Seeing is Believing: The Influence of Graphic Images on the Public's Perception of Crime

Participant Information Sheet

Researcher Name: Angel I

Student ID: 100221556

Supervisor Name & Contact Info: Zoe Partington // PPCdissertationssupervisors@burnley.ac.uk

Department / Institution: University of Greater Manchester

 

BCUC in association with the University of Greater Manchester supports the practice of protection for human subjects partcipating in research. All research will be supervised and has passed the university's ethics procedure.

You are invited to take part in a research study exploring how people respond to crime-related images and information. Before you decide whether you would like to participate, please read the following information carefully.

I am a student at BCUC completing my 3rd year project under the supervision of Zoe Partington. This study is only suitable for those aged 18 years old or above.

This study is designed to collect information on the participants' demographics (age, gender, ethnicity) and personal perceptions related to crime based on the combination of images and text.

Taking part in this research is completely voluntary. You may choose to not participate or withdraw from the study at any time before submitting your responses, without giving a reason and without penalty. Once you have submitted your data, it may not be possible to withdraw it, as it will be anonymised. Therefore, it is difficult to precisely identify your exact data.

If you agree to take part, you will complete an online questionnaire lasting approximately 5-10 minutes. You will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions, where you will read a short crime vignette/story which will be accompanied by an image or no image. Afterwards, you will complete a range of questions about your perceptions and opinions related to the crime.

In regards to the crime vignette/story and images, they are fictional/AI-generated for the sole purpose of this study and do no depict any specific real life event or crime. However, please answer the questions presented with total honesty, as if they were real.

If you have experienced a knife crime in real life, please make sure you are comfortable taking part in this research. If you decide to take part, but if you experience distress please use the provided support resources listed below, or any other support you may wish to use. 

All information received will remain strictly confidential, anonymous and no one will have access to it outside of the individuals involved in this research. Your name will not be associated with the data, as the findings will be studied as a group. 

If you are interested in recieving support about any issues raised in this study, please contact the following centres:

Samaritans:

Phone - 116 123

Email - jo@samaritans.org

 

MIND:

Phone - 0300 123 3393

Email - info@mind.org.uk

 

If you feel you need any additional information concerning this study before or after it is completed and submitted, you can contact the investigator using the contact details above at the start of the page.

This research has been reviewed and approved by the BCUC ethics commitee. For research-related problems or questions regarding participants' rights, please contact the ethics committee representative email: PPCdissertationsupervisors@burnley.ac.uk

Please read the following

Crime Vignette 

“On Saturday 14th September 2024, at approximately 8:45pm, an incident occurred on a busy shopping street near Huddersfield train station. The area was still crowded with people leaving nearby restaurants, and several pedestrians witnessed the event.  
The incident involved a 43-year-old male, later identified as Lewis Porter, and a 26-year-old male victim, Daniel Hughes. According to witness reports, the two individuals appeared to have a brief verbal exchange before the situation escalated. It is unclear what triggered the confrontation, although some witnesses stated that the two men did not seem to know each other.  

During the altercation, Porter produced a newly purchased kitchen knife, described in the police report as having a sharp stainless-steel blade, measuring at 22cm in length. He held the knife in his right hand and pointed it towards Hughes while being verbally aggressive. Several bystanders stepped back, and one person contacted the emergency services.  
The confrontation lasted less than a minute before Porter made a sudden movement towards Hughes, where Porter stabbed Hughes several times to the torso area.  

Bystanders shouted for help, and some attempted to intervene by creating distance between the two men. After the assault, Porter dropped the knife and attempted to flee, but was apprehended and detained on a nearby street.  
Hughes collapsed shortly after the attack and received immediate first aid from members of the public until paramedics arrived. He was transported to the local hospital for emergency treatment.  

Police recovered the knife at the scene, and Porter was arrested on suspicion of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.” 

Please read the following

Crime Vignette 

“On Saturday 14th September 2024, at approximately 8:45pm, an incident occurred on a busy shopping street near Huddersfield train station. The area was still crowded with people leaving nearby restaurants, and several pedestrians witnessed the event.  
The incident involved a 43-year-old male, later identified as Lewis Porter, and a 26-year-old male victim, Daniel Hughes. According to witness reports, the two individuals appeared to have a brief verbal exchange before the situation escalated. It is unclear what triggered the confrontation, although some witnesses stated that the two men did not seem to know each other.  

During the altercation, Porter produced a newly purchased kitchen knife, described in the police report as having a sharp stainless-steel blade, measuring at 22cm in length. He held the knife in his right hand and pointed it towards Hughes while being verbally aggressive. Several bystanders stepped back, and one person contacted the emergency services.  
The confrontation lasted less than a minute before Porter made a sudden movement towards Hughes, where Porter stabbed Hughes several times to the torso area.  

Bystanders shouted for help, and some attempted to intervene by creating distance between the two men. After the assault, Porter dropped the knife and attempted to flee, but was apprehended and detained on a nearby street.  
Hughes collapsed shortly after the attack and received immediate first aid from members of the public until paramedics arrived. He was transported to the local hospital for emergency treatment.  

Police recovered the knife at the scene, and Porter was arrested on suspicion of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.” 

Please read the following

Crime Vignette 

“On Saturday 14th September 2024, at approximately 8:45pm, an incident occurred on a busy shopping street near Huddersfield train station. The area was still crowded with people leaving nearby restaurants, and several pedestrians witnessed the event.  
The incident involved a 43-year-old male, later identified as Lewis Porter, and a 26-year-old male victim, Daniel Hughes. According to witness reports, the two individuals appeared to have a brief verbal exchange before the situation escalated. It is unclear what triggered the confrontation, although some witnesses stated that the two men did not seem to know each other.  

During the altercation, Porter produced a newly purchased kitchen knife, described in the police report as having a sharp stainless-steel blade, measuring at 22cm in length. He held the knife in his right hand and pointed it towards Hughes while being verbally aggressive. Several bystanders stepped back, and one person contacted the emergency services.  
The confrontation lasted less than a minute before Porter made a sudden movement towards Hughes, where Porter stabbed Hughes several times to the torso area.  

Bystanders shouted for help, and some attempted to intervene by creating distance between the two men. After the assault, Porter dropped the knife and attempted to flee, but was apprehended and detained on a nearby street.  
Hughes collapsed shortly after the attack and received immediate first aid from members of the public until paramedics arrived. He was transported to the local hospital for emergency treatment.  

Police recovered the knife at the scene, and Porter was arrested on suspicion of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.”