EMOTIONAL REACTIONS TO RISK PERCEPTION IN THE ROYAL PALACE OF CASERTA, ITALY

This paper addresses the general question of the role of emotions in risk management, with an application to the siting of a repository for spent nuclear fuel. Although it is true that such siting has been very difficult to carry out without meeting with strong local opposition, there are some exceptions in recent Swedish experience. This recent experience constitutes an occasion for reconsidering the received message from risk perception research since the 1970s. This research has purportedly demonstrated a very strong impact of emotional processes on risk attitudes, which in turn is supposed to imply that these attitudes are rigid and unchangeable. However, when this assertion is looked at more closely, it is found that a number of questionable assumptions and overly strong generalizations have been made. The central role played by the concept of ‘dread’ is particularly important. Dread, or a ‘gut reaction’, is by no means demonstrated in the traditional selection of hazard attributes, which contain such dimensions as concern for future generations or voluntariness. Such dimensions may have a relationship to emotional processes but they are not emotional per se and their emotional significance remains to be documented. The items that do measure emotional reactions directly, by asking about fear and anxiety, are found in data on nuclear waste repository siting to have only a weak influence on policy attitudes. The most important weight is instead carried by items measuring the ‘expected severity of consequences’. The argument is, in a concluding section, carried to the level of attitudes to technologies, which may or may not be related to perceived risk. It is found that an important role is played by substitutability of a technology. If people see no good substitute for a technology that has important benefits, they are ready to accept the risks. The current situation in Sweden with regard to nuclear power can be understood in this light, since no realistic alternatives are available.

Download Full-text

Communicating risk in human-wildlife interactions: How stories and images move minds

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0244440 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0244440

Author(s):

Sara K. Guenther ◽

Elizabeth A. Shanahan

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Habitat Restoration ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Process Analysis ◽

Affective Response ◽

Legal Protection ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Communicating Risk ◽

Prior Attitudes

Effectively communicating risk is critical to reducing conflict in human-wildlife interactions. Using a survey experiment fielded in the midst of contentious public debate over flying fox management in urban and suburban areas of Australia, we find that stories with characters (i.e., narratives) are more effective than descriptive information at mobilizing support for different forms of bat management, including legal protection, relocation, and habitat restoration. We use conditional process analysis to show that narratives, particularly with accompanying images, are effective because they cause emotional reactions that influence risk perception, which in turn drives public opinion about strategies for risk mitigation. We find that prior attitudes towards bats matter in how narrative messages are received, in particular in how strongly they generate shifts in affective response, risk perception, and public opinion. Our results suggest that those with warm prior attitudes towards bats report greater support for bat dispersal when they perceive impacts from bats to be more likely, while those with cool priors report greater support for bat protection when they perceive impacts from bats to be more positive, revealing 1) potential opportunities for targeted messaging to boost public buy-in of proposals to manage risks associated with human-wildlife interactions, and 2) potential vulnerabilities to disinformation regarding risk.

Download Full-text

Can We Apply the Psychology of Risk Perception to Increase Earthquake Preparation?

Collabra Psychology ◽

10.1525/collabra.238 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Iris Lok ◽

Evan Eschelmuller ◽

Terje Haukaas ◽

Carlos Ventura ◽

Armin Bebamzadeh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Statistical Analysis ◽

Risk Perception ◽

Personal Experience ◽

Risk Mitigation ◽

Scientific Information ◽

Past Research ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Effective Strategy ◽

Human Beings ◽

Local School

Can we encourage people to prepare for a natural disaster by altering the way that scientific information about risk is presented? In assessing the risk posed by a particular hazard, people tend to be guided more strongly by their emotional reactions than by logical or statistical analysis; human beings are driven to protect themselves from risks that that they have actually experienced, that are easy to envision, or that are linked to vivid, concrete images. Thus, even if people recognize that earthquakes pose an important threat, they may be unmotivated to take action to prepare for this abstract risk in the absence of direct personal experience. Harnessing past research and theorizing, we developed a novel intervention to transform scientific information into vivid, emotionally evocative imagery. In a pre-registered study, 411 participants were shown publicly available statistics or a vivid, scientifically-grounded image of what a local school would look like after a major earthquake. When invited to sign a petition to make schools safer, 77.3% participants agreed after looking at the image compared to 68% who agreed after looking at statistics. These findings suggest that using vivid images to communicate scientific information can be an effective strategy for motivating people to support risk mitigation initiatives.

