Risk communication of terrorist acts, natural disasters, and criminal violence: Comparing the processes of understanding and responding

Behavioral Sciences and the Law

Volumn 28, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 717-729

  Heilbrun, Kirk ^a,b   Wolbransky, Melinda ^a   Shah, Sanjay ^a   Kelly, Rebecca ^a  

^a Drexel University ^*  (United States)

^b DREXEL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; ARTICLE; COMPREHENSION; CRIME; DECISION MAKING; DISASTER; DISASTER PLANNING; FEMALE; HUMAN; INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION; MALE; QUESTIONNAIRE; RISK; TERRORISM; VIOLENCE;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; COMMUNICATION; COMPREHENSION; CRIME; DECISION MAKING; DISASTER PLANNING; DISASTERS; FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; QUESTIONNAIRES; RISK; TERRORISM; VIOLENCE;

EID: 78649656531     PISSN: 07353936     EISSN: 10990798     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1002/bsl.940     Document Type: Article

References (33)

1. Altheide, D. (1997). The news media, the problem frame, and the production of fear. Sociological Quarterly, 38, 647-668.
2. Broad, K., Leiserowitz, A., Weinkle, J., & Steketee, M. (2007). Misinterpretations of the "cone of uncertainty" in Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 88, 651-667.
3. Drabek, T. (1999). Understanding disaster warning responses. Social Science Journal, 36, 515-523.
4. Finucane, M., Alhakami, A., Slovic, P., & Johnson, S. (2000). The affect heuristic in judgments of risks and benefits. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 13, 1-17.
5. Fischhoff, B. (1996). Public values in risk research. Annals of AAPSS, 545, 75-84.
6. Flynn, J., Slovic, P., & Mertz, C. (1994). Gender, race, and perception of environmental health risks. Risk Analysis, 14, 1101-1108.
7. Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., & Signorelli, N. (1986). Television's mean world: Violence profile No. 14-15. Philadelphia, PA: Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania.
8. Gigerenzer, G., Gaissmaier, W., Milcke, E., Schwartz, L., & Woloshin, S. (2009). Helping doctors and patients make sense of health statistics. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 8, 53-96.
9. Glik, D. (2007). Risk communication for public health emergencies. Annual Review of Public Health, 28, 33-54.
10. Gurmankin, A., Baron, J., & Armstrong, K. (2004). Intended message versus message received in hypothetical physician risk communication: Exploring the gap. Risk Analysis 24, 1337-1347.
11. Homeland Security Advisory System. (2008, June). Retrieved June 15, 2008, from
12. Homeland Security Presidential Directive-3. (2002, March). Retrieved June 15, 2008, from
13. Jackson, J. (2004). Experience and expression: Social and cultural significance in the fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology, 44, 946-966.
14. Jackson, J. (2006). Introducing fear of crime to risk research. Risk Analysis, 26, 253-264.
15. McComas, K. (2006). Defining moments in risk communication research: 1996-200. Journal of Health Communication, 11, 75-91.
16. Miller, M., & Solomon, G. (2003). Environmental risk communication for the clinician. Pediatrics, 112, 211-217.
17. Monahan, J., Heilbrun, K., Silver, E., Nabors, E., Bone, J., & Slovic, P. (2002). Communicating violence risk: Frequency formats, vivid outcomes, and forensic settings. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 1, 121-126.
18. Monahan, J., & Steadman, H. (1996). Violent storms and violent people: How meteorology can inform risk communication in mental health law. American Psychologist, 51, 931-938.
19. Poythress, N. (1990). Avoiding negligent release: Contemporary clinical and risk management strategies. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 994-997.
20. Poythress, N., & Brodsky, S. L. (1992). In the wake of a negligent release lawsuit: An investigation of professional consequences and institutional impact on a state psychiatric hospital. Law and Human Behavior, 16, 155-173.
21. Renn, O. (2004). Perception of risks. Toxicology Letters, 149, 405-413.
22. Riad, J., Norris, F., & Ruback, B. (1999). Predicting evacuation in two major disasters: Risk perception, social influence, and access to resources. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 29, 918-943.
23. Ropeik, D., & Gray, G. (2002). Dealing with the dangers of fear: The role of risk communication. Politics & Public Health, 21, 106-116.
24. Rottenstreich, Y., & Hsee, C. (2001). Money, kisses, and electric shocks: On the affective psychology of risk. Psychological Science, 12, 185-190.
25. Sapir-Guha, D., Hargitt, D., & Hoyois, P. (2004). Thirty years of natural disasters 1974-2003: The numbers. Brussels, Belgium: Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, UCL Presses, Universitaires De Louvain.
26. Slovic, P. (1987). Perception of risk. Science, 236, 280-285.
27. Slovic, P. (1999). Trust, emotion, sex, politics and science: Surveying the risk assessment battlefield. Risk Analysis, 19, 689-701.
28. Slovic, P., Finucane, M., Peters, E., & MacGregor, D. (2004). Risk as analysis and risk as feelings: Some thoughts about affect, reason, risk, and rationality. Risk Analysis, 24, 311-322.
29. Slovic, P., Fischoff, B., & Lichtenstein, S. (1982). Facts versus fears: Understanding perceived risk. In D. Kahneman, P. Slovic, & A. Tversky (Eds.), Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases (pp. 463-489). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
30. Slovic, P., Monahan, J., & MacGregor, D. (2000). Violence risk assessment and risk communication: The effects of using actual cases, providing instruction, and employing probability versus frequency formats. Law and Human Behavior, 24, 271-296.
31. Taylor-Goody, P., & Zinn, J. (2006). Current directions in risk research: New developments in psychology and sociology. Risk Analysis, 26, 397-411.
32. Vasterman, P., Yzermans, J., & Dirkzwager, A. (2005). The role of the media and media hypes in the aftermath of disasters. American Journal of Epidemiology, 27, 107-114.
33. Warr, M. (2000). Fear of crime in the United States: Avenues for research and policy. Measurement and Analysis of Crime and Justice, 4, 451-489.