Perception of risk from automobile safety defects

Slovic, Paul; MacGregor, Donald G.; Kraus, Nancy

doi:10.1016/0001-4575(87)90022-4

Cited by 54 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, existing research on this distinction in causal chains suggests that lay people distinguish less between intentional and unintentional voluntary causes than they do between both of these types of voluntary causes and physical causes (Hilton et al, 2004(Hilton et al, , 2005. This finding is consistent with a social utility model, which predicts that people apply sanctions to negligent actions as well as deliberate ones (see Slovic, MacGregor, & Kraus, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Judgments of voluntary and physical causes in causal chains: probabilistic and social functionalist criteria for attributions

McClure

Hilton

Sutton

2007

Euro J Social Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Four experiments investigated judgments about voluntary human actions and physical causes that were embedded in causal chains ending in negative outcomes (e.g., a forest fire). Causes were judged for their explanatory quality, their effect on the probability of the outcome, and the extent to which they could be socially controlled. Results supported legal theorists' claim that voluntary actions are judged better explanations than physical causes. Indices derived from theories of probability change generally failed to predict the preference for voluntary actions. In contrast, this preference was mediated by the perceived extent to which voluntary versus physical causes may be brought under social control. These results suggest that causal explanation, at least within causal chains, is not driven solely by changes in the probability of an outcome when a cause is added, and that observers recognize the potential social function of explanations in drawing attention to socially controllable causes.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Judgments of voluntary and physical causes in causal chains: probabilistic and social functionalist criteria for attributions

McClure

Hilton

Sutton

2007

Euro J Social Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More generally, Oppenheim (1992) recommends self-administered questionnaires for their high response rate, accurate sampling and freedom from interviewer bias. Specialised qualitative risk characteristic scales and associated questions were based on psychometric instruments extensively used within the established paradigm (Fischhoff et al, 1978;Slovic, Fischhoff, & Lichtenstein, 1981;Slovic, 1987;Slovic et al, 1987).…”

Section: Self-administered Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Perception in a Developing Country: The Case of Jordan

Alrawad¹,

Khattab²

2014

IBR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: Recognizing the importance of risk perception and the poor understanding of the phenomenon in developing countries, this study characterizes risk perception in Jordan. Design:A mixed quantitative and qualitative survey approach was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify risks relevant to Jordanian society, then perceptions of these were examined using a questionnaire. Sampling was stratified by province and convenience sampling was adopted within each stratum. The response rate of 53.6 percent was adequate for accurate and useful results representative of the target population. The questionnaire data were analyzed using parametric statistics including principal component analysis and mean analysis.Findings: A cognitive map shows that Jordanians perceived warfare and terrorist attack as the most dreaded, catastrophic and uncontrollable risks to society. Refugee influx was also perceived as a high risk on the dreaded dimension. Although Jordan generates no nuclear electricity, nuclear power was also loaded high on the dreaded factor, confirming that risk perception can be affected by negative international events. Research Limitations/Implications:A proper interpretation of the cognitive map requires an appreciation of the plasticity of risk, as perceptions are changed by scientific knowledge, media coverage and globalization of risk issues. Future research should examine these changes and determine other possible variables influencing risk ratings at different times. While stratified sampling helped the representativeness of the sample, convenience sampling was applied within each stratum. Future research might use probability sampling instead. This study gives risk analysts and policymakers a basis for understanding and anticipating public responses to risks and improving the communication of risk information among laypeople and decision-makers.Originality: This study is one of few to develop a cognitive map and investigate factors influencing risk perception in Jordan, in the volatile Middle East. Rather than surveying mainly students, it used a representative sample from Jordan's 12 provinces.

show abstract

“…However, its tenor is predominantly educational, and its prescription for openness generally does not extend to empowering the public in risk management decisions. Thus, risk communication of this type can do little to change public participation in the risk management process, and, therefore, virtually nothing to The psychometric paradigm (Fischhoff, Slovic, Lichtenstein, Read, & Combs, 1978;Slovic, Fischhoff, & Lichtenstein, 1984) has been used to characterize societal risks in general as well as to identify perceptions of risks in specific contexts such as automobile safety (MacGregor & Slovic, 1989;Slovic, MacGregor, & Kraus, 1987). Psychometric analyses of risk are typically done by asking respondents, generally members of the public or of some specific group of interest, to evaluate a number of different technologies, activities, or substances in terms of characteristics that relate to the social context of risk, dreadedness of consequences, catastrophic nature of consequences, equitability of risk/benefit distributions, and need for regulation.…”

Section: Two Perspectives On Risk Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Perception, Communication, and Community Relations

MacGregor

1994

SSRN Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Perception of risk from automobile safety defects

Cited by 54 publications

References 7 publications

Judgments of voluntary and physical causes in causal chains: probabilistic and social functionalist criteria for attributions

Judgments of voluntary and physical causes in causal chains: probabilistic and social functionalist criteria for attributions

Risk Perception in a Developing Country: The Case of Jordan

Risk Perception, Communication, and Community Relations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About