Download Full-text

Awareness and Mental Health of Male Drug Addicts With Tuberculosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.697508 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Dongming Jia ◽

Hai Li ◽

Yuming Xu

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Emotional Reaction ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Mitigation Strategies ◽

Total Serum Protein ◽

Total Serum ◽

Drug Addicts ◽

Significant Difference

Introduction: At present, the COVID-19 pandemic remains the most pressing global health issue. Given the significant amount of public awareness, the infection rate and rehabilitation efforts are governed not only by the compliance of transmission mitigation strategies but also by the understanding of coexisting diseases and COVID-19 in patients with chronic infectious diseases. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the differences in demographics, as well as awareness, risk perception, and emotional reactions, among imprisoned drug addicts with and without tuberculosis (TB) regarding their perceptions of and feelings toward the COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary goal of the study was also to measure how the psychological health and nutritional indices of the drug addicts with TB changed during their ongoing rehabilitation.Methods: A total of 265 male drug addicts, 45 of which were positive for TB and another 220 who were negative, were selected as subjects from a mandatory detoxification and rehabilitation center (MDRC). Data were collected through a combination of questionnaires (questions regarding COVID-19 awareness, emotional knowledge and responses, and SCL-90 tests), anthropometric examination, and laboratory blood tests, with which inferential and descriptive statistical analyses were performed.Results: During a period of 1 week in early 2021, the differences in the accuracy of the responses from the questions probing the awareness of COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, susceptible populations, what kind of mask should be worn, and preventive measures between TB addicts to non-TB addicts were 11.11 vs. 60.45%, 57.78 vs. 77.27%, 66.67 vs. 78.64%, 97.98 vs. 97.73%, and 93.33 vs. 65.91%, respectively. In the risk perception and emotional reaction sections of the questionnaire, there was a significant difference in the responses to “What you were more worried about was?” (p < 0.001) and “Alteration in your mood since the outbreak?” (p = 0.002) between the two cohorts. In the section assessing the 10 dimensions of the SCL-90 scale, there were significant differences between the TB addicts and the Chinese norm. In addition, the BMI (21.06 ± 2.65 kg/m2) and total serum protein (77.14 ± 6.12 g/L) levels of the TB addicts were normal, but the serum hemoglobin (117.02 ± 4.97 g/L) and albumin (42.08 ± 1.81 g/L) levels were significantly lower in the TB addicts compared to the norm (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic we are facing is both an epidemiologic and a psychological crisis. However, while the COVID-19 epidemic will eventually disappear (or become manageable, similar to the flu), the TB epidemic may still persist. To avoid the deleterious consequences of multiple simultaneous epidemics, complementary response measures to COVID-19 and TB can help curb the exacerbation of both situations and, therefore, save lives. Imprisoned drug addicts, especially those with TB, can master relevant knowledge on COVID-19.

Download Full-text

Measuring Cigarette Smoking Risk Perceptions

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntz213 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (11) ◽

pp. 1937-1945 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Annette R Kaufman ◽

Jenny E Twesten ◽

Jerry Suls ◽

Kevin D McCaul ◽

Jamie S Ostroff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Cigarette Smoking ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Smoking Behavior ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Multiple Time ◽

Response Options ◽

Smoking Behaviors ◽

Health Domains ◽

Multiple Time Points

Abstract Risk perception is an important construct in many health behavior theories. Smoking risk perceptions are thoughts and feelings about the harms associated with cigarette smoking. Wide variation in the terminology, definition, and assessment of this construct makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the associations of risk perceptions with smoking behaviors. To understand optimal methods of assessing adults’ cigarette smoking risk perceptions (among both smokers and nonsmokers), we reviewed best practices from the tobacco control literature, and where gaps were identified, we looked more broadly to the research on risk perceptions in other health domains. Based on this review, we suggest assessments of risk perceptions (1) about multiple smoking-related health harms, (2) about harms over a specific timeframe, and (3) for the person affected by the harm. For the measurement of perceived likelihood in particular (ie, the perceived chance of harm from smoking based largely on deliberative thought), we suggest including (4) unconditional and conditional items (stipulating smoking behavior) and (5) absolute and comparative items and including (6) comparisons to specific populations through (7) direct and indirect assessments. We also suggest including (8) experiential (ostensibly automatic, somatic perceptions of vulnerability to a harm) and affective (emotional reactions to a potential harm) risk perception items. We also offer suggestions for (9) response options and (10) the assessment of risk perception at multiple time points. Researchers can use this resource to inform the selection, use, and future development of smoking risk perception measures. Implications Incorporating the measurement suggestions for cigarette smoking risk perceptions that are presented will help researchers select items most appropriate for their research questions and will contribute to greater consistency in the assessment of smoking risk perceptions among adults.

Download Full-text

The Role of Mixed Emotions in the Risk Perception of Novice and Serial Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice ◽

10.1111/j.1540-6520.2011.00476.x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 115-140 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Ksenia Podoynitsyna ◽

Hans Van der Bij ◽

Michael Song

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Important Determinant ◽

The United States ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Data Set ◽

Mixed Emotions ◽

Strategic Issues ◽

Serial Entrepreneurs ◽

Entrepreneurial Decision

This study examines the role of mixed emotions in the risk perception of entrepreneurs, an important determinant of entrepreneurial decision making. We extend the literature on mixed emotions by applying the cognitive appraisal tendency approach and contrasting it with ambivalence stemming from the valence–based approach. We test our hypotheses on a data set of 253 entrepreneurs from the United States. We show that mixed and conflicting emotions are an important predictor of the risk perception of entrepreneurs. At the same time, we find that emotional reactions of entrepreneurs on strategic issues change substantially as they found more ventures and become habitual entrepreneurs.

