Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessing Unstabilized Approaches: A Phenomenology Study Of The Risk Perceptions And Decision-Making Thought Process Of Collegiate Aviation Pilots, Shlok Misra, Jorge L.D Albelo, Victor Fraticelli Rivera

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The Federal Aviation Administration emphasized the need to focus on and develop human factors training as early as 1993 in official Human Factors Policy Order 9550.8. The purpose of this study was to conduct a detailed qualitative phenomenological analysis of the risk perceptions and decision-making model of collegiate aviation pilots for unstabilized approaches. The study focused on understanding how collegiate aviation pilots perceive unstable approaches, the risk associated with unstable approaches, and the factors that trigger pilots to execute a go-around. The International Air Transportation Association warns that continuing an unstabilized approach can lead to runway excursions, hard landings causing …

The Interplay Between Cognitive And Affective Risks In Predicting Covid-19 Precautions: A Longitudinal Representative Study Of Americans, Marie Helweg-Larsen, Laurel M. Peterson, Sarah H. Dimuccio

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective

Cognitive risk figures prominently in models predicting health behaviors, but affective risk is also important. We examined the interplay between cognitive risk (personal likelihood of COVID-19 infection or death) and affective risk (worry about COVID-19) in predicting COVID-19 precautionary behaviors. We also examined how outbreak severity bias (overestimation of the severity of COVID-19 in one’s community) predicted these outcomes.

Design

In a representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 738; Mage = 46.8; 52% women; 78% white), participants who had not had COVID-19 took two online surveys two weeks apart in April 2020.

Main outcome measures

We assessed cognitive …

What Happens After A Shark Incident? Behavioral Changes Among Australian Beachgoers, Ingrid Van Putten, Nick Mcclean, Andrew Chin, Sue Pillans, Carla Sbrocchi

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Sharks (Selachimorpha) have an important ecological function and are both valued and feared by people around the world. Shark bite incidents present a high consequence risk in terms of human health and safety. In Australia, shark interactions with humans are most frequently recorded for the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). Human anxiety of encountering sharks may be elevated relative to the actual level of risk due to intensive media coverage, which typically emphasizes a narrative of highly abundant animals actively targeting human water users. This narrative …

Good Risk Or Bad Risk: Development Of A Holistic Assessment Of Risk Perception, Joan C. Craig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the current project was to create a measurement tool that could be used to assess all aspects of risk perception with one measure. There is a wide variety of risk-perception measures currently available; however, the vast majority of these measures assess a very specific risky activity, and many only assess a person’s perception of the possible negative consequences from the risk.

There are notable exceptions, such as measures that assess risk in various domains (e.g., DOSPERT scale; Weber et al., 2002) and assess perception of possible benefits (e.g., Fromme et al., 1997). There has also been research …

Social Distancing In The Context Of Covid-19 Anxiety: A Social Cognitive Approach, Allyson S. Graf, Abigail Nehrkorn-Bailey, Amy Knepple Carney

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

As the impact of COVID-19 continues, engagement in social distancing is essential. Using Social Cognitive Theory, the current study examined the unique roles of COVID-19 anxiety and self-efficacy on the relationships between information-seeking and risk perception as predictors of social distancing intention. A convenience sample of 960 adults (M = 37.81 years, SD = 11.65) completed an author-designed online survey. Participants completed measures on behavioral intention, information-seeking, risk perception, COVID-19 anxiety, and self-efficacy. Moderated mediations examined the theoretically proposed relationships among the variables. COVID-19 anxiety moderated the relationship between risk perception and self-efficacy, but not the association between information-seeking …

The Impact Of Locus Of Control, Norms, And Social Desirability On Substance Risk Perception, Rachel A. Turner

Brescia Psychology Undergraduate Honours Theses

Drug use among college students is common and can be associated with adverse effects. This study sought to identify how drug-related beliefs about risk and descriptive and injunctive social norms vary for a variety of legal, prescription, and illicit drugs. The relationship between these attitudes, locus of control and social desirability was also assessed. A sample of 58 female undergraduate students from a university in Ontario, Canada completed a web-based survey. Findings indicated no association between locus of control and any other measures apart from social desirability and descriptive marijuana norms, which were also associated. Although marijuana was perceived as …

