Psychology professor Dr. Davis, who has spent the past decade
studying human response to disaster, presented his research into
risk perception and preparedness at the Cities on Volcanoes 5
Conference, November 19-23 in Shimabara, Japan. “Increasing our
understanding of how individuals perceive their risks from
natural hazards and of the factors related to accurate risk
perception is an important area of psychological study, as
findings from such work can help to develop more effective
community response through education programs and disaster
planning,” Davis said. “Often, emergency management people make
evacuation plans without consulting social psychologists,” Davis
added. “They have a plan, but they have no idea how the public
will react. You need social science research behind you to
figure out what’s the best way to educate people.” Davis said
most social scientists study how people react in the aftermath
of a disaster, but only about 10 percent study how people behave
beforehand. Similarly, little mone