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Results for copycat effect

2 results found

Author: Towers, Sherry

Title: Contagion in Mass Killings and School Shootings

Summary: Abstract Background Several past studies have found that media reports of suicides and homicides appear to subsequently increase the incidence of similar events in the community, apparently due to the coverage planting the seeds of ideation in at-risk individuals to commit similar acts. Methods Here we explore whether or not contagion is evident in more high-profile incidents, such as school shootings and mass killings (incidents with four or more people killed). We fit a contagion model to recent data sets related to such incidents in the US, with terms that take into account the fact that a school shooting or mass murder may temporarily increase the probability of a similar event in the immediate future, by assuming an exponential decay in contagiousness after an event. Conclusions We find significant evidence that mass killings involving firearms are incented by similar events in the immediate past. On average, this temporary increase in probability lasts 13 days, and each incident incites at least 0.30 new incidents ( p = 0.0015). We also find significant evidence of contagion in school shootings, for which an incident is contagious for an average of 13 days, and incites an average of at least 0.22 new incidents ( p = 0.0001). All p -values are assessed based on a likelihood ratio test comparing the likelihood of a contagion model to that of a null model with no contagion. On average, mass killings involving firearms occur approximately every two weeks in the US, while school shootings occur on average monthly. We find that state prevalence of firearm ownership is significantly associated with the state incidence of mass killings with firearms, school shootings, and mass shootings.

Details: PLoS ONE 10 (7): e0117259. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117259. 12p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 1, 2016 at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/asset?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0117259.PDF

Year: 2015

Country: United States

URL: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/asset?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0117259.PDF

Shelf Number: 139930

Keywords:
Contagion
Copycat Effect
Gun-Related Violence
Mass Homicides
School Shootings
School Violence

Author: Farnham, Nicholas

Title: Can a Copycat Effect be Observed in Terrorist Suicide Attacks?

Summary: The purpose of this paper is to explore how a copycat effect - established within the field of suicide studies - may manifest itself in terrorist suicide attacks, and takes an exploratory approach in evaluating the prospect of incorporating open-data resources in future counter-terrorism research. This paper explores a possible 'copycat effect' in cases of suicide terrorism, which entails a perpetrator being inspired by a preceding attack to carry out a similar attack not long after the original. In the wake of mounting risks of lone wolf terrorist attacks today and due to the general difficulties faced in preventing such attacks, in this paper we explore a potential area of future prevention in media reporting, security and anti-terrorism policies today. Using the START Global Terrorism Database (GTD), this paper investigates terrorist suicide-attack clusters and analyses the relationship between attacks found within the same cluster. Using a mixed-method approach, our analyses did not uncover clear evidence supporting a copycat effect among the studied attacks. These and other findings have numerous policy and future research implications.

Details: The Hague: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 2017. 34p.

Source: Internet Resource: ICCT Research Paper: Accessed April 6, 2017 at: https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ICCT-Farnham-Liem-Copycat-Effects-in-Terrorist-Suicide-Attacks-March-2017-1.pdf

Year: 2017

Country: International

URL: https://icct.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ICCT-Farnham-Liem-Copycat-Effects-in-Terrorist-Suicide-Attacks-March-2017-1.pdf

Shelf Number: 144735

Keywords:
Copycat Effect
Lone Actor Terrorists
Lone Wolf Terrorists
Suicide Terrorism
Terrorist
Terrorists