This is a study of risk perception in relation to New Age (NA) beliefs, including traditional folk superstition and belief in paranormal phenomena, as well as use of alternative healing practices. Data were also obtained on trust dimensions and on personality and psychopathology variables, as well as religious involvement. It was found that four factors accounted for the investigated NA beliefs, which were termed higher consciousness beliefs, denial of analytic knowledge, traditional superstition, and belief in the physical reality of the soul. NA beliefs were strongly and positively related to religious involvement, and negatively to educational level. These beliefs were also positively related to maladjustment and to concerns over tampering with nature. In regression analyses, it was found that NA beliefs explained about 15% of the variance of perceived risk, and that the most powerful explanatory factors were higher consciousness beliefs and beliefs in paranormal phenomena. Traditional superstition and use of healing practices did not contribute to explaining perceived risk.
Many estimates of risk of crash involvement may have been wrong. Given the potential for erroneous criteria, a number of studies may make invalid assumptions from their data.
The Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) has mainly been used as predictor of selfreported road traffic accidents. The associations between crashes and the violation and error factors of the DBQ however, may be spuriously high due to reporting bias. In the present study, the DBQ was tested as predictor of self-reported and recorded accidents in four samples of private and professional drivers. The findings show that the DBQ scale only predicts self-reported accidents, not recorded crashes, despite the higher validity of company data, and the higher means of the recorded data across these samples. The results can be explained by a common method variance bias. In our review of the DBQ research, the use of the instrument was found to be heterogeneous concerning the number of items, scales used, and factor analytic methods applied. Thus, the DBQ may not be as homogenous and as successful in predicting accidents as is often claimed.
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