Risk,Media, and Stigma at Rocky Flats

Public responses to nuclear technologies are often strongly negative. Events, such as accidents or evidence of unsafe conditions at nuclear facilities, receive extensive and dramatic coverage by the news media. These news stories affect public perceptions of nuclear risks and the geographic areas near nuclear facilities. One result of these perceptions, avoidance behavior, is a form of "technological stigma" that leads to losses in property values near nuclear facilities. The social amplification of risk is a conceptual framework that attempts to explain how stigma is created through media transmission of information about hazardous places and public perceptions and decisions. This paper examines stigma associated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Rocky Flats facility, a major production plant in the nation's nuclear weapons complex, located near Denver, Colorado. This study, based upon newspaper analyses and a survey of Denver area residents, finds that the social amplification theory provides a reasonable framework for understanding the events and public responses that took place in regard to Rocky Flats during a 6-year period, beginning with an FBI raid of the facility in 1989.     

Methodological Approaches to Assessing Risk Perceptions Associated with Food-Related Hazards

The psychometric approach developed by Slovic and his co-workers has been effectively used to assess risk perceptions associated with different food-related hazards. However, further examination (using questionnaire data and partial correlation techniques) has indicated that technological hazards are highly differentiated from lifestyle hazards, in terms of both hazard control and knowledge about the hazard. Optimistic bias was also seen to vary between hazards. Further research has focused on a particular hazard, genetic engineering. Risk perceptions associated with genetic engineering are underpinned by ethical concern and questions relating to perceived need for the technology, as well as perceptions of risk or harm. However, increasing the specificity of hazard stimuli was found to alter the factor structure of underlying risk perceptions. The utility of preference mapping procedures in determining individual differences in trust in risk regulators is also discussed.     

Cognitive and Emotional Representations of Terror Attacks: A Cross-Cultural Exploration

A questionnaire measuring cognitive and affective representations of terror risk was developed and tested in Turkey and Israel. Participants in the study were university students from the two countries (n= 351). Four equivalent factors explained terror risk cognitions in each sample: costs, vulnerability, trust, and control. A single negative emotionality factor explained the affective component of terror risk representations in both samples. All factors except control could be measured reliably. Results supported the validity of the questionnaire by showing expected associations between cognitions and emotions, as well as indicating gender differences and cultural variations. Current findings are discussed in relation to previous results, theoretical approaches, and practical implications.     

作为价值事实的社会和谐与作为价值感受的社会和谐

和谐是关系的规定,只有关系才有和谐不和谐的问题。和谐作为关系的规定既可以从事实的角度看,也可以从感受的角度看。构建和谐的社会关系应该兼顾和谐的事实与和谐的感受,而且应该和相应的社会角色与相应的量度相结合。社会是否和谐“作为事实”主要是指“扮演相应角色的关系方面”实际上是否被肯定;社会是否和谐“作为感受”则主要是指“扮演相应角色的关系方面”想不想、希望不希望以当下的状态或身份被肯定。作为事实,社会和谐的最低要求是,确保所有扮演正常社会角色的人都能在衣食无忧的状态下生存下去,最高境界是,已有的社会关系对任何人的任何社会身份来说都是肯定性的。作为感受,社会和谐的最低要求是,“所有正常角色的扮演者”都能容忍所涉及的社会关系状况,最高境界是,任何一种社会角色想做的任何事都是所有角色都希望他做的。     

Communicating Risks and Benefits from Fish Consumption: Impact on Belgian Consumers' Perception and Intention to Eat Fish

