My Major Personal Project – Page 7 – Critical Research Journal

WRT: “Can behavioural economics principles create photographic images that support community behavioural change?”

How do I respond to Cresswell (2003; ch1)?

In a nutshell, with visceral revulsion. It seems to me that this is philosophical mumbo-jumbo intended to create an aura of intellectual superiority that is completely irrelevant to the real world.

Taking the distinction between qualitative and quantitative as a starting point… There’s abundant literature demonstrating how experimental design can be applied to qualitative data, that it can promote unbiased interpretation of such information and therefore produce more widely relevant answers than single case studies based on observational data.

Suppose that I am interested in using images to reduce risk-taking behaviour in young adolescents. Perhaps, I decide to test what response a range of images will provoke in this target audience. I can easily use a fully-saturated partial factorial experimental design (available since 1940) to ensure that I gather information which precisely identifies the images’ effect on this group. My ‘controls’ might involve different age groups, people not exposed to the images, some exposed to them once and others exposed many times. I might differentiate between resultant changes in females compared to males. Of course, what works in a seaside community might differ from a city sample, so I build those factors in. The ‘data’ could easily be metric, but equally it can be (or include) anecdotal responses. I could reverse this and use the narrative to inform the quantitative. I could use the narrative as it stands, or quantify it using tools like NVIVO.

I expect researchers to be informed about these things, better still to have access to people who can advise them. Pondering over my ‘world view’, let alone my ‘epistomological’ viewpoint, wastes valuable time and resources in investigating something that could save lives.

Some people will be excited to know that this puts them into the ‘pragmatist’ mold, personally, it reminds me of an encounter with a student 40+ years ago, who was asked by someone what subject he was studying. His response (he was an American studying in Britain) went something like; “Aw Gee! I don’t like to be categorised!”

Frankly, I would be highly sceptical of any researcher who had any different worldview. To me, they are intrinsically biased in their work, driven by either ignorance of possibilities, fearful of change, or ill-advised.

(Reposted from Searching for a mentor… – Utopia)

As we emerge from the pandemic restrictions, I feel that it is time to try to rebuild my research interests. To that end, I’ve begun looking for a mentor to help me move forwards quickly and effectively.

Who am I?

A 63yr old, who sees himself as having been a jack of all trades and [true] master of none throughout his life. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been more successful than many of my peers in lots of fields, but I’ve not really majored in one. My PhD (nearly 40 years ago) was ultimately in behavioural science. I’ve written a handful of textbooks on its application in industry. Had a handful of international awards for my work. I have been reasonably well networked in the fields of climate adaptation, organisational behaviour, drowning prevention, and counselling and psychology.

What do I do?

A part-time tutor in psychology and counselling for the University of Oxford (HPL).
A part-time lecturer in psychotherapy and leadership for Abingdon and Witney College (HPL).
A part-time lecturer in photography for Activate Learning (HPL).
A part-time researcher in photography and psychology with the Ronin Institute (unpaid).
A volunteer with the Royal Life-Saving Society, the Royal Photographic Society, and various other smaller causes (unpaid).

What am I seeking to achieve with my photography?

I have a handful of related, though different, interests;

(1) To conduct academically rigorous research into the components of images that provoke predictable positive emotional responses. We know, from behavioural economics (BE), that social change can be achieved by the use of specific community-wide messages that prompt individuals to think differently about something in a positive way. Most BE work has concentrated on text-based messages. I wish to see whether the same (or better) results can be achieved through images alone.

To apply this work in two/three distinct fields;

(2) reduction of drowning globally (1/2M people drown around the world each year and many of these could be prevented if people in vulnerable communities did things differently)
(3) reducing the suffering of animals largely inflicted to serve human ‘needs’ – primarily as food
(4) reducing global population growth – the primary cause of climate change

(5) Generally, to use photography to explore a variety of psychological/social themes, such as human motivation and determination, discrimination, and empathic communication.

If successful, my concept could also be applied through AI to the commercial development of aids for the visually and emotionally impaired.

What have I tried so far?

Recognising that my weakest link was my photography, I signed up for an MA in Photography and then for an MA/PhD in Photography by Research. In both cases, despite earlier indications to the contrary, I felt that my supervisors/tutors did not wish to engage with my broader purpose, and were generally ‘inflexible’ in their approach in particular to working with a research-focused, older, white, non-career focused, male.

Networking with NGOs has prompted some interest, but they have an understandable reluctance to embark on primary research. Two projects were identified (one in Mozambique and the other in the UK) but both were shelved at the outset of the Covid pandemic. One of these, in the UK, does appear to be resurrectable and I am working on achieving this.

What am I looking for in a mentor?

My photographic skills are improving, but are far from good enough. I need help developing these.

Having spent nearly £10k on the two academic courses, and as I am now in low-paid ‘Hourly-Paid Lecturing’ (HPL) roles, I am no longer in a position to fund my work myself and so I need help obtaining research funding.

While I am pretty comfortable with the research skills and methods necessary, it is many years since I completed my PhD, and besides, I understand the importance of collaborative, collegiate, peer- or supervisor-support for any academic study.

Through my professional and Ronin relationships, I have access to both literature and a research ethics process, however, a stronger academic affiliation would, I am sure, provide better subsequent leverage. Ideally, a mentor and sufficient funding would achieve this too.

Early engagement with suitable sponsors for the application of research is widely recognized as key to its eventual success, so I am aware that I need help networking within these communities (for example, at the policy level in NGOs, and the development level of pattern-recognition/AI technology).