The Influence Of Personality, Safety Attitudes, And Risk Perception Of Pilots: A Modeling And Mediation Perspective, Scott R. Winter, Joseph R. Keebler, Tracy L. Lamb, Richard Simonson, Robert Thomas, Stephen Rice

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to assess the influence of personality traits on safety attitudes and risk perceptions. Background: The ability to accurately assess risk remains a focal point of aviation training. This research seeks to understand if safety attitudes serve as a mediator. Method: Using a sample of 2,857 pilots, a statistical model was created through two independent stages. In stage 1, approximately 50% of the data were used to create the model using structural equation modeling techniques, and in stage 2, the model was independently validated. Results: The findings indicated that personality factors positively influenced …

Examining The Relationship Between Mental Health Conditions And Risk Perception In Determining Covid-19 Preventative Health Behaviors, Krupali Patel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Depression and anxiety are relatively common among college students and research suggests that risk perceptions may be modulated by these mental health conditions. In addition, studies have demonstrated that higher perception of risk predicts more frequent practice of preventative health behaviors, and this relationship may also be modulated by depression and anxiety. The present study examined the relationship between these factors in the context of COVID-19. Using survey data from undergraduate students, risk perceptions about COVID-19, self-reported practice of COVID-19 preventative behaviors, and their relationship were compared between those with and without the common mental health conditions of Major Depressive …

Emotional Responses To A Sexual Assault Threat: A Qualitative Analysis Among Women With Histories Of Sexual Victimization, Kristin E. Silver, Raeann E. Anderson, Amanda M. Brouwer

Psychology Faculty Publications

Sexual assaults against women are a leading threat to human rights and public health in the United States. Considering the high rates of sexual revictimization among women and the limited understanding of the mechanisms which fuel this phenomenon, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of emotion in coping with a hypothetical threat of sexual assault for previously sexually victimized college women. A total of 114 college women with a history of sexual victimization listened to an audio-recording describing a sexual assault scenario and then described how they felt. A qualitative analysis paradigm was used to …

Targeting Perceived Risk Through An Online Personalized Feedback Intervention For Cannabis-Using College Students, Katherine Walukevich-Dienst

LSU Master's Theses

Although online personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) that include personalized normative feedback (PNF) have been found to reduce drinking in college populations (for review, see Miller et al., 2013), there is little evidence to support that similar PFIs reduce risky cannabis use in college students (e.g., Elliott, Carey, & Vanable, 2014). The present study sought to examine perceived risk, a leading indicator of cannabis use (Bachman, Johnston, & O'Malley, 1998), as a potential intervention target for online cannabis PFIs. Undergraduate students who reported current (past-month) cannabis use and experiencing at least one past three-month cannabis use-related problem were randomly assigned to …

Behaviors And Perceptions Of Environmental Decision Making: The Role Of Information Dissemination Through Public Disclosures And Labels, Jordan R. Anthony

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Environmental decision making may be influenced by information and how this information has been disseminated. By recognizing that information needs to be salient to the individual (Cash et al., 2003, 2006), tailored and framed to the individual (Pelletier & Sharp, 2008), and recognizing that the information must be presented in a way that the individual is ready and able to accept the information (Teisl, Rubin, & Noblet, 2008) all serve as a means to improve the effect information has on environmental decision making. Through this work, two studies of contextual examples of how information dissemination affects environmental decision making are …

Weather Communication On Twitter: Identifying Popular Content And Optimal Warning Format Via Case Studies And A Survey Analysis, Joshua D. Eachus

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The use of Twitter as a channel for weather information inspires a deeper analysis of key information nodes during episodes of high impact weather, especially local meteorologists. To optimize communication on the channel, it is important to understand what kinds of messages produce exposure and attention among users—which translates to knowledge that could improve the reach of a warning. Literature identifies two key models that well describe the cognitive processing of tweets and warnings. The Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) describes risk perception and the factors that enable or disable one from acting on a warning. Particularly through environmental and …

