Modelling Terrorist Behaviour - 1st October 2009
16/Sep/09 10:23 Filed in: CSTPV Seminar Series
Thursday 1st October 2009, 5.00pm
Arts Lecture Theatre, New Arts Faculty Building
Seminar by
Dr Margaret Wilson, Department of Psychology, University of Surrey
Margaret Wilson is currently a senior lecturer in the department of psychology at the University of Surrey, where she is course director for the MSc in Forensic Psychology. She has been conducting research on terrorist behaviour for 18 years, and is regularly invited to speak on the subject to academic, law enforcement and security service audiences worldwide. Her current research on terrorist bombing campaigns is funded through START, a centre of excellence of the US Department of Homeland Security at the University of Maryland.
Abstract
In this seminar, Dr Margaret Wilson will illustrate her approach to studying terrorist behaviour, showing how empirical data can be used to uncover the key dimensions that distinguish between terrorist attacks, and demonstrate predictability in terrorist action that can be used to inform policy for the security services. Models will be presented from three areas of terrorist behaviour; aerial hijackings, political assassinations and bombing campaigns carried out by animal rights and anti-abortion activists. The models demonstrate how it is possible to predict the outcome in hostage taking incidents, follow changes in the strategies chosen by a terrorist group over time, and why what terrorists don’t do can be as interesting as the things they do.
Arts Lecture Theatre, New Arts Faculty Building
Seminar by
Dr Margaret Wilson, Department of Psychology, University of Surrey
Margaret Wilson is currently a senior lecturer in the department of psychology at the University of Surrey, where she is course director for the MSc in Forensic Psychology. She has been conducting research on terrorist behaviour for 18 years, and is regularly invited to speak on the subject to academic, law enforcement and security service audiences worldwide. Her current research on terrorist bombing campaigns is funded through START, a centre of excellence of the US Department of Homeland Security at the University of Maryland.
Abstract
In this seminar, Dr Margaret Wilson will illustrate her approach to studying terrorist behaviour, showing how empirical data can be used to uncover the key dimensions that distinguish between terrorist attacks, and demonstrate predictability in terrorist action that can be used to inform policy for the security services. Models will be presented from three areas of terrorist behaviour; aerial hijackings, political assassinations and bombing campaigns carried out by animal rights and anti-abortion activists. The models demonstrate how it is possible to predict the outcome in hostage taking incidents, follow changes in the strategies chosen by a terrorist group over time, and why what terrorists don’t do can be as interesting as the things they do.