Impact of Building Design Attributes on Occupant Behavior in Response to Active Shooter Incidents in Offices and Schools

这个项目研究了各种因素，如建筑设计、人群的规模和人口统计，以及个人差异(如对建筑的熟悉程度)如何影响对活跃枪手事件的反应。该项目解决的基本问题包括：1)旨在增强安全性的建筑属性如何影响活跃枪手事件中的人类行为？2)个人因素如何调节居住者的反应？3)事件背景或对建筑物的熟悉程度如何影响居住者的情景意识和居住者行为？该项目通过使用沉浸式虚拟环境(IVES)进行人类受试者实验来探索这些目标。因此，这项科学研究贡献支持了NSF促进科学进步和增进我们国家福利的使命。在这种情况下，好处将是改善对积极射击事件的准备和反应的洞察力，这将拯救生命，并减少这些事件期间的恐慌、愤怒和困惑。该项目通过旨在招募和留住研究方面代表性不足的学生的外联活动，支持教育并促进多样性。该项目在虚拟现实中对构建的环境进行建模，模拟对手和人群的行为。通过使用IVE让参与者接触到活跃的枪手事件，研究人员可以用现实的方式测量他们的反应，这在实验室环境之外是不可能的。任务1使用IVES和基于代理的模拟来创建典型的虚拟构建环境和逼真的主动射击场景。IVE的发展有三个关键要素：增强安全性的建筑属性、环境(学校与办公楼)和虚拟参与者(人群/对手)。任务2考察了各种因素(建筑设计属性、个人因素、参与者角色、人群环境和对建筑布局的熟悉程度)如何影响对主动射击事件的反应。模拟场景将包括安全增强的建筑与标准建筑，以及学校与办公室版本。项目成果可以为更安全的建筑设计和运营提供信息，并培训居住者和安全人员如何应对人为造成的灾难性事件，从而拯救生命。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project studies how various factors such as building design, size and demographics of the crowd, and individual differences like one's familiarity with the building impact responses to active shooter incidents. Fundamental questions addressed by the project include: 1) How do building attributes designed to enhance security affect human behavior during active shooter incidents? 2) How do individual factors moderate occupant responses? and 3) How does the setting of the incident or familiarity with building affect occupants' situational awareness and occupant behavior? The project explores these objectives by conducting human subject experiments using Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs). This scientific research contribution thus supports NSF's mission to promote the progress of science and to advance our national welfare. In this case, the benefits will be insights to improve preparedness and response to active shooter events, which will save lives and reduce panic, anger and confusion during these events. The project supports education and promotes diversity through outreach activities aimed at recruiting and retaining under-represented students in research. The project models the built environment in virtual reality, simulating the behavior of both the adversaries and the crowd. By exposing participants to an active shooter incident using IVE, the researchers can measure their responses in realistic ways that are not possible outside the laboratory environment. Task 1 uses IVEs and agent-based simulations to create representative virtual built environments and realistic active shooter scenarios. There are three critical elements in the development of the IVEs: building attributes that enhance security, setting (school vs. office building), and virtual actors (crowd/adversary). Task 2 examines how various factors (building design attributes, individual factors, participant role, crowd setting, and familiarity with building layout) affect responses to active shooter incidents. Simulation scenarios will include security enhanced buildings versus standard buildings, and school versus office versions. The project outcomes can inform safer building designs and operations and train occupants and security personnel on how to respond to human-enabled catastrophic events, thus saving lives.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.