xiii, 164 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Research in the warnings literature has investigated several factors that may affect motivation to comply with the information contained in warnings. However, little research in this area has examined the role that emotion may play in motivating behavior. Three studies were conducted to determine whether participants had an emotional response to warning labels, and, if so, whether the activated emotions were related to behavioral intentions. In Study 1 ( N = 202), participants were asked to imagine themselves in specific situations in which they needed to use particular products. They were then presented with actual warning labels from common consumer products. Both before and after presentation of the warning, participants were asked to rate the extent to which they felt specific emotions and their behavioral intentions. For the majority of the products, surprise and fear increased after exposure to the warning labels. In addition, fear predicted likelihood of use for 9 of the 12 products. In Study 2 ( N = 200), the general framework of the Extended Parallel Process Model (Witte, 1992) was used in an attempt to manipulate fear responses to the warning labels. Four warning labels were created by varying severity of the consequences (low, high) and efficacy of the precautionary instructions (low, high). Participants exposed to the high severity/high efficacy warning label reported higher levels of fear than those in the other three conditions. Fear was negatively correlated with likelihood of use, but positively correlated with precautionary intent. Study 3 ( N = 256) was conducted in an effort to replicate the findings of Study 2 and determine whether the findings would generalize when the four warning labels were paired with a different consumer product. Participants in the high severity conditions reported higher levels of fear than those in the low severity conditions. Again, fear was negatively correlated with likelihood of use and positively correlated with precautionary intent. Possible reasons for the different effects of severity and efficacy on the fear responses for Studies 2 and 3 are explored. Implications of the findings, study limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. / Committee in charge: Robert Mauro, Chairperson, Psychology; Sara Hodges, Member, Psychology; Paul Slovic, Member, Psychology; Debra Merskin, Outside Member, Journalism and Communication

In the tumultuous political climate following Brexit, the European integration lives on borrowed time. With the ever-increasing need for democratic legitimacy on the EU stage, the ‘Early Warning Mechanism’ is viewed by many as the last salvation. Since its introduction to the EU with the Treaty of Lisbon of 2007, it has been used to trigger a subsidiarity test three times, issuing so called ‘yellow cards’ to the Commission, and forcing it to review its proposal on grounds of subsidiarity. However, the Commission has ruled in favor of itself at every instance, making both the EU and the Member States question its efficiency. By presenting the three yellow cards, this study aims to scrutinize the Commission’s and the Member States’ involvement in the EWM while discussing their views on subsidiarity as a whole.

abstract: In 2013, 1.8 million US drivers were responsible for rear-end collisions with other vehicles (NHTSA 2014), for which driver distraction has been identified as the main factor (Campbell, Smith & Najm, 2003; Knipling, Mironer, Hendricks, Tijerina, Everson, Allen & Wilson 1993; Wang, Knipling & Goodman, 1996). The ubiquity of cell phones and their use behind the wheel has played a major role in distracting these drivers. To mitigate this, some manufacturers are equipping vehicles with forward collision warning (FCW) systems. Generally, warnings that are perceived as being urgent produce lower response times. One technique for increasing perceived urgency of a warning is called looming, where the signal increases in or more dimensions over time. Looming warning signals have been shown to produce low response times, likely because the recipient perceives the signal as a potential approaching threat, prompting defensive reactions (Graziano and Cooke, 2006). The present study evaluates the effect of veridical (intensity increases at the rate of closure with the lead vehicle) and high urgency (intensity increases at a rate of Time to Collision minus 0.5 seconds) looming FCW, as well as a static FCW, on drivers’ brake reaction times in the presence of a secondary texting task. Participants’ brake reaction times were recorded as they followed a lead car in a driving simulator, encountering multiple sudden-braking events across the five conditions (a control condition as well as four counterbalanced conditions using a secondary texting task). In the four conditions with a secondary task, participants received no FCW, static FCW, veridical FCW, and high-urgency FCW, respectively. Performance data was analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA, and a series of pairwise comparisons were then made using Bonferroni corrected pairwise t-tests. The presence of a visually and manually distracting secondary task (texting) seems to diminish the performance of the looming signals as compared to previous studies that did not use a distraction component. While looming FCW do seem to effectively lower BRTs when the driver is distracted, it is recommended that further research investigate the relationship between secondary task types and their respective levels of distraction, and the effectiveness of auditory looming FCW. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Applied Psychology 2016

