A "mental models" approach to the communication of subsurface hydrology and hazards
Communicating information about geological and hydrological hazards relies on appropriately worded communications targeted at the needs of the audience. But what are these needs, and how does the geoscientist discern them? This paper adopts a psychological "mental models" approach to asses...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2016-05-01
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Series: | Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |
Online Access: | http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/20/1737/2016/hess-20-1737-2016.pdf |
Summary: | Communicating information about geological and hydrological hazards relies
on appropriately worded communications targeted at the needs of the
audience. But what are these needs, and how does the geoscientist discern
them? This paper adopts a psychological "mental models" approach to assess
the public perception of the geological subsurface, presenting the results
of attitudinal studies and surveys in three communities in the south-west of
England. The findings reveal important preconceptions and misconceptions
regarding the impact of hydrological systems and hazards on the geological
subsurface, notably in terms of the persistent conceptualisation of
underground rivers and the inferred relations between flooding and human
activity. The study demonstrates how such mental models can provide
geoscientists with empirical, detailed and generalised data of perceptions
surrounding an issue, as well reveal unexpected outliers in perception that
they may not have considered relevant, but which nevertheless may locally
influence communication. Using this approach, geoscientists can develop
information messages that more directly engage local concerns and create
open engagement pathways based on dialogue, which in turn allow both
geoscience "experts" and local "non-experts" to come together and understand
each other more effectively. |
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ISSN: | 1027-5606 1607-7938 |