Intuitive Toxicology [United States]: A Comparison of Expert and Lay Judgments in Chemical Risk Assessments, 1988

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This study explores the psychology of decision-making by examining the subjective and intuitive elements of expert and lay risk assessments. For the study, members of the United States Society of Toxicology and the lay public were surveyed about basic toxicological concepts, assumptions, and interpretations regarding risk of chemical toxicology. Chemicals were defined as including all chemical elements and compounds, including pesticides, food additives, industrial chemicals, household cleaning agents, and prescription and nonprescription drugs. The researchers began by identifying several fundamental principles and judgmental components within the science of risk assessment. Questions were developed based on these fundamentals in order to determine the extent to which lay people and experts share the same beliefs and conceptual framework. Questions addressed the following four topics: (1) dose-response sensitivity, (2) trust in animal and bacterial studies, (3) attitudes toward chemicals, and (4) attitudes toward reducing chemical risks. Demographic information for Demographic information for expert data include highest academic degree earned, fields of study, age, sex, race, health, organizational affiliation, and current position at work. Demographic information for lay public data include education, age, sex, marital status, race, children, health, present employment status, career, and annual household income.