Bachelor of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2023, Psychology

This current study investigates the relationship between sexist beliefs, self-objectification, and fear of crime. In addition, the researchers sought to investigate whether these social attitudes would predict trustworthiness ratings of male faces. In part one, survey responses from 52 participants were collected. In part two, 45 participants were exposed to a crime salience manipulation before rating the trustworthiness of a series of male faces. We ran bivariate correlations between the predictor variables to confirm existing relationships as seen in the literature regarding the development of the scales as well as the research used well after the scales were developed. The results confirmed these existing relationships and revealed a significant negative relationship between fear of crime and body shame, as well as a significant positive relationship between right-wing political ideology and hostile sexism. In part two, those who were exposed to the crime salience manipulation agreed more with the results of the crime-centered poll if they scored high in fear of crime rather than low. Those exposed to the control condition showed no difference in agreement whether low or high in fear of crime. A 4-way interaction was also found between the dichotomized fear of crime variable, the manipulation condition, face model type, and the amount of manipulation applied to faces. For trust model-derived faces, trustworthiness ratings increased in a linear progression as more information was applied. However, for dominance model-derived faces, trust judgments increased in a curvilinear progression. Trust ratings peaked at the mid-level of information and were the lowest at the highest level of information.

Committee: Michael Anes (Advisor); Cynthia Richards (Committee Member); William Davis (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Physiological Psychology; Psychological Tests; Psychology; Social Psychology; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1983, Sociology

A widely accepted postulate among social scientists is that the distorted image of crime presented in the mass media leads to increased and possibly irrational fears of crime in the public. It was hypothesized that exposure to the mass media (i.e., newspapers, television news and television watching in general) would be positively correlated with perceptions that a respondent's chances of being victimized are greater "now" than a year ago. In addition to the direct effects hypothesis, an alternative hypothesis posited that the relationship between the "fear of crime" and mass media use habits would be stronger for those social groups most fearful of crime (i.e., women, the elderly, nonwhites and those with less education). Data from four surveys, three drawn from the public and one from a college student population, were analyzed. Crosstabular and regression analysis failed to support the hypotheses, a finding which generally is consistent with previous research. The direct effects model is criticized as being too simplistic, deterministic and mechanistic. Instead, it is argued that people actively engage in constructing meaning from mass media messages about crime. Attribution theory is drawn upon to explain how the consumer of crime news is able to neutralize fear-evoking response mechanisms.

Committee: Joseph Scott (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2023, Sociology

Over the past few decades, scholars and policymakers have paid a lot of attention to the fear of crime. Researchers have looked at crime and the fear of crime through Shaw and McKay's (1942) social disorganization theory. This theory argues that neighborhoods that are more urbanized are more likely to have a higher crime rate and, as a result, a higher fear of crime. While there has been much research done on the fear of crime through the framework of social disorganization theory, most of these studies have been conducted in Western developed countries, such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom (Ade 2007; Cordner 2008; Reid and Roberts 1998; Ruhs, Greve, and Kappes 2017). Not much is known when it comes to developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This suggests that a cross-cultural understanding of the fear of crime is necessary to enhance our global understanding of the fear of crime. As a result, this dissertation tests the social disorganization theory in Ghana, Africa, by examining the spatial variation of fear of crime in the neighborhood in three categorized regions (major urbanized, semi-urbanized, and less urbanized regions). Also, it examines the relationship between fear of crime, trust among neighbors, and trust in the police. Finally, it investigates how aspects of social disorganization theory, the presence of social disorder, collective efficacy, and victimization experience influence the fear of crime in Ghana, using a cross-cultural, nationally representative sample of data from the World Values Survey (2012). The findings suggest that fear of crime is a significant concern for residents in Ghana. Using ordered logistic regression, results from this study indicate that residents in major urban regions and less urban regions reported higher levels of fear of crime than those in semi-urban regions. This result partially supports the social disorganization hypothesis in terms of why individuals fear crime more in urban areas (Shaw a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Juan Xi (Committee Member); Stacey Nofziger (Committee Member); Robert L. Peralta (Committee Chair); Janet Klein (Committee Member); Daniela Jauk-Ajamie (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Research; Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2016, Sociology

