The influence of environmental features on Fear of crime: A virtual reality experiment

• In Event: Context, Virtual Reality and Decision Making

Abstract

Fear of crime can negatively impact the well-being of an entire community. For example, when people have a high level of fear of crime they are less likely to engage with their community and less likely to use resources that could improve their well-being (e.g., parks). Policy interventions routinely seek to reduce fear of crime by manipulating physical features of the environment. However, not all environment interventions may work the same. In this panel we will discuss the results of two studies in which we used virtual reality technology to explore how two different environmental interventions may either reduce fear of crime or inadvertently increase it. In study one we examine how motion-activated dynamic lighting and sound may be used to reduce fear of crime and modify behavior in a virtual environment. In study two, we take a novel stance on the well-known watching-eye effect, and examine how such an intervention may inadvertently increase fear of crime

Authors

• Patrick McClanahan, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Dominik Gerstner, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Aniek Siezenga, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Carmen Sergiou, Leiden University

• Claire Nee, University of Portsmouth

• Jean-Louis van Gelder, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law