Download Full-text

Behavioral Factors Impact Impairment and Disability Evaluation

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.2011.sepoct03 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 5-7

Author(s):

Lee Ensalada

Keyword(s):

Social History ◽

Standardized Test ◽

Somatoform Disorders ◽

Disability Evaluation ◽

Body Part ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Illness Behavior ◽

Validity Testing ◽

Symptom Validity Testing ◽

Disease Pattern

Abstract Illness behavior refers to the ways in which symptoms are perceived, understood, acted upon, and communicated and include facial grimacing, holding or supporting the affected body part, limping, using a cane, and stooping while walking. Illness behavior can be unconscious or conscious: In the former, the person is unaware of the mental processes and content that are significant in determining behavior; conscious illness behavior may be voluntary and conscious (the two are not necessarily associated). The first broad category of inappropriate illness behavior is defensiveness, which is characterized by denial or minimization of symptoms. The second category includes somatoform disorders, factitious disorders, and malingering and is characterized by exaggerating, fabricating, or denying symptoms; minimizing capabilities or positive traits; or misattributing actual deficits to a false cause. Evaluators can detect the presence of inappropriate illness behaviors based on evidence of consistency in the history or examination; the likelihood that the reported symptoms make medical sense and fit a reasonable disease pattern; understanding of the patient's current situation, personal and social history, and emotional predispositions; emotional reactions to symptoms; evaluation of nonphysiological findings; results obtained using standardized test instruments; and tests of dissimulation, such as symptom validity testing. Unsupported and insupportable conclusions regarding inappropriate illness behavior represent substandard practice in view of the importance of these conclusions for the assessment of impairment or disability.

Download Full-text

The Therapist’s Reaction to a Patient’s Suicide

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000062 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 99-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Friedrich Martin Wurst ◽

Isabella Kunz ◽

Gregory Skipper ◽

Manfred Wolfersdorf ◽

Karl H. Beine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotional Responses ◽

Well Being ◽

Emotional Reaction ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Analog Scale ◽

General Hospitals ◽

Item Questionnaire ◽

Retrospective Nature ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

Background: A substantial proportion of therapists experience the loss of a patient to suicide at some point during their professional life. Aims: To assess (1) the impact of a patient’s suicide on therapists distress and well-being over time, (2) which factors contribute to the reaction, and (3) which subgroup might need special interventions in the aftermath of suicide. Methods: A 63-item questionnaire was sent to all 185 Psychiatric Clinics at General Hospitals in Germany. The emotional reaction of therapists to patient’s suicide was measured immediately, after 2 weeks, and after 6 months. Results: Three out of ten therapists suffer from severe distress after a patients’ suicide. The item “overall distress” immediately after the suicide predicts emotional reactions and changes in behavior. The emotional responses immediately after the suicide explained 43.5% of the variance of total distress in a regression analysis. Limitations: The retrospective nature of the study is its primary limitation. Conclusions: Our data suggest that identifying the severely distressed subgroup could be done using a visual analog scale for overall distress. As a consequence, more specific and intensified help could be provided to these professionals.

Download Full-text

Heart Rate Variability, Emotions, and Music

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000021 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 112-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

F. Riganello ◽

A. Candelieri ◽

M. Quintieri ◽

G. Dolce

Keyword(s):

Data Mining ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Vegetative State ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Heart Beat ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Frequency Spectra ◽

Emotional Value

The purpose of the study was to identify significant changes in heart rate variability (an emerging descriptor of emotional conditions; HRV) concomitant to complex auditory stimuli with emotional value (music). In healthy controls, traumatic brain injured (TBI) patients, and subjects in the vegetative state (VS) the heart beat was continuously recorded while the subjects were passively listening to each of four music samples of different authorship. The heart rate (parametric and nonparametric) frequency spectra were computed and the spectra descriptors were processed by data-mining procedures. Data-mining sorted the nu_lf (normalized parameter unit of the spectrum low frequency range) as the significant descriptor by which the healthy controls, TBI patients, and VS subjects’ HRV responses to music could be clustered in classes matching those defined by the controls and TBI patients’ subjective reports. These findings promote the potential for HRV to reflect complex emotional stimuli and suggest that residual emotional reactions continue to occur in VS. HRV descriptors and data-mining appear applicable in brain function research in the absence of consciousness.

Download Full-text

The Influence of Cognitive and Affective Reactions to Feedback on Subsequent Goals

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000011 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 121-131 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Remus Ilies ◽

Timothy A. Judge ◽

David T. Wagner

Keyword(s):

Performance Feedback ◽

Business School ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Emotional Reactions ◽

Equation Model ◽

Proposed Model ◽

And Performance ◽

Dispositional Measure ◽

The Relationship ◽

Reactions To Feedback

This paper focuses on explaining how individuals set goals on multiple performance episodes, in the context of performance feedback comparing their performance on each episode with their respective goal. The proposed model was tested through a longitudinal study of 493 university students’ actual goals and performance on business school exams. Results of a structural equation model supported the proposed conceptual model in which self-efficacy and emotional reactions to feedback mediate the relationship between feedback and subsequent goals. In addition, as expected, participants’ standing on a dispositional measure of behavioral inhibition influenced the strength of their emotional reactions to negative feedback.

Download Full-text