INFORMATION SEEKING IN RISK ACCEPTANCE

RISK ACCEPTANCE IS THE BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTIC OF AN INDIVIDUAL, EXHIBITED WHEN ENGAGED IN AN ACTION THAT HAS SOME PROBABILITY OF FAILURE. FOR A MEANINGFUL DECISION MAKING SITUATION INVOLVING RISK ACCEPTANCE TO EXIST, THERE MUST BE A POSITIVE UTILITY ASSOCIATED WITH ENGAGING IN THE ACTION AND SUCCEEDING, AND A NEGATIVE UTILITY IN ENGAGING IN THE ACTION AND FAILING. THE HYPOTHESIS IS THAT THE RISK ACCEPTANCE DECISION MAKER CONSIDERS FOUR THINGS WHEN MAKING HIS DECISION. WHAT ARE THE TASK REQUIREMENTS? WHAT ARE MY CAPABILITIES RELATIVE TO IT? WHAT WILL I GAIN IF I ATTEMPT THE TASK AND SUCCEED? WHAT HARM WILL I SUFFER IF I FAIL? THIS RESEARCH WAS CONCERNED WITH MEASURING AN INDIVIDUAL'S RISK TAKING BEHAVIOR IN A PARTICULAR DECISION MAKING ENVIRONMENT WHEN PROVIDED "COMPLETE INFORMATION", AND THEN MEASURING HOW MUCH INFORMATION THE INDIVIDUAL SOUGHT WHEN FACED THE SAME DESICION-MAKING ENVIRONMENT WITH INFORMATION AS TO "TASK REQUIREMENTS" WITHHELD. 27 SS WERE GROUPED A POSTERIORI AS HIGH RISKERS OR LOW RISKERS (BASED ON EXHIBITED RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR) AND THEIR INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOR ANALYZED. IT WAS FOUND THAT LOW RISKERS SOUGHT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INFORMATION PRIOR TO MAKING RISK ACCEPTANCE DECISIONS THAN DID HIGH RISKERS, SUGGESTING THAT A PERSONS RISK-TAKING BEHAVIOR IN A GIVEN ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THAT PERSON WILL SEEK BEFORE MAKING A RISK-ACCEPTANCE DECISION IN THAT ENVIRONMENT. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 4 Pp, Fig, TAB, 12 REF
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Safety Engineers

  850 Busse Highway
  Park Ridge, IL  United States  60068
• Authors:
  • Rockwell, T H
  • Burner, L R
• Publication Date: 1968-2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acceptance; Decision making; Hazards; Human beings; Risk assessment
• Uncontrolled Terms: Characteristics
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223192
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 26 1970 12:00AM