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Imagine you are part of a police department in search of a serial killer. Explain a scientific finding from environmental psychology that could help you locate the serial killer. Mention and explain the relevant finding, and summarize the steps that the finding prescribes for tracing...
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Environmental Psychology – April 7th 2020
Your information
Student name: Camilla Tepin Rizzi
Student number: 2253488
Your answer to Question 1 (max 250 words):
Canter and Larkin (1993) studied criminals’ path of actions, concluding they operate
within a range of distance from their familiar territory, which correlates with the distance
from one offend to another while respecting that minimum distance from home. The
researchers found converging evidence in support of Marauder’s Model, according to
which offenders do not commute, but rather attack in regional areas.
The outlined empirical findings have implications for identifying the range of areas where
the suspect lives, while setting boundaries to the offender’s spatial behaviour in terms of
killings. We can draw a range based on his last attack and calculate distances between his
previous offences. From this distance, we can establish a circular range, within which the
offender is likely to live and perform his crimes. Thanks to this we can consider areas at
risk and delineate which locations he might target next. Narrow the circle, we could be
able to identify suspects of interest (e.g. criminal records or history of violence) and
monitor their spatial activities. Having the knowledge of the circle can contribute to
efficient search and activating police departments close to the perpetrator’s area of
action.
These insights can help define areas of interest when searching for criminals,
nevertheless, we should be aware of the individual differences and other aspects involved
in their crimes’ location. Criminal experience might be one of the variables influencing
their path of action, shifting towards a “commuter” style as a result of criminal
development (Canter & Larkin, 1993).
Your answer to Question 2 (max 250 words):
According to Van der Wal, Schade, Krabbendam and van Vugt (2013), living in urban
settings causes individuals to adopt a fast life-strategy with a focus on the present and
immediate gratification.
According to evolutionary perspectives, humans tend to discount the role of present
actions on their future outcomes; however, thanks to its stable environment (resource
abundance and less competition), nature stimulates a slow life-strategy, reducing
temporal discounting (Van der Wal et al, 2013). In their studies, future valuation had a
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