Simulated walks through dangerous alleys: Impacts of features and progress on fear

The current work considered how concerns for personal safety varied as respondents viewed two sequences of slides depicting walks down two dangerous urban alleys. It extended the Nasar/Fisher model of site-level fear-inspiring features by applying it to urban alleys and by controlling for relative position along a pathway. In Study 1, consistent with the Nasar/Fisher model, multilevel models linked refuge positively to fear in both alleys as did a prospect/escape composite. In Study 2 respondents estimated day and night time fear, day and night time chances of being attacked, and provided their own ratings of Nasar/Fisher features. All three features significantly affected fear. The replication also observed effects of being Chinese-born, and tentatively explored connections between mystery, danger, and Nasar/Fisher features. Results confirmed that safety concerns varied as respondents proceeded down an alley, and such variation was a function of both Nasar/Fisher features, where they were in the alley, and who they were.