University of Twente Student Theses
Exploring Effects of Dynamic Guardianship on Perceived Homeowner Safety and Burglar Deterrence
Leppink, Susanna (2024) Exploring Effects of Dynamic Guardianship on Perceived Homeowner Safety and Burglar Deterrence.
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| Abstract: | A person's (or group of people's) physical or symbolic presence that functions (intentionally or unintentionally) to prevent a possible criminal event can be defined as guardianship. Previous research has shown that guardianship is impactful in deterring burglars, but it is difficult to achieve, with for example people not feeling capable to be a guardian. Therefore, it is necessary to think of other forms of guardianship. This can be done by finding a way to make individuals feel like someone is watching them when this is not the case. This is what dynamic guardianship aims to achieve, for example, through a pre-programmed camera with a voice, automatic lights, or automatic blinds. Guardianship is usually mainly focussed on deterrence; however, we should also care about a person’s feelings of safety. This research aimed to look into possible effects of dynamic guardianship on perceived homeowner safety and perceived burglar deterrence. A virtual reality study was conducted with a sample of 66 participants, divided into two dynamic guardianship conditions and one control condition (camera with voice, automatic blinds, or none). Participants were asked to go into the virtual neighbourhood pretending they were a homeowner looking to buy a house. Results showed that dynamic guardianship manipulations do not influence perceived safety and perceived deterrence. However, it was found that the positive effect of dynamic guardianship on safety and deterrence is larger when willingness to exhibit it is larger. This indicates that dynamic guardianship's effectiveness in increasing people's perceptions of safety and deterrence might depend on people's inclination to take these actions. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/100528 |
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