Feeling Fear of Crime on Cyberspace. An Experimental Study on the Discrepancies Between Real-time and Delayed Measurements in an Environment of Simulated Cyberattacks

• In Event: Fear of Crime in Different Places

Abstract

Fear of crime (FOC) has been one of the most compelling scientific phenomena since the 60s. Its scope has traditionally been limited to assess this emotional experience predominantly in physical space. However, studies on FOC experiences are gradually increasing in this new area of ​​criminal opportunity, which is cyberspace.

The aim of this paper is to analyze in real time the FOC dynamics elicited from several simulations of cyber attacks by malware infection, including the loss of personal data. To meet this aim, our design and results will be explained from a study carried out with the participation of a sample of university students from the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (Spain) from April to May 2017.

Design is as innovative as challenging, since it involves collecting physiological measurements associated in the psychophysiological literature to the experiences of fear (real-time research) as a way of complementing traditional analyzes based on self-reports (delayed research), as well as to detect possible discrepancies between both types of data.

Authors

• Francisco Javier Castro Toledo, Miguel Hernández University

• Fernando Miró Llinares, CRIMINA Research Center for the Study and Prevention of Crime (Miguel Hernández University)

• Miriam Esteve Campello, CRIMINA. Reseach Center for the Study and Prevention of Crime (Miguel Hernández University)