It may not appear so but every day, people are exposed to numerous sources of risk and make decisions on how best to navigate them – from deciding whether to jaywalk, whether to use sunblock or what food to eat. These choices are influenced by many factors, particularly people’s perception of risk.

How people perceive risks matter because they can significantly influence behaviour and decision making. The way people perceive risks can affect their willingness to engage in certain activities, make specific choices, and take particular precautions to protect themselves and others.

This is why risk communication is so valuable and important. Effective risk communication involves providing information about potential risks in a clear, accurate, and understandable way. This can help people make informed decisions about how to protect themselves and others from harm.

However, the way risks are communicated can also affect how people perceive them. For example, if risks are presented in a sensationalised or exaggerated way, people may perceive them as more severe than they actually are. This can lead to unnecessary anxiety, fear, and avoidance behaviour. On the other hand, if risks are downplayed or ignored, people may underestimate their severity and fail to take appropriate precautions. Enjoy the masterclasses below for free for a limited time.

OUTLINE

In this 3-part masterclass series, Professor Paul Slovic and Adjunct Professor Robin Gregory take you through the key components of risk perception and risk communication to gain a stronger understanding of what it means to be a communicator. Understanding how people perceive risk and how to engage them effectively skills are important for anyone whether in business, public health or disaster prevention. Some of the concepts covered include:

  • Decision-making influence
  • Risk and trust
  • Judgement
  • Risk consultation
  • Psychology of risk

Having accumulated decades of knowledge in risk perceptions and decision making between them, the two speakers draw on their experience to break down the different factors of risk perception and communication. Using specially selected case studies, they will also discuss how risks can be defined and measured.

As a follow-up to the masterclasses, IPUR will be organising online consultation sessions for interested participants with Prof Slovic and Adjunct Prof Robin Gregory. Kindly email Jared Ng (jaredng1@nus.edu.sg) if you or a group would like to register for one of these sessions.

The Psychology of Risk Part 1:

Risk Perception

In the first of this 3-part masterclass series, Professor Paul Slovic discusses the importance of understanding the psychology of risk and decision making in the face of modern risks and in a bid to prepare for future challenges. Some of the concepts covered:

  1. The Complexity of Risk
  2. Studies of Perceived Risk
  3. Risk and Trust
  4. Listening to people and respecting their knowledge, values, and concerns 

The Psychology of Risk Part 2:

Confronting the Deadly Arithmetic of Compassion 

In the second of this 3-part masterclass series, Professor Paul Slovic discusses the different forms of heuristics which are used as mental strategies for simplifying difficult judgments about risk. He will discuss the two important heuristics for making risk judgments:

  1. The Availability Heuristic
  2. The Affect Heuristic

Considering the information available as well as context, Prof Slovic offers some simple actions which can help people make better judgments and decisions about risk.

Consultations and Stakeholder Engagement: Informing Risk Analysis and Communication 

In the final segment of this 3-part masterclass series, Adjunct Professor Robin Gregory outlines the critical components relating to risk consultations: 

  1. Definitions and types
  2. Old methods vs. new methods
  3. Purpose of consultations, importance of framing
  4. Misconceptions about consultations
  5. Trust, context, roles
  6. Case examples: consulting with technical experts, Indigenous communities, officials, public 

Speakers

Paul Slovic is founder and President of Decision Research and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, studies human judgment, decision making, and risk analysis. He and his colleagues worldwide have developed methods to describe risk perceptions and measure their impacts on individuals, industry, and society. He publishes extensively and serves as a consultant to industry and government. In 2022, Dr. Slovic received the Franklin Institute’s Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in the Science of Decision Making.

Robin Gregory is Senior Research Scientist with Decision Research in Eugene, Oregon and Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. He works on problems of policy and risk analysis, stakeholder consultation, environmental and adaptive management, prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, choice under uncertainty, and community and indigenous health assessment. Clients include government departments in the US and Canada, international organizations, NGOs, and a variety of programmes and agencies interesting in improving the decision-making skills of their members.