For my project, I will be learning about the psychology behind crime shows. I will discover how people’s beliefs and attitudes are influenced by crime shows on television. I decided to further investigate this topic because I love crime shows. One thing that I have noticed while watching some popular crime series on television or Netflix is the attitude I gain when watching these shows. An example of this could be my personal belief that law enforcement always wins regardless of the circumstances and that mentally ill people are more likely to become criminals than someone who is not mentally ill. These beliefs are drawn from crime shows that I am hooked to. I also picked my topic because I am a Communication Studies major. In the Communication Studies major here at R-MC, we explore and investigate the media. With connecting my project topic with my major, I can use my prior knowledge to help draw new conclusions. I can also use these conclusions to help advance my studies as a student.
For my overall project, I will hopefully be addressing two audiences. My first audience will be the public. I want the American public to be aware of my topic to prevent external biases they could possibly obtain from watching crime series on television. The second audience I will be addressing is the psychology field. By informing psychologists of my research found in my project, they could possibly advance their data and knowledge (even though they are already experts!).
My project goals are very distinct. I want to inform my audience of the possibility of crime television shows impacting their attitudes and beliefs. I also want to be able to conduct research that will be beneficial for my audience. I want them to be aware of these beliefs they could obtain. I want to discover how attitudes are shaped by these shows considering the topics of race, ethnicity, mental health, fear of crime, view of law enforcement and criminals, along with jury impacts. These topics are very structured and can help prove that biases and distinct beliefs are formed from the crime shows on television.
If someone gave me ten-thousand dollars to expand my project, I would conduct an advanced psychological study. I would take a wide range of participants and survey them asking them questions regarding crime shows and their beliefs. Or I could ask people to watch certain crime shows and survey them on how they feel. I would definitely fill in the gaps from other researchers’ work once I feel I have learned and understood more. With my money, I would then expand scholars previous work within this area. I would want to be part of a psychological research, and investigating crime shows and how they can influence the public’s attitudes and perspectives would be great. With a bank account of ten-thousand whopping dollars, I would also spend some of it on a public outreach campaign to help inform people about the negative side of crime shows, like how one views criminals and law enforcement based off the shows we watch all the time on television.