Aggression in a prison setting as a function of lunar phases

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Criminology
• Astronomy

Background:

• Previous research on the moon's effect on human behavior has produced conflicting and often negative findings.
• Aggression has been a behavior previously studied in relation to lunar cycles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between lunar phases and aggressive incidents within a specific, deviant population.
• To address inconsistencies in prior research by examining a controlled environment.

Main Methods:

• A Pearson correlation was employed to analyze data.
• The study utilized reported incidents from a Texas prison.
• Lunar luminosity, representing lunar phases, was correlated with incident frequency.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant correlation was found between the amount of lunar luminosity and the number of reported aggressive incidents.
• The study did not support a relationship between lunar phases and aggression in this sample.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that lunar phases do not significantly influence aggressive behavior in the incarcerated deviant sample studied.
• Further research may be needed to explore other environmental or individual factors influencing aggression.