The influence of the probabilistic set-up (i.e., formal aspects of the presented probability information) and of the task domain on the active search for probability information in quasi-natural risky decision tasks was investigated. In each of four tasks (domains: business, medicine, social, epidemic control) 72 subjects chose between a risky alternative and one without risk. There were three conditions in relation to the probabilistic set-up: (a) In the single condition the decision concerned a single case (e.g., one person). In the two multiple conditions (b and c) the decision was for many cases (e.g., 100 persons). In (b) the decision maker had to make an either-or decision (same alternative for all cases). In (c) the subject could assign a proportion of cases to one alternative and the rest to the other one. While the probabilistic set-up had no effect on the search for probabilistic information, the task domain had a strong impact.

This article presents a method for the management of catastrophic risks generated by industrial activities. The multi-criteria decision-making tool which we have developed does not suffer from the same limitations as decision theory or the standard approach to risk assessment and management. Our quantitative risk analysis takes into account three factors: (1) the analysis of the relative acceptability of risks to society; (2) the minimization of the mathematical expectation of financial losses using a catastrophe aversion coefficient; and (3) the preference for flexibility expressed by industrial managers. This method has been applied to the comparison between two catastrophic risks on a French chemical site.

The regulation of risk is high on the political agenda and viewed as an important component of modernizing government. The Environment Agency of England and Wales has responsibilities for regulating and managing a wide range of risks to and from the environment. In some areas of regulation, a structured and explicit treatent of risk is required; in other areas, the approach is more implicit and reliant on professional judgement. This paper presents an overview of the application of risk assessment in the Environment Agency and a summary of recent policy and regulatory drivers. It introduces some emerging issues with respect to current practice in environmental risk assessment.

This paper examines the effect of characteristics of the decision situation and of the decision maker on decision processes and outcomes in the context of risky choice. Male and female undergraduate students were presented with decisions from different domains of life. For each decision they indicated the likelihood with which they would use each of five decision modes (i.e., ways of making the decision): by following someone's advice, by weighing pros and cons, by following their intuition, etc. They also chose between two courses of action described for each decision and rated the perceived riskiness of both alternatives. We found that the content domain of the decision and/or the gender (or the interaction of both) of the decision maker influenced decision mode usage, and risk perception, behavior, and preference (derived within a risk-return model of risky choice). These results have implications for educational interventions and decision aids that attempt to influence or change the risky decisions of target populations.