Communicating about the health effects of fish and seafood may potentially result in a conflict situation: increasing intake is desirable because of health and nutritional benefits, but higher consumption may also lead to an increased intake of potentially harmful environmental contaminants. In order to anticipate the communication challenge this conflict may pose, the research presented here aimed to assess the impact of risk/benefit communication on Belgian consumers' fish consumption behavior and fish attribute perception. Data were collected in June 2005 from a sample of 381 women, aged between 20 and 50 years. An experimental design consisting of four message conditions (benefit‐only; risk‐only; benefit‐risk; and risk‐benefit) combined with three information sources (fish and food industry; consumer organization; government) was used. Exposure to the benefit‐only message resulted in an increase from a self‐reported fish consumption frequency of 4.2 times per month to an intended fish consumption frequency of 5.1 times per month (+21%), while fish attribute perceptions only marginally improved. The risk‐only message resulted in a strong negative perceptual change in the range of two points on a seven‐point scale. This translated into an 8% decrease of behavioral intention (from eating fish 4.5 times per month to an intention of eating fish 4.1 times per month). Balanced messages referring to both risks and benefits yielded no significant change in behavioral intention, despite a significant worsening of fish attribute perception. The presentation order of benefits and risks in the balanced message showed a tendency to affect both behavioral intention and attribute perception, with the first message component being most influential. Information source did not yield any significant impact either on behavioral intention or on attribute perceptions, independent of the message content. The results from this study provide valuable insights for future risk/benefit and balanced communication about seafood.     

Themes and Trends of Journal of Family and Economic Issues: A Review of Twenty Years (1988–2007)

This review article examines the progress and impact of the Journal of Family and Economic Issues (JFEI) between 1988–2007. Over the past 20 years, JFEI has become a major journal publishing articles on the relationship between families and economic systems. JFEI contributed to both the economic and family studies disciplines by publishing articles that explore the interface of these two disciplines. Between 1988 and 2007, JFEI published articles on a variety of themes not often found in other economic or family studies journals such as family resource management, consumer attitudes and behaviors, and economic issues and family relationships. Other unique characteristics of JFEI include many collaborative multidisciplinary studies and many studies analyzing international or cross-cultural samples.     

试论作为中国审美形态的"神妙"

按照普适性、统摄性和流传性的原则来确定最基本的审美形态,神妙是源远流长且在当代仍具有价值和活力的基本审美形态之一。这一审美形态的特点在于神与妙浑然一体,相映生辉,共同体现了对具体的有形的事物的超越,具有直觉体悟的内审美性和内在自由性,表现主体的精神和艺术的造诣所达到的出神入化的美妙境界,具有妙不可言、深不可测的审美特点。神妙作为中国独有的审美形态,源自于儒道两家对道的体悟和认识,并在中国古代丰富的艺术和审美实践中生成。     

论鸦片战争前后国人对外部世界的认知

鸦片战争时期,先进士人逐步摆脱传统的“天下”观念的束缚,从“天朝大国”、“华夷之辩”的心态中觉醒,眼光开始超越“天朝”的围墙,用近代世界的眼光来关注外部世界,开始将中国的命运与外部世界的发展联系起来,这种思想正是近代世界观念的觉醒。受传统世界观的影响所导致的整体性世界观念的滞后,成为决定中国早期近代化成败最重要的深层原因之一。     

Modeling collecting behavior: The role of set completion

Collecting is a complex behavior that has been studied from a variety of different perspectives. Art objects, stamps, coins, and other established collectibles markets, have been shown over the years to provide some degree of return to the collector in the economics literature. Wonderment over the success of certain collectibles such as Swatch watches and Beanie Babies has received much attention in the popular press. But how does one rationally explain the collecting of matchbook covers, Cracker Jacks toys, belt buckles, salt cellars, Aunt Jemima, etc.? Collecting in the absence of financial gain has received little attention in the economics literature. In the social psychology literature, many individuals are understood to have a natural desire to collect things for various reasons. Financial gain is only one of those reasons. Set completion is another. The reasons for collecting are not always mutually exclusive. For example, a complete set may be worth more in the secondary market, if one exists, than the sum of the individual pieces. This reflects the value of the rarest pieces and the opportunity costs of obtaining them. The model presented in this study explains how set completion motivates collecting behavior, which sheds light on collecting for both financial and nonfinancial reasons. The model accommodates both collectors and noncollectors and illustrates how consumption behavior may vary accordingly. Insight into how manufacturers of collectibles can use this behavior for commercial exploitation is explored.