such as low power). As a result, I intend to use statistical methods designed to test for whether groups are equivalent. Restated, the statistical tests typical of behavioral research are not designed for showing evidence of “no difference between groups,” but are instead meant to detect differences. In addition to testing for differences, when none are found, I will follow-up with equivalence tests (Rogers, Howard, & Vessey, 1993; Tryon, 2001). This will establish with more confidence whether the books do not cause harm. Materials Age: __________________ Gender: ________________ Race: __________________ Current U.S. State: __________________ __________________Please rate your own sexual orientation on the following 5-point scale: 1. Exclusively heterosexual 2. Heterosexual with some homosexual activity 3. Bisexual 4. Homosexual with some heterosexual activity 5. Exclusively homosexual If other, please pick the “best” option above. You may then clarify below: ________________________________________________________________________ Mood Measure: To what extent do you feel each of these moods on a typical day? Please rate your mood from 0 (not at all) to 5 (extremely)? __________________annoyed __________________sad __________________irritated __________________bored __________________cheerful __________________upbeat __________________happy __________________content Symptoms Checklist: Please tell us to what extent you experience these feelings, using the following scale: “not at all” (1) to “a little bit” (2), “moderately” (3), “quite a bit” (4), and “extremely” (5). __________________Hopeless about future __________________Feeling blue __________________Feel alone with others __________________Something wrong with mind __________________Tense or keyed up __________________Fearful Sexual Conservativism Measure: 1- Not Important 2- Important 3- Very Important Please rate the following from 1 (not Important) to 3 (very important). How important is it for you: __________________1. To wait to have sex until marriage? __________________2. To wait to have sex until you are older? __________________3. To wait to have sex until you are in love? __________________4. To be considered a virgin? Religious Commitment Please rate the following from 1 (not at all true of me) to 5 (totally true of me). __________________1. I often read books and magazines about my faith. __________________2. I give money to my religious organization. __________________3. I try to increase my understanding of my faith. __________________4. Religion is especially important to me because it answers many questions about the meaning of life. __________________5. My religious beliefs lie behind my whole approach to life. __________________6. I enjoy spending time with others of my religious affiliation. __________________7. Religious beliefs influence all my dealings in life. __________________8. It is important to me to spend periods of time in private religious thought and reflection. __________________9. I enjoy revision : participating in religious activities. __________________10. I am involved in my religious group. __________________11. I have some influence on the decisions of my religious group. Religiosity: 1- Not Important 2- Important 3- Very Important Please rate the following from 1 (not Important) to 3 (very important). How important is it for you: __________________1. To rely on religious teachings when you have a problem? __________________2. To believe in God? __________________3. To rely on your religious beliefs as a guide for day-to-day living? __________________4. To be able to pray when you’re facing a personal problem? Risky behavior: How frequently did you engage in the following over the past 6 months, from 1 (not at all) to 5 (frequently)? __________________Smoke cigarettes __________________Use marijuana __________________Other (non-medical) drug use __________________Drink alcohol __________________Engage in sexual behavior with a partner __________________Engage in sexual behavior with a partner and without protection __________________Engage in violent behavior Prosocial Behavior: Below are sentences that might or might not describe you. Please indicate how much each statement describes you by using the scale below. 1 = Does Not