Bringing appraisal theory to environmental risk perception: a review of conceptual approaches of the past 40 years and suggestions for future research

Abstract

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The evaluation of hydrogen fuel stations by citizens: The interrelated effects of socio-demographic, spatial and psychological variables

“…Sj€ oberg [61, p. 223] concluded, based on these lines of thought, that "Much recent work on emotions and attitudes suggests a three-step process, where initial cognitive processing gives rise to emotions, which in turn guide the further, more elaborate, cognitive processing". Going more into detail, appraisal theories suggest that it is the appraisal of the situation that leads to specific emotions [62], which may also play a role for cases related to environmental risk perception [63,64]. Following these ideas about emotions, we modeled the emotions felt when thinking about the technology to be influenced by factors such as trust in responsible actors and knowledge about the technology, and to influence the expected effects of the technology.…”

Examining inequities in children’s environmental health: results of a survey on the risk perceptions and protective actions of new mothers

“…Similarly, Lazarus and Folkman (1984) suggest that if an individual facing a stressor cannot remove the threat through direct action, he/she may use denial as a mechanism to defend him/herself against stress. The result of this denial is that one perceives the level of personal risk as lower than that of others, even if the actual risk is the same (Hawkes and Rowe 2008;Keller et al 2012). The protection motivation theory (Floyd, Prentice-Dunn, and Rogers 2000), which involves threat appraisal and coping appraisal, addresses coping mechanisms leading to action or inaction.…”

Calls to Florida Poison Control Centers about mercury: Trends over 2003–2013

“…Survey research by Paul Slovick in the 1980s found that mercury was regarded as a “dread risk” and “unknown” risk, per his two-factor psychometric model for risk perceptions (Slovic, 1987); mercury thus fell in the quadrant of perceived risks for which public concern was highest. In addition to Slovick’s psychometric paradigm, social scientists have also used appraisal theory and other risk frameworks to investigate perceptions of mercury and other environmental hazards (Bostrom, 2008; Brown, 2014; Keller et al, 2012). Appraisal theory posits that considerations such as certainty and fairness influence emotional evaluations of environmental risks (Keller et al, 2012; Watson and Spence, 2007).…”

“…In addition to Slovick’s psychometric paradigm, social scientists have also used appraisal theory and other risk frameworks to investigate perceptions of mercury and other environmental hazards (Bostrom, 2008; Brown, 2014; Keller et al, 2012). Appraisal theory posits that considerations such as certainty and fairness influence emotional evaluations of environmental risks (Keller et al, 2012; Watson and Spence, 2007). Other psychological theories like the Risk Information Seeking and Processing Model and Social Amplification of Risk Model suggest that subjective norms and availability of information could also potentially influence mercury risk perceptions (Griffin et al, 1999; Kasperson et al, 1988; Yang et al, 2014).…”