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It: The Role Of Evidence Type In Changing Violent Media Consumption, Felicia Lene Farley

Theses and Dissertations

The amount of violent media that is consumed on a daily basis by the average American and the empirically proven effects associated with such regular consumption have led scholars to consider violent media a public health threat, the risks of which, the public may not even fully appreciate (Huesmann, Dubow, & Yang, 2013). Previous research in the field of public health communication has found that different forms of evidence in public health risk messages are more or less effective in changing behavior depending on individual recipient characteristics (de Wit, Das & Vet, 2008; Reinard, 1988; Slater & Rouner, 1996). The …

The Effect Of Social Influence On Perception Of Tornado Warnings, Jason A. Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tornado activity annually results in many deaths throughout the U.S. As a result, the emergency alert system (including tornado warnings) has made considerable advancements throughout the past few decades. However, continued improvements could be made to warning content that aid to facilitate adaptive decision-making by increasing individuals’ motivation to respond. One method that could increase adaptive responses to warnings is by including the modality of descriptive social information within the warning. Research suggests that normative social influence acts as a powerful motivator for individuals to conform toward the witnessed or perceived behaviors of others. The current study examined the impact …

Passenger Satisfaction And Mental Adaptation Under Adverse Conditions: Case Study In Manila, Andra Charis Mijares, Mio Suzuki, Tetsuo Yai

Journal of Public Transportation

Public transportation systems in several developing cities face congestion, air pollution, and safety problems, yet many passengers use them regularly. This study examines the structure of passenger satisfaction and the role of mental adaptation under such conditions. Metro Manila MRT-3 was analyzed as a case study.

The actual and perceived conditions at the MRT-3 were assessed using surveys. Results of the waiting time and PM_2.5 monitoring surveys revealed that passengers queue for 30 minutes, on average, while being exposed to unsafe levels of PM_2.5. The questionnaire survey results show some discrepancies between actual and perceived values, suggesting …

A Social Cognitive Approach To Disaster Preparedness, Ervina Espina, Mendiola Teng-Calleja

Psychology Department Faculty Publications

Using the social cognitive perspective, the study sought to determine the individual and environmental factors that predict disaster preparedness. Specifically, the research determined the relationships between risk perception, disaster experience, community disaster preparedness, and disaster preparedness behaviors. Data were collected from 401 participants from areas affected by recent typhoons and heavy monsoon rains: Tacloban and Metro Manila. Risk perception, severity of disaster experience, and community disaster preparedness were found to significantly predict the participants’ disaster preparedness behaviors. Severity of previous disaster experience seems to be the strongest determinant of individual disaster preparedness. Implications to future research and development and improvement …

Perceptions Of Tornadoes, Tornado Warnings, Safety Actions, And Risk: Effects On Warning Response Among Undergraduates In Nebraska, Sabrina T. Jauernic

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Few studies show how university students perceive and respond to tornado warnings, or how they gain tornado-related knowledge. Lacking in the literature are investigations of how perceptions of tornado risk may influence actions. Using two separate surveys and two large samples of undergraduates enrolled in the University of Nebraska, the author determined significant relationships between student demographics, perceptions, and response actions. Incorrect perceptions were found, such as overpasses and southwest corners of buildings being safe, and cities being invulnerable to tornadoes. International students, especially, assumed cities were safe from tornadoes. Students had a tendency to confirm their risk instead of …

Risk Misperception And Selection In Insurance Markets: An Application To Demand For Cancer Insurance, David S. Hales

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Spinnewijn (2013) posits that optimism about risk and the efficacy of risk-reducing effort could cause selection in insurance markets. We test for this using a survey of 474 subjects’ demand for hypothetical cancer insurance. We elicit perceptions of baseline cancer risk and control efficacy and combine these with subject-specific cancer risks predicted by the Harvard Cancer Risk Index to develop measures of baseline and control optimism. We find that only 23 percent of our subjects would purchase a fair insurance contract aligned to their true risk type. Of these subjects, 94 percent also overinvest in prevention, leading to advantageous selection.

