Premium
Characterizing Mental Models of Hazardous Processes: A Methodology and an Application to Radon
Author(s) -
Bostrom Ann,
Fischhoff Baruch,
Morgan M. Granger
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1992.tb01946.x
Subject(s) - hazard , hazardous waste , environmental hazard , set (abstract data type) , representation (politics) , risk analysis (engineering) , radon , hazard analysis , control (management) , computer science , management science , engineering , artificial intelligence , business , ecology , political science , reliability engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , politics , law , biology , programming language , waste management
Lay people's ability to respond to an environmental hazard is determined, in part, by their understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological processes that govern its creation and control. A general methodology is offered here for studying that understanding. It attempts to characterize people's mental models of a hazard—i.e., the sets of principles from which they generate predictions about its behavior. The organizing device for this methodology is a network representation of expert knowledge about the hazard, emphasizing concepts relevant to risk management. This methodology is illustrated here with a set of interviews about the risks of radon. The results have implications for measuring, predicting, and aiding the public's understanding of environmental hazards.