Virtual Reality-Based Retrospective Think Aloud (VR-RTA): A Novel Method for Studying Offender Decision-Making

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This article describes a novel multimodal method to examine decision- making: Virtual Reality-Based Retrospective Think Aloud (VR-RTA). This method taps directly into the offenders’ perspective and aims to enhance memory recall. We apply this method among a sample of incarcerated burglars (N=200) who scouted neighborhoods in immersive virtual reality to explore possibilities for committing a burglary. Subsequently, they viewed back a screen recording of their scouting process and simultaneously ‘thought aloud’ about their assessment of the environment and the decision-making strategies they employed. Emerging themes were then further examined in an interview. Rich and detailed insights into participants' interpretation of the environment and their decision-making strategies were obtained. VR-RTA assisted in verbalizing automated cognitive processes and increased engagement by building rapport. That is, the method allows for capturing in the moment considerations underlying decision making during the crime commission process. We conclude that the VR-RTA method is a useful complement to other methods of data collection, such as interviews and survey approaches, and also enhance virtual reality-based research designs.