Characterizing Mental Models of Hazardous Processes: A Methodology and an Application to Radon
- 1 January 1992
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Social Issues
- Vol. 48 (4) , 85-100
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1992.tb01946.x
Abstract
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.Keywords
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