Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime.
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Appalachian State University
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Appalachian State University
Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime.
This is an interesting approach to understanding what might influence commuting a crime. How effective can using virtual reality be when it’s not real? There are other factors that go into spontaneous crime committing like whether you are with someone or if you are under the influence or if you’ve just had a bad day.
Sarah, I found the article to be interesting as well. Not only can this new tool help law enforcement study why people commit crimes at the moment, but could potentially help us understand why people commit crimes. But do we know the effects or outcomes of using such a new tool? The question becomes why are more crimes being committed at bars? With new research and new tools coming out for law enforcement, the possibility of catching crime will increase dramatically. That being said, how effective is this new technology/tool? How do we know if it’s going to work, or not?
Virtual bar scenes are proving to be a helpful new tool for researchers trying to understand the intricate relationship between emotions and impulsive decision-making in the context of criminal behavior. Scientists can now simulate real-world social environments, such as bars, where people might be more prone to engage in risky or criminal actions, thanks to the advancement of virtual reality (VR) technology. The attraction of virtual bar scenes lies in their ability to mimic the vibrant social interactions and range of emotions seen in real-world settings. By immersing individuals in virtual environments, researchers can observe firsthand how emotions such as anger, frustration, or peer pressure impact people’s ability to make decisions. This facilitates a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms underpinning both criminal and impulsive behavior. .How might the use of virtual reality technology in studying criminal behavior challenge traditional research methodologies and ethical considerations?
Although reviewing virtual bar scenes is a new and more modern approach to analyzing the reaction of individuals who commit crimes in the heat of the moment the technology is new and can come with many problems. Videos do a good job of showing a visual representation of what happened but they do not tell the whole story or capture the full setting. This can cause missing pieces for the full case. The VR picks up on emotions but since it is new reliability is fairly low, as mentioned “they cannot convey subtle nonverbal cues.” However, I do believe that over time with more research, this technology could be beneficial to law enforcement.