Everyone knows some things we do are harder to remember than others, however, what most people don't know is that some things we do can never be remembered - no matter how good our memories are. Cognitive psychologists often refer to our every day routine tasks as "automatized acts". In simple terms these are automatic functions of the brain that tell us how, why and when to turn off the stove, feed the cat, unplug the curling iron, and a host of other acts including one very important one - locking the door.
Many memory experts think that our brains work somewhat like computers. If you want to type something, you hit a key that executes a command and you begin typing. However if you stop typing and turn off your computer, nothing will be saved in its memory unless you hit the "save" key. Our brain is thought to work the same way. It intentionally stops routine occurrences / experiences etc. from being stored in our short or long term memory areas in order to save space for more important information. We too can intentionally store memories such as what street we live on, pin numbers, names of family members etc. it is the less important routine tasks the brain has trouble with. The benefits of the brain functioning in this manner are obvious; our minds are not filled with 14,000 separate images of tying our shoes and combing our hair. Who would want a separate memory of every time you washed your hands? What good would it be?
Uncluttered brains may be beneficial, but there is a down side as well. According to the Department of Justice Crime Victimization Survey, 57.7% of completed household burglaries were likely the result of an unlocked door or window. The FBI Uniform Crime Reports state that the average dollar loss per residential burglary is $1,189.00 , and in only 13% of burglaries is an arrest made. The percentage of convictions is even lower. It would appear that there is a definite link between a lack of memory and the nation's second most frequent crime.
You too may have already fallen victim to a burglary because your memory, or someone else's has failed you. If you are forty years old, there is a good chance you have locked a door well over 20,000 times. Even if you left it unlocked once in a thousand times, that's 20 times you could have been a potential burglary victim.
Shockingly, this "lock user phenomena" manifests itself in well over one million Americans who have a psychiatric condition known as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). These people are often referred to as "checkers" because of their compulsive behavior of checking certain things such as door locks, light switches, ashtrays, closets and so on. They often realize what they are doing is irrational but continue to do it dozens of times a day. They do this because they have obsessive intrusive thoughts and images they can't stop, such as a burglar entering their home and going through their child's room, or vivid images of themselves crying in front of a police officer after a burglary.
According to the Harvard Guide to Modern Psychiatry, most of us, no matter what our age, sex, race or income, will have obsessions or compulsions from time to time regarding a door lock or stove. The difference between someone with this disorder and you or I is that they become so preoccupied that they must drive back to their homes 20 or 30 times after leaving to check the door. Perhaps if we had memories, or products, that recorded such things as locking a door, we would all feel more secure and save the time we spent driving back to see if the door was locked.
It may surprise you to learn that a major drug company that sells drugs to treat people with OCD mentions door locks, and even has a picture of a lock on the front cover of a pamphlet it hands out to physicians informing them about the disorder. Since burglars, drug companies and doctors are aware of the behavioral aspects of how people use locks, it only makes sense as security professionals that we to are aware so we can better assess the needs of our customers, even though they may not be aware of the lack of security their own memory presents.
We often try to sell a security product almost exclusively on its technical merits and this approach has worked well, but perhaps it is time to expand the sales approach to include the human or behavioral aspects of lock use to better satisfy all the needs a customer may have. After all, a basic industry assumption is that "our products will protect you - if you remember to use them."
Learning about behaviors may just be the key to keeping those banks, jails, government offices, homes and small businesses protected.
Mark Whinton is President of Whinton Co., and is inventor of the "Reminder Key" deadbolt, a lock that has a special key that tells you if you left your door unlocked. email: reminderkey@easynet.on.ca
