Shooter Bias Simulation
A web app to allow Smith College to conduct studies on racial bias in police shootings.
Currently, there are completed, ongoing, and planned future studies in the Smith social behavior lab that relate to the phenomenon of shooter-bias, which is the differential rate of errors, based on race, that occur when people make split-second decisions to shoot or not shoot a potentially threatening target.
The shooter-bias studies currently use a program only accessible on-site (at a computer terminal), and therefore lacks a wide demographic sample. Smith College would like to make this study available as a web-based program.
The benefits to the public are in the training of future professional researchers and advocates; publication of the results of student-conducted shooter-bias studies depends on completion of sufficient research. One article is planned for publication at this point and more will be possible with the completion of more studies, of which access to research participants is a major limiting factor.
By increasing the diversity of the study sample, the data will become more meaningful and likely to impact public policy decisions.
The benefits to the public are in the training of future professional researchers and advocates; publication of the results of student-conducted shooter-bias studies depends on completion of sufficient research. One article is planned for publication at this point and more will be possible with the completion of more studies, of which access to research participants is a major limiting factor.
By increasing the diversity of the study sample, the data will become more meaningful and likely to impact public policy decisions.
Desktop computer, basic content management functions, data export.
n/a – No data needed other than user stories describing the end result.
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