NCJ Number
58642
Date Published
1979
Length
35 pages
Annotation
BEFORE A STUDY COULD BE MADE OF PERSONS' PERCEPTIONS OF CRIME VULNERABILITY IN VARIOUS URBAN ENVIRONMENTS, A METHOD OF MANIPULATING ENVIRONMENTS HAD TO BE SELECTED. COLORED PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS PROVED MOST EFFECTIVE.
Abstract
A LITERATURE REVIEW FOUND THAT PREVIOUS RESEARCHERS HAVE USED FILMS OR VIDEOTAPES OF SITES, THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS, PHOTOGRAPHS OR SLIDES IN BLACK AND WHITE OR COLOR, PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGS, AND VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS. THESE OPTIONS CAN BE USED SINGLY OR IN COMBINATION. ONLY THREE STUDIES USED FILM OR VIDEOTAPE OF AN ACTUAL SITE; ALTHOUGH THE MEDIUM HAS HIGH FIDELITY, IT IS EXPENSIVE, THE EQUIPMENT IS DIFFICULT TO TRANSPORT, AND EDITING AND RETOUCHING MUST BE DONE BY HIGHLY SKILLED PERSONNEL, MAKING IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO ALTER ONE OR TWO ASPECTS OF AN ENVIRONMENT. THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS HAVE BEEN MORE FREQUENTLY USED. SUBJECTS CAN ACTUALLY MANIPULATE THE ENVIRONMENT THEMSELVES AND ELEMENTS CAN BE ADDED OR SUBTRACTED. HOWEVER, TO BE REALISTIC, SUCH MODELS MUST BE CAREFULLY CONSTRUCTED, THEY TEND TO ELIMINATE DETAIL AND DO NOT ACTUALLY GIVE THE FEEL OF AN ENVIRONMENT. THEY ALSO ARE EXPENSIVE AND NOT EASILY PORTABLE. BEST RESEARCH RESULTS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS AND SLIDES AND PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGS. THEY ARE RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE AND VARIOUS ELEMENTS CAN BE ADDED OR SUBTRACTED EASILY THROUGH RETOUCHING OR REDRAWING. COLORED PHOTOS AND SLIDES WERE MORE REALISTIC ALTHOUGH BLACK AND WHITE HAVE BEEN USED SUCCESSFULLY. VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS WERE LEAST EFFECTIVE. THIS DISCUSSION CONTAINS A CHART COMPARING THE RESEARCH STUDIES REVIEWED, TECHNICAL NOTES, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY. (GLR)