Handgun ownership in the U.S. is associated with both risks and benefits with some research showing an increased risk of accidental death and suicide (Hemenway 2011) and other studies finding that crime and victimization reductions associated with handgun ownership are significant (Kleck 1988: Kleck 2004; Kleck & Gertz 2005). However, little of this research addresses a fundamental question about handgun ownership: Why do some people choose to buy handguns while most in the U.S. do not? Lack of knowledge about what motivates handgun ownership precludes an educated national discussion about gun ownership, gun control, and gun violence. Previous research on the motivations for handgun ownership has been hindered by a paucity of data, inconsistent measures of ownership, and consideration of only a limited number of possible motivating factors at one time. In the present study, I use multiple waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescence to Adult Health (ADD Health) to examine adolescent and adult correlates of handgun ownership in a nationally-representative sample of young adults. The motivations for gun ownership outlined in the prior literature include socialization (O'Connor & Lizotte 1979; Cao et al 1997), masculinity (Stroud 2012), victimization and fear of crime, (DeFronzo 1979; Hill et al 1985; Kleck et al. 2011; Turner et al 2015; Walllace 2015), political ideology (Cook and Ludwig 1997; Hepburn et al. 2007), and societal insecurities (Jiobu & Curry 2001l; Carlson 2015). Using logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression, I examine all of these correlates simultaneously in order to better understand handgun owners and the differences between “typical” handgun owners (i.e., those owning 1-2 handguns) and atypical owners (i.e. those owning 3 or more handguns). The findings showed that socialization, victimization, conservatism, and societal insecurity increase the likelihood of handgun ownership but none of the focal correlates differe (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stephen Demuth (Advisor); Raymond Swisher (Committee Member); Jorge Chavez (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, Sociology

The goal of this study is to examine the association between collective perceptions of the police, social capital, and fear of crime in the neighborhood context. Extending Bahn's (1974) reassurance model, I argue that communities which perceive the police to be biased or ineffective at addressing neighborhood problems will have higher levels of fear. Few studies have examined how neighborhood social capital figures into this relationship, and the extant literature suffers from a lack of specificity and consistency in how social capital is conceptualized and measured. Drawing on the original formulation proposed by Bourdieu (1986), this study examines how four distinct dimensions of neighborhood social capital; social ties, attachment, neighboring, and collective efficacy; interact with perceptions of the police in their association with fear. Using the Seattle Neighborhoods and Crime Survey (2002-2003), I provide a between-neighborhood analysis which tests hypotheses of mediation and moderation specific to each dimension of social capital as they relate to perceptions of the police and fear of crime. I argue that the hypothesized negative association between social capital and fear will be amplified in neighborhoods where residents feel the police are ineffective at controlling crime or are biased in their policing. Thus, the stock of social capital in neighborhoods may compensate for the real or perceived lack of reassurance from sources of formal control. This study finds support for hypotheses overall, and indicates the importance of measuring dimensions of social capital separately, as different dimensions are found to operate independently and with varying associations with neighborhood fear.

Committee: Jorge Chavez (Advisor); Raymond Swisher (Committee Member); Danielle Kuhl (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Research; Social Structure; Sociology

Master of Science in Criminal Justice, Youngstown State University, 2011, Department of Criminal Justice and Consumer Sciences

The media often portrays an inner city overcome with violence. This research investigates whether citizens are emotionally responsive to this attention, as well as the self protective measures they utilize based on where they reside. Because the press devotes so much of its media coverage to violence, the main hypothesis to be tested here is that the more one is exposed to the media, the more they will be fearful of crime. The demographic variables included in this survey will be as follows: age, gender, race, average household income, and level of education. The predictor variable is the amount of media consumed, with the dependent variable being one's level of fear of violent victimization. Conclusions were drawn from data obtained from students attending a midsized urban university (N=134) in the Midwest in order to see what impact the media has on fear. The hypothesis that high media exposure would increase levels of fear and increase precautionary measure was unsupported. However, support was found for the hypothesis that respondents who were themselves a crime victim or knew the victim of a crime are more aware of the threat of victimization. Future researchers may want to operationalize media by other means such as specifying source of media and if this influences fear of crime.