BACKGROUND: Late identification of deteriorating children undermines timely implementation of life-saving measures to prevent cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) or death. The Pediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) has been validated for use in pediatric acute care settings for early identification of children at increased risk of physiologic deterioration, yet there is a dearth of evidence of the use of PEWS in primary care. Implementing the PEWS in primary care could guide rural primary care practitioners to early detection and prompt management of deteriorating children. This DNP project evaluated the attitudes and perceptions of rural practitioners towards the implementation of the PEWS scoring tool. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive design was conducted using an anonymous online survey via an email listserv. RESULTS: Seventeen practitioners responded to the survey, but only 14 participants met criteria for inclusion – 2 males and 11 females. The sex of one participant was not reported. Participants areas of specialization include 79% specialized in family practice, 79% pediatric specialists 14% and (7%) listed as "Other." Thirty-one percent of participants reported a travel distance of over 60 miles, while 39% reported a travel distance of over 60 miles lasting over 60 minutes via ground from a place of care to a hospital that specializes in the pediatric emergency care, and pediatric care respectively. Although 92% reported they have not heard of the PEWS tool prior to this survey, 54% strongly agree that the PEWS could help prevent cardiopulmonary arrest or death. Similarly, 54% of respondents reported they strongly agree that the PEWS can help identify deteriorating children, while 39% somewhat agree. Over 62% strongly agree that implementing the PEWS is appropriate in primary care, while 31% somewhat agree. Fifty-four percent of participants strongly agree they could use the PEWS tool in their practice. DISCUSSION: Participants have a positive view of the PEWS tool and perceive implementation of the PEWS to be a vital clinical decision support tool that could lead pediatric primary care providers to early detection of deteriorating children before the occurrence of an adverse event. Further study could determine the generalizability of implementing the PEWS in primary care.

Bakgrund: NEWS2 är en bedömningsskala som används för att identifiera tidiga tecken på en försämrad patient. Det har tidigare gjorts studier där patientsäkerheten har setts öka med hjälp av NEWS2. Det framkommer dock inte tydligt i tidigare forskning hur vårdpersonalen ställer sig till bedömningsskalan. Därför har vi valt att undersöka sjuksköterskans perspektiv på användningen av NEWS2.  Syfte: Att undersöka sjuksköterskans perspektiv på att använda bedömningsskalan NEWS2 på vårdavdelning.  Metod: En kvantitativ enkätstudie där urvalet bestod av 124 legitimerade sjuksköterskor från fem olika vårdavdelningar på länssjukhuset i Kalmar.  Resultat: Totalt 59 sjuksköterskor (svarsfrekvens 48%) besvarade enkäten. NEWS2 tillför trygghet i sjuksköterskans bedömning av patienten, som ett komplement till den kliniska blicken. Det finns en komplexitet i hur riktlinjerna för NEWS2 följs relaterat till de patienter som har ett högt NEWS2-värde i sitt habitualtillstånd. Det framkommer en signifikant skillnad i hur sjuksköterskor med längre yrkeserfarenhet (>10 år) mäter de vitala parametrar som ingår i NEWS2 jämfört med de som arbetat i mindre än 10 år.  Slutsats: NEWS2 bidrar till ökad patientsäkerhet ur ett sjuksköterskeperspektiv. Det finns dock förbättringspotential gällande hur sjuksköterskan använder sig av åtgärdsskalan i NEWS2. Riktlinjerna borde tydliggöras eller anpassas för att NEWS2 ska fungera optimalt på alla vårdavdelningar.

This study used variables from the Protective Action Decision Model to guide data collection about 262 residents' responses to the 2009 Samoa M8.1 earthquake and tsunami. The results show that earthquake shaking, combined with knowledge that this can cause a tsunami, was the most common source of first awareness about a possible tsunami and that broadcast media were the most common first social sources of warnings. Radio was an important source of additional information, as were face-to-face contacts and phone calls. Contrary to previous research, few of the recommended elements of a warning message were communicated to those at risk and none of these message elements was significantly correlated with evacuation. Nonetheless, two thirds of coastal residents and half of inland residents began evacuations within 15. min after the earthquake. Those who had participated in earthquake hazard awareness meetings had higher risk perceptions but were no more likely to evacuate to higher ground or evacuate promptly. This study's results are broadly consistent with previous findings on disaster response but raise a number of unresolved questions about behavioral response to rapid onset disasters.

