Summary Perception of Risk posed by extreme events, in “Risk Management strategies in an uncertain world”

The purpose of this brief review is to examine what existing research can tell us about the perception
of risk associated with these extreme events. We will also point out issues that remain in need of
exploration.

risk assessment: involves the identification, quantification, and characterization of threats to human
health and the environment.

risk management: centers around processes of communication, mitigation, and decision making.




Study of psychological
issues (cognitive and social perspective)




differences in risk perception lie at the heart of disagreements about the best course of action
between technical experts and members of the general public, men vs. women and people from
different cultures.

Both individual and group differences in preference for risky decision alternatives and situational
differences in risk preference have been shown to be associated with differences in perceptions of
the relative risk of choice options, rather than with differences in attitude towards (perceived) risk,
i.e., a tendency to approach or to avoid options perceived as riskier