Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Risk perception, fuzzy representations and comparative optimism.

Stephen L Brown1, Andy M Morley

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire, UK. slbrown2@uclan.ac.uk

British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|October 13, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Imaging, histological, and molecular characterization of a preclinical, orthotopic model of recurrent glioblastoma following image-guided laser ablation of the primary tumor.

Journal of neurosurgery·2026
Same author

Surviving a Critical Care Admission for COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of Experiences and Unmet Needs During the Recovery Period.

Nursing in critical care·2026
Same author

DCE-MRI Tumor Vascular Parameters in Two Preclinical Patient-Derived Orthotopic Xenograft Models of Glioblastoma.

NMR in biomedicine·2025
Same author

Characterization of acute radiation-induced vascular changes in animal model of brain tumors using time frequency analysis of DCE MRI information.

Medical physics·2025
Same author

Psychological impact of an intensive care admission for COVID-19 on patients in the United Kingdom.

Journal of the Intensive Care Society·2025
Same author

Probabilistic nested model selection in pharmacokinetic analysis of DCE-MRI data in animal model of cerebral tumor.

Scientific reports·2025
Same journal

Time poverty increases self-dehumanization through undermining belief in free will.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2026
Same journal

Temporal dynamics of induced mood and its relationship with modality and individual trait.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2026
Same journal

Less is more when time is scarce: How time poverty enhances minimalistic consumption through increased need for order.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2026
Same journal

Time poverty and access-based consumption: Convenience gains and risk blindness.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2026
Same journal

Contextual cues do not facilitate spontaneous face recognition.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2026
Same journal

Coping by deceiving: Developing LYin self-perceived self-deception scales and exploring their links to interpersonal deception.

British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953)·2026
See all related articles

Individuals perceive health risks as flexible, fuzzy ranges rather than single points. This allows for comparative optimism by enabling optimistic personal risk estimates within realistic bounds.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Risk Perception
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Individuals often exhibit comparative optimism, underestimating personal risk compared to others.
  • Existing models struggle to fully explain the mechanisms behind this phenomenon.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether health risk is represented as a fuzzy entity rather than a unitary value.
  • To explore how this representation influences comparative optimism, particularly concerning alcohol-related outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Student participants rated the likelihood of eight harmful alcohol-related outcomes for themselves and an average student.
  • Estimates were made either as single (unitary) values or as a range (upper and lower bounds) representing realistic probability.
  • Personal risk estimates were compared between unitary and bounded estimation methods.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Personal risk estimates were lower when made as unitary estimates compared to mid-points of bounded estimates.
  • Unitary personal risk estimates decreased further after participants made bounded estimates.
  • No significant effects were observed for risk estimates concerning an average student.

Conclusions:

  • Health risk perception may be internally represented as a fuzzy set, allowing for flexible probability estimation.
  • Comparative optimism may arise from the ability to derive optimistic unitary risk estimates within these perceived realistic parameters.
  • This fuzzy representation model offers a potential explanation for how individuals maintain optimistic personal risk assessments.