COMMUNICATING NATURAL HAZARD RISK: WARNINGS, DECISIONS AND PRECAUTIONARY BEHAVIORByRobert E. DrostThis dissertation consists of four studies that investigate factors influencing individual decision-making and preferences for delivery of information during severe weather. The first study population consisted of 49 undergraduate students and focused on the role semantic and episodic memory plays during severe weather warnings (tornado), and examined how participants would react during a simulated tornado warning. The study discovered that increased knowledge of severe weather generally lead to more prudent decisions during warnings, while greater personal experience with tornadoes lead to a decrease in taking precautionary measures. The second study was made up of 181 members attending one of two Geological Society of America annual conferences. The study investigated geoscientist's perception of climate issues and the public's trust of science communication. The study found that scientists generally agree that anthropogenic climate change exists, however, the public's knowledge of climate issues varies in depth and their trust of the scientific community is wavering. The limited trust of the science community is of concern since it has the potential to negatively impact the public during exposure to a variety of natural hazards. The third study explores the impact of weathercaster gesturing on viewer retention and attention to material presented during a live weather forecast. The study was composed of thirty-six undergraduate students and was viewed on Tobii T60 eye tracking equipment in order to capture gaze data of the participants. Results of the study indicate that gesturing may be acceptable during broadcasts where non-salient information is being presented since it may redirect the attention of the viewer. However, when salient information is being presented, gesturing may redirect viewer attention away from items of importance and is therefore not recommended. The fourth study examines the impact of a traditional severe weather warning on viewer attention and retention of the weather information being presented. Multiple screen elements make up a typical weather warning and may include radar imagery, live footage, weathercaster information and warning scrolls at the bottom of the television screen. A traditional televised weather warning was compared to a novel animated version and an audio only version containing nearly the same information. All versions were viewed/heard as part of an eye tracking experiment utilizing a Tobii T60 eye tracker. Eye tracking data were used to ascertain participant gaze information. Participant knowledge and experience data were collected prior to viewing the warnings. After viewing one of the three warning treatments, participant retention and preference data were collected. The study revealed that multiple on-screen elements may lead to a diverse viewer attention pattern when viewing warnings. Additionally, participants viewing the animated warning retained significantly more warning information than the other participants. The studies completed in this dissertation indicate that numerous inputs affect viewer behavior during weather warnings. It has shown that in addition to knowledge and experience, trust in the information being delivered, delivery methods, and the make-up of the warning broadcast all influence how warning information is attended to and retained by the viewer.
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