Exploring Behavior Week
Who is Involved
Participate!
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
11:45 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Rayburn House Office Building, Capitol Hill
Washington, DCThis briefing was jointly sponsored by the Association of American Geographers (AAG), the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Sociological Association (ASA), and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) in support of the Decade of Behavior theme of "safety."
Summary:
How do people, governments, and institutions prepare for and respond to disaster? Social and behavioral science research has shown that our response to disaster depends in large part on the perception of risk and stress, on how emergency responders communicate with the public and make use of geographic information, and on the processes of team decision-making. Disaster response involves the mass movement of people, goods, and resources and requires high levels of cooperation. Harnessing our knowledge about how people behave in emergencies is important to the strategies, infrastructure, and technologies we are creating now to prepare for future disasters. This briefing featured speakers representing four scientific disciplines as they relate to disaster response-- geography, psychology, human factors, and sociology.
Speakers:
[View speaker bios, photos, and presentations]
Dr. Baruch Fischhoff, Carnegie Mellon University
"What's Worth Knowing - and Saying - About Terrorism?"
Psychology
Dr. Douglas Richardson, Association of American Geographers
"Geographical Dimensions of Terrorism: Implications for Public Policy"
Geography
Dr. Eduardo Salas, University of Central Florida
"Responding to Crises: The Science of Team Performance Under Pressure"
Human Factors
Dr. Kathleen J. Tierney, University of Delaware
"Social Science and Disaster Research Perspectives on the September 11 Attacks: Building on Our Knowledge to Make Our Communities Safer"
Sociology
Moderator:
Dr. Felice Levine, Executive Director, American Sociological Association