Parents' And Students' Perceptions Of College Alcohol Risk: The Role Of Parental Risk Perception In Intentions To Communicate About Alcohol, Lucy E. Napper, Elizabeth M. Grimaldi, Joseph W. Labrie

Heads Up!

Introduction: The current study aims to examine discrepancies in parents' and college students' perceptions of alcohol risk and the role of perceived risk in predicting parents' intentions to discuss alcohol with their child.

Methods: In total, 246 college student–parent dyads (56.1% female students, 77.2% mothers) were recruited from a mid-size university. Participants completed measures of absolute likelihood, comparative likelihood, and severity of alcohol consequences.

Results: In comparison to students, parents perceived the risks of alcohol poisoning (p < .001), academic impairment (p < .05), and problems with others (p < .05) to be more likely. In addition, parents rated the majority of alcohol consequences (e.g., passing out, regrettable sexual situation, throwing up) as more severe than students (all ps < .001). However, parents tended to be more optimistic than their child about the comparative likelihood of alcohol consequences. After controlling for demographics and past alcohol communication, greater absolute likelihood (β = .20, p = .016) and less confidence in knowledge of student behavior (β = .20, p = .013) predicted greater intentions to discuss alcohol.

Conclusions: Providing parents of college students with information about college drinking norms and the likelihood of alcohol consequences may help prompt alcohol-related communication.

Tornado Trouble: How Can Current Tornado Warnings Be Improved?, Jonathan P. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are many unnecessary deaths from tornadoes every year (NOAA.org, 2013). Although there have been great advancements in tornado warning systems (Coleman, Knupp, Spann, Elliot, & Peters, 2010), more changes to systems could be made to motivate people to take action in preparation for tornadoes (Brotzge & Donner, 2013). Protection motivation theory outlines the process by which we assess threats and decide whether or not preventative actions are worth performing. If the threat is perceived as severe enough and the preventative actions are seen as capable of mitigating the threat, the individual is motivated to act (Rogers, 2000). One means …

Judging Dread: A Quantitative Investigation Of Affect, Psychometric Dread And Risk Consequence, Melvyn Griffiths

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Risk is generally understood as a product of the likelihood and consequence of an event. However, the way in which estimations of consequences are formed is unclear due to the complexities of human perception. In particular, the influence of Affect, defined as positive or negative qualities subjectively assigned to stimuli, may skew risk consequence judgements. Thus a clearer understanding of the role of Affect in risk consequence estimations has significant implications for risk management, risk communication and policy formulation.

In the Psychometric tradition of risk perception, Affect has become almost synonymous with the concept of Dread, despite Dread being measured …

Laypeople's Risky Decisions In The Climate Change Context: Climate Engineering As A Risk-Defusing Strategy?, Dorothee Amelung, Joachim Funke

Joachim Funke

The Relative Impact Of Statistical And Anecdotal Evidence In The Evaluation Of The Risk Of Using Emerging Drugs Of Abuse, Kevin Michael Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The recreational use of "emerging drugs" of abuse (e.g., Spice, "bath salts") is a growing problem that has taken root in the United States and is increasingly recognized as a public health concern (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012). However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding the level of risk that individuals associate with the use of these substances. In addition, there is a critical knowledge gap regarding how young adults utilize anecdotal and statistical information when evaluating the risk of using emerging drugs. The present study addresses these gaps in knowledge in two specific aims. First, the present …

Understanding What Would Make Children Want To Attend A Bicycle Safety Training Program, Cassandra L. Ellis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative study targeted a heterogeneous sample of 9 to 12 year olds in the London, Ontario, Canada area. The purpose of this study was to understand children's’s perspectives in regards to bicycle safety and risk perception. Gender differences of these perceptions were compared. Five semi-structured focus groups (n=14, 10 boys and 4 girls) and six interviews (n=6, 3 boys and 3 girls) were conducted (n=23; 16 boys and 7 girls). Ongoing thematic analysis was used during data collection to review and interpret the collected discussions. As a result, this study determined that girls take fewer unnecessary risks and are …

