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 “” with his assassination of (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 Describe Me At All 2 = Describes Me A Little 3 = Somewhat Describes Me 4 = Describes Me Well 5 = Describes Me Greatly ____ 1. I can help others best when people are watching me. ____ 2. It makes me feel good when I can comfort someone who is very upset. ____ 3. When other people are around, it is easier for me to help others in need. ____ 4. I think that one of the best things about helping others is that it makes me look good. ____ 5. I get the most out of helping others when it is done in front of other people. ____ 6. I tend to help people who are in a real crisis or need. ____ 7. When people ask me to help them, I don’t hesitate. ____ 8. I prefer to donate money without anyone knowing. ____ 9. I tend to help people who are hurt badly. ____10. I believe that donating goods or money works best when I get some benefit. ____11. I tend to help others in need when they do not know who helped them. ____12. I tend to help others especially when they are really emotional. ____13. Helping others when I am being watched is when I work best. ____14. It is easy for me to help others when they are in a bad situation. ____15. Most of the time, I help others when they do not know who helped them. ____16. I believe I should receive more rewards for the time and energy I spend on volunteer service. ____17. I respond to helping others best when the situation is highly emotional. ____18. I never wait to help others when they ask for it. ____19. I think that helping others without them knowing is the best type of situation. ____20. One of the best things about doing charity work is that it looks good on my resume. ____21. Emotional situations make me want to help others in need. ____22. I often make donations without anyone knowing because they make me feel good. ____23. I feel that if I help someone, they should help me in the future. ____24. I often help even if I don’t think I will get anything out of helping. ____25. I usually help others when they are very upset.

Please rate the following from 1 (not very important) to 5 (very important).

When you think about your life and your future, how important is each of the following for you personally to achieve?

______Helping my country ______Working to stop prejudice ______Helping those who are less fortunate ______Helping people who are poor

Other Items:

Please rate your agreement on a 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely) scale.

______Homosexuality is immoral. ______I believe that homosexual behavior is worse than heterosexual behavior. ______Homosexuals and heterosexuals should be treated equally. ______I have no preference about the sexual orientation of others.

______I want to feel empathy for other people. ______I do not like to consider another person’s feelings. ______I do not want to think about another person’s point of view. ______I want to fully understand how other people think.

______My views on sexuality have changed since agreeing to participate in this study. ______My views on religion have changed since agreeing to participate in this study.

Items for Parents

Please rate your agreement on a 1-5 scale. ______My child is defiant. ______My child shows me respect. ______My child does as I ask. ______My child is rebellious. ______I feel like my child has changed since the study began. ______I feel like my child is worse off for participating in this research. ______I feel like my child is better off for participating in this research.

______What is your child’s most recent G.P.A.?

What concerns have you had over the course of the study?

Sample Flyer 1:

Interested in participating in research on the effects of literature? Participants will be asked to read one of eight books and then complete questionnaires. Those who follow instructions will be given $15 in compensation. Please contact Dr. Laura Crysel ([email protected]) for more information!

Flyer 2:

Interested in participating in research on the effects of literature? Please contact Dr. Laura Crysel ([email protected]) for more information! Participants will be asked to read one of eight books and then complete questionnaires. If you are willing to offer your students extra credit for extra reading (and helping the scientific study of fiction), please get in touch! Variants on the fliers will use these photos. The fonts may be changed to suit the different formatting of the plain document (as opposed to this proposal).

Announcement: Does what we read affect us? I want to know the answer! If you are interested in or passionate about censorship, literature, or “banned”/challenged books, please contact Dr. Laura Crysel at [email protected].

Announcement: My name is Dr. Laura Crysel and I am passionate about literature and challenged books. I want to ask students to read one of eight randomly assigned books and complete questionnaires about their attitudes and wellbeing. If you are willing to offer your students extra credit for participation in my research, please contact me at [email protected]

Announcement: You may have seen research on video games and television, but there is very little scientific research on the effects of literature. If you are willing to offer your students extra credit for participation in my research, please contact me at [email protected]

REFERENCES

Aalsma, Matthew C., Woodrome, Stacy E., Downs, Sarah M., Hensel, Devon J., Zimet, Gregory D., Orr, Don P., & Fortenberry, J. Dennis. (2013). Developmental trajectories of religiosity, sexual conservatism and sexual behavior among female adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, Vol 36(6), 1193-1204. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.08.005 American Library Assocation. Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

Carlo, Gustavo, Hausmann, Anne, Christiansen, Stacie, & Randall, Brandy A. (2003). Sociocognitive and behavioral correlates of a measure of prosocial tendencies for adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence, Vol 23(1), 107-134. doi: 10.1177/0272431602239132

CNN. Crimes of the Century: The . Aired June 30, 2013. Retrieved from http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1306/30/se.02.html

Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155-159.

Coyne, S. M., Ridge, R., Stevens, M., Callister, M., & Stockdale, L. (2012). Backbiting and bloodshed in books: Short‐ term effects of reading physical and relational aggression in literature. British Journal Of Social Psychology, 51(1), 188-196. doi:10.1111/j.2044- 8309.2011.02053.x

Erentaitė, Rasa, Žukauskienė, Rita, Beyers, Wim, & Pilkauskaitė-Valickienė, Rasa. (2012). Is news media related to civic engagement? The effects of interest in and discussions about the news media on current and future civic engagement of adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, Vol 35(3), 587-597. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.12.008

Fairbairn, Catharine E., & Sayette, Michael A. (2013). The effect of alcohol on emotional inertia: A test of alcohol myopia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 122(3), 770-781. doi: 10.1037/a0032980

Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 175-191.

Ferguson, C. J. (2014). Is reading “banned” books associated with behavior problems in young readers? The influence of controversial young adult books on the psychological well- being of adolescents. Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And The Arts, 8(3), 354-362. doi:10.1037/a0035601

Lafond, L. What’s the Harm in Harry Potter? [Web Blog Post]. The Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved from http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/OnlineDiscipleship/HarryPotterControversy/harrypotterharm.as px

Miller, Wendi A., Shepperd, James A., & McCullough, Michael E. (2013). Evaluating the Religious Commitment Inventory for Adolescents. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, Vol 5(4), 242-251. doi: 10.1037/a0031694

Rogers, J. L., Howard, K. I., & Vessey, J. T. (1993). Using significance tests to evaluate equivalence between two experimental groups. Psychological bulletin,113(3), 553.

Rosen, Craig S., Drescher, Kent D., Moos, Rudolf H., Finney, John W., Murphy, Ronald T., & Gusman, Fred. (2000). Six- and ten-item indexes of psychological distress based on the Symptom Checklist-90. Assessment, Vol 7(2), 103-111. doi: 10.1177/107319110000700201

Safren, Steven A., & Heimberg, Richard G. (1999). Depression, hopelessness, suicidality, and related factors in sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol 67(6), 859-866. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.67.6.859

Tryon, W. W. (2001). Evaluating statistical difference, equivalence, and indeterminacy using inferential confidence intervals: an integrated alternative method of conducting null hypothesis statistical tests. Psychological methods,6(4), 371.

Vezzali, L., Stathi, S., Giovannini, D., Capozza, D., & Trifiletti, E. (2014). The greatest magic of harry potter: Reducing prejudice. Journal Of Applied Social Psychology, doi:10.1111/jasp.12279

Wells, G. L., & Windschitl, P. D. (1999). Stimulus sampling and social psychological experimentation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 1115-1125.