Committee: Christopher Bellas PhD (Advisor); John Hazy PhD (Committee Member); Susan Clutter MFS (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Although fear and perceived risk are well studied among adult samples, fewer works have explored these phenomena among samples of students. This dissertation provided an inquiry into the fear and perceived risk of secondary students across various schools in Kentucky. More specifically, though, this dissertation examined the extent to which indicators of vulnerability (i.e., sociodemographic characteristics and prior victimization) and lifestyle/routine activities (i.e., target attractiveness, exposure, and guardianship) predicted fear and perceived risk of sexual and nonsexual in-school victimization. The shadow of sexual assault is also assessed by examining the extent to which fear and risk of sexual victimization predict fear and risk of non-sexual victimization. The rationality of students' fear and risk perceptions are considered in light of findings from such analysis. Using data from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project (RSVP), the findings revealed that many of the indicators of vulnerability and lifestyle/routine activities significantly impacted students' fear and perceived risk. Overall, female students and prior victims of crime expressed more fear and perceived greater risk than males and nonvictims. Low self-control and believing illegal items at school were easy to obtain consistently increased students' fear and perceptions of risk. On the other hand, attachment to peers and the perceived willingness of teachers to intervene in violent situations reduced the fear and risk perceptions of students. Given the consistency of many of these indicators across the models, it is argued that much of students' fear and perceived risk appear rational. What is more, that data show that a portion of students' fear and perceived risk of nonsexual victimization is driven by their fear and risk of sexual victimization. Policy implications for these findings are presented, as are recommendations for future works.

Committee: Pamela Wilcox PhD (Committee Chair); Shayne Jones PhD (Committee Member); Michael Benson PhD (Committee Member); Francis Cullen PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Fear of crime research has continued to grow over the last 40 years. However, while fear of crime continues to be a major variable of interest among researchers, little effort has been made to appropriately incorporate fear of crime into the study of online victimization. To date, there have been no empirical, academic studies that focus specifically on the prevalence of fear of cybercrime. Additionally, there has only one study which has attempted to examine any predictors of fear of cybercrime (Higgins et al., 2006). As a result, very little is known about fear of online victimization. The purpose of this dissertation was to continue to develop the fear of crime literature by examining the extent of fear of cyberstalking victimization, as well as the factors that serve as predictors for fear of cyberstalking. Utilizing data from a large sample of undergraduate students from the University of Cincinnati, the current study analyzed both the extent of fear of cyberstalking victimization and the link between cyberstalking victimization, perceived risk of cyberstalking victimization, and fear of cyberstalking victimization. As reported by this study, a large number of individuals are afraid of experiencing cyberstalking victimization. Further, gender, relationship status, type of offender, and frequency of pursuit behaviors have a major impact on the levels of reported fear of cyberstalking victimization. As with previous fear of crime research, cyberstalking victimization and perceived risk of cyberstalking victimization are also both key predictors of fear of cyberstalking victimization. The similarities and differences between fear of traditional street crime and cybercrime and possible directions for future research are also discussed.

Committee: Bonnie Sue Fisher PhD (Committee Chair); David May PhD (Committee Member); Christopher Sullivan PhD (Committee Member); Pamela Wilcox PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

This study will examine how young people in poor urban areas experience and think about their neighborhoods. Prevailing scholarship assumes that such neighborhoods pose serious risks—psychological, physical, social—(Brooks-Gunn et al 1997; Sampsun & Laub 1993; Feins & Shroder 2005; Ginsburg et al 2002); they are “socially toxic,” according to one theoretical tradition (Garbarino 2008), and therefore, according to other theorists, youth in such neighborhoods need to build “resilience” against the dangers that permeate their environment. What is largely missing from such scholarship, however, are the voices of young people themselves. Are they afraid? Do they experience their neighborhoods as hostile and harsh? Are they agents within or subjects of their neighborhoods? For the most part, we do not know. Therefore, I have offered such youth an opportunity to contribute their own voices to this discussion and allow us to see through their eyes, rather than having the assumptions and conclusions of researchers—whose social location often could not be more distant from their own—imposed upon them. Specifically, I have asked 9 teenagers (13-16 year olds) from two local Boys and Girls Clubs to make photo documentaries of their neighborhoods and then discuss their neighborhoods in a total of three focus groups. The presentation will focus on the photographs themselves, why the participants chose certain locations, and what the pictures convey about the photographer's perceptions of their neighborhoods.