Volcano early warning systems are used globally to communicate volcano-related information to diverse stakeholders ranging from specific user groups to the general public, or both. Within the framework of a volcano early warning system, Volcano Alert Level (VAL) systems are commonly used as a simple communication tool to inform society about the status of activity at a specific volcano. Establishing a VAL system that is effective for multiple volcanoes can be challenging, given that each volcano has specific behavioural characteristics. New Zealand has a wide range of volcano types and geological settings, including rhyolitic calderas capable of very large eruptions (>500 km 3 ) and frequent unrest episodes, explosive andesitic stratovolcanoes, and effusive basaltic eruptions at both caldera and volcanic field settings. There is also a range in eruption frequency, requiring the VAL system to be used for both frequently active ‘open-vent’ volcanoes, and reawakening ‘closed-vent’ volcanoes. Furthermore, New Zealand’s volcanoes are situated in a variety of risk settings ranging from the Auckland Volcanic Field, which lies beneath a city of 1.4 million people; to Mt. Ruapehu, the location of popular ski fields that are occasionally impacted by ballistics and lahars, and produces tephra that falls in distant cities. These wide-ranging characteristics and their impact on society provide opportunities to learn from New Zealand’s experience with VAL systems, and the adoption of a standardised single VAL system for all of New Zealand’s volcanoes following a review in 2014. This chapter outlines the results of qualitative research conducted in 2010–2014 with key stakeholders and scientists, including from the volcano observatory at GNS Science, to ensure that the resulting standardised VAL system is an effective communication tool. A number of difficulties were faced in revising the VAL system so that it remains effective for all of the volcanic settings that exist in New Zealand. If warning products are standardised too much, end-user decision making and action can be limited when unusual situations occur, e.g., there may be loss of specific relevance in the alert message. Specific decision-making should be based on more specific parameters than the VAL alone, however wider VAL system standardisation can increase credibility, a known requirement for effective warning, by ensuring that warning sources are clear, trusted and widely understood. With a credible source, user groups are less likely to look for alternatives or confirmation, leading to faster action. Here we consider volcanic warnings within the wider concept of end-to-end multi-hazard early warning systems including detection, evaluation, notification, decision-making and action elements (based on Carsell et al. 2004).

No description available.

Pedestrian safety is among one of the largest concerns in the transportation profession. Many treatments have been developed and implemented to improve pedestrian safety. This current research focuses on the efficiency of in-pavement warning lights systems and involves multiple objectives. The primary objective is to evaluate the yielding rates and crosswalk usage of existing and proposed in-pavement lights systems with comparisons including before and after data through a case study approach. A secondary objective is to evaluate where drivers are looking when they approach in-pavement lights systems and develop a model to evaluate their behavior. The research described herein formulated these objectives into two research hypotheses and used statistical evaluation methodologies to provide quantitative and/or qualitative responses to the developed hypotheses. Data on pedestrian and driver behavior in the field, and the interaction between, them was collected using video camera technology in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. Data regarding drivers scan patterns during the approach to a crosswalk with in-pavement warning light system was collected using a driving simulator and an eye tracker. In total, 1,949 non-staged pedestrians and 606 staged pedestrians were observed crossing at the seven crosswalk locations in the field experiment and a total of 32 drivers participated in 576 crosswalk scenarios in the driving simulator evaluation. The field evaluation resulted in increased yielding rates and crosswalk usage after installation of in-pavement warning lights, while driving simulator evaluation resulted in drivers not becoming accustomed to scanning for lights instead of a pedestrian. Recommendations include installation of in-pavement warning lights at traditional, midblock crosswalks and continued exploration of all crosswalks in the driving simulator evaluation.

This research investigated the effectiveness of in-vehicle information technologies on driver behavior in work zones. In-vehicle information devices can increase driver awareness to an oncoming change in traffic flow and provide specific guidelines for driving speed requirements, lane merging strategies, or unexpected changes in the roadway (e.g., detours and lane shifts). The overall conditional effects for vehicle speed are significant; that is, both the audio and visual groups out performed the control group within the simulated work zone. Participants in audio group did outperform the visual group, not significantly though. The overall conditional effects for total time in violation are significant; that is, both the audio and visual groups out performed the control group. The test session results for Total Time in Violation were statistically significant, F(2, 57) = 7.17, p ≤ .01. The strength of relationship between the warning messages and the Total Time in Violation with regular road signage, as assessed by η2 , was strong, the warning message factor accounting for 20% of the variance of the dependent variable.