Influence Of Patient Characteristics On Perceived Risks And Willingness To Take A Proposed Anti-Rheumatic Drug, Richard W. Martin, Kelsey Mccallops, Andrew J. Head, Aaron T. Eggebeen

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Background: The causes of the underutilization of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are not fully known, but may in part, relate to individual patient factors including risk perception. Our objective was to identify the determinants of risk perception (RP) in RA patients and predictors of their willingness to take a proposed DMARD (DMARD willingness). Methods. A cross-sectional mail survey of RA patients in a community rheumatology practice. Patients were presented a hypothetical decision scenario where they were asked to consider switching DMARDs. They evaluated how risky the proposed medication was and how likely they would be …

Grace Under Fire : Altruistic Behavior And The Risk Of Criminal Victimization, Andy Lucas Blaize Davies

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Two studies investigate whether the perceived risk of criminal victimization reduces altruistic behavior as social disorganization theory predicts it will. The first study, of 160 nation-states, suggests not. Rather, the relationship depends on national culture. In highly religious countries, for example, the perceived risk of victimization actually appears to increase altruistic behavior. The second study, an experiment conducted on samples both of undergraduate students and internet users, suggests that certain individuals for whom the risk of criminal victimization may be particularly salient - volunteers worried they may be put in harm's way, and fatalists paranoid about the inevitability of victimization …

Physician Perceptions Of Risk Regarding Mood Disorders And Pharmacological Management During Pregnancy: What Is Current Practice?, Laura G. Hendon

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

Mood disorders are the most common form of mental illness and one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide. Major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder have a lifetime prevalence of 16.2% and 4.4%, respectively. Women comprise a substantial proportion of this population, and an estimated 500,000 pregnancies each year involve women with a psychiatric condition. Management with psychotropic medications is considered standard of care for most patients with mood disorders. However, many of these medications are known human teratogens. Because pregnant women with mood disorders face a high risk of relapse if unmanaged, the obstetrician faces a unique challenge in …

Anger, Fear, And Escalation Of Commitment, Ming-Hong Tsai, Maia J. Young

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Two studies examined how discrete emotions influence escalation of commitment. Study 1 demonstrated that anger was associated with more escalation of commitment than fear in a personnel hiring-appraisal context. In addition, it revealed the mediating effect of risk perception; angry compared to fearful individuals perceived lower risk in their initial decision, which in turn increased the tendency to escalate commitment. Study 2 replicated the pattern of results of Study 1 in a financial decision-making situation. Contrary to conclusions drawn from the results of prior research, the current studies suggest that not all negative emotions alleviate escalation of commitment.

Risk Mitigation And Culture: An Examination Of The Utility Of Cultural Cognition Theory In Determining Operational Security Cultures In A Healthcare Environment, Melvyn Griffiths

Theses : Honours

People tend to see danger and risk in different ways depending on their experiences, attitudes and beliefs (Douglas, 1992; Kahan, 2008; Slovic, 1992). In order to develop effective risk mitigation strategies, an approach that can successfully manage competing worldviews is needed. Hospitals provide a challenging setting for security due to the contrast between the open nature of the environment and the need for appropriate entry and access control measures. This study assessed the utility of the Cultural Cognition methodology in a security risk context by measuring competing worldviews and risk perceptions between various cohorts in a healthcare environment. Cultural Cognition …

Whose Eyes Are You Going To Believe? Scott V. Harris And The Perils Of Cognitive Illiberalism, Dan M. Kahan, David A. Hoffman, Donald Braman

All Faculty Scholarship

This paper accepts the unusual invitation to see for yourself issued by the Supreme Court in Scott v. Harris, 127 S. Ct. 1769 (2007). Scott held that a police officer did not violate the Fourth Amendment when he deliberately rammed his car into that of a fleeing motorist who refused to pull over for speeding and instead attempted to evade the police in a high-speed chase. The majority did not attempt to rebut the arguments of the single Justice who disagreed with its conclusion that no reasonable juror could find the fleeing driver did not pose a deadly risk …