Committee: Annulla Linders PhD (Committee Chair); Steven Carlton-Ford PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2009, Education : Criminal Justice

The relationship between the physical and social environment to the behavior of individuals is an intrinsic part of sociology and criminology. This relationship exists in every environment regardless of size, yet typically we apply theory at the neighborhood level. In this work I test the propositions of the disorder model on the environment – behavior dynamic in high schools. I argue in this work that the high school, in many ways is similar to the neighborhood environment and thus can serve as a laboratory environment. Accordingly, I have addressed a variety of disorders and their relationship to behavioral adaptation through fear. Result of regression analysis ultimately provide only moderate support for the disorder model, but these findings provoke do have value. First, the fear and victimization hypothesis emerges as a possibly more important means of understanding the nature of adaptive behavior. Second the data facilitate the exploration of places within places, or micro-places, which illustrate the need to better direct efforts in schools. Finally, and most fundamentally, this study contributes to the existing debate on how exactly fear and adaptive behaviors are related. Various opinions exist in the literature which range from fear as a predictor of behavior to fear as an outcome of risk perception and constrained behavior, and fear as a co-occurrence to behavioral adaptation and risk perception. The data presented here suggest merely that fear and behavior are positively correlated. I feel that a more appropriate model can be developed, and should be explored in future research. I propose one such model above and am hopeful that it will serve as a good starting point for further theoretical refinement. Ultimately, this data provide only moderate support for the proposed theoretical “broken windows” mechanisms, and thus should be thought of as only generally supportive of such theory. Yet clearly the findings leave room for other theoretical possibilities (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Pamela Wilcox Ph.D. (Committee Chair); John Eck Ph.D. (Committee Member); Lawrence Travis Ph.D. (Committee Member); David May Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

PHD, Kent State University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science

The later part of the 20th Century observed a considerable resurgence in sex or deviant offender statutes; now reclassified as community notification laws. The new policies, unlike previous legislation, offer community-wide notification, increased monitoring and full disclosure of offender's personal information to the public. This study found that receiving more thorough information about specific sex offenders appears to raise, rather than allay, concerns about sex offenders. Law enforcement agencies with written policies on the law benefited with increased information sharing among other criminal justice agencies, but urban departments reported a strain on departmental resources and increased workloads. Older, single, African-American and offenders that did not graduate high school or obtain a GED or dropped out before the 9th grade were more likely to be incarcerated for longer a period of time for violating the failure to verify address portion of the law. Megan's law is designed to address more fully the social problem of sex offenders. However, given its more punitive sentiments, the law creates unintended consequences for citizens, law enforcement and offenders. The law heightens fear and concern among citizens about sex offenders. In the process, the supposed deterrent effect of the law is unfulfilled. The law places burdens and underfunded mandates on law enforcement and does nothing to promote effective sex offender treatment to reduce recidivism or aid in offender compliance.

Committee: David Kessler A (Committee Co-Chair); Mark Colvin W (Committee Co-Chair); Renee Johnson (Committee Member); Vera Camden (Committee Member); Kristin Mickelson D (Other) Subjects: Criminology; Law; Political Science

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2012, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

The study at hand assessed the relative importance of situational and dispositional factors in predicting victimization, perceived risk, and fear of crime at work as a first step to developing practices and procedures that minimize employees' experiences of workplace victimization. The theoretical approach to the matter in question took into consideration the situational tenets of lifestyle/routine activity theory and the individual tenets of negative affectivity and low self-control theories. The domain-specific empirical assessment was based on data from a survey administered to a representative sample of professional journalists working in two southern European countries: Greece and Cyprus. The multivariate statistical techniques of correspondence analysis, multiple regression, and logistic regression were employed for the analysis of the data. The results indicated a relatively high prevalence of physical victimization among professional journalists, an exceptionally high prevalence of psychological victimization and an average prevalence of property victimization. Male journalists were found to be significantly more likely to be victims of both physical violence and property victimization. Older journalists were found to suffer significantly more property offenses and younger journalists significantly more psychological abuse. Compared to married journalists, single ones were found to be victimized significantly more by psychological abuse. Furthermore, it was found that journalists have low-to-moderate levels of perceived risk and relatively low levels of fear of crime. The perception of risk among journalists was invariant across sociodemographic characteristics. However, female journalists and younger respondents expressed higher levels of fear of being verbally threatened. Male journalists and those less educated expressed higher levels of fear of being physically attacked. Moreover, the gender-age categories who suffered more from physical victimization w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Bonnie Sue Fisher PhD (Committee Chair); Giannis Panousis PhD (Committee Member); Francis Cullen PhD (Committee Member); Pamela Wilcox PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology