Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
13:04
Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
Published on: September 19, 2012
The need to estimate risks. The sixteenth Douglas Lea lecture, September 1979
Physics in Medicine and Biology
|January 1, 1980
Summary
Comparing biological risks from different actions requires more than just counting harmful effects. Understanding the size and type of risk is crucial for informed public health decisions and public perception.
Area of Science:
- Risk assessment
- Public health
- Environmental science
Background:
- Numerical estimates of biological risks are increasingly available for various actions.
- Comparing risks can involve similar types (e.g., cancer from screening vs. no screening) or dissimilar types (e.g., radiation exposure vs. accidental injury).
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the challenges and importance of comparing diverse biological risks.
- To advocate for a more comprehensive approach to risk assessment in public health decisions.
Main Methods:
- The study discusses conceptual challenges in comparing risks of similar and dissimilar types.
- It uses examples from medical screening, occupational safety, and energy production.
Main Results:
- The numerical frequency of harmful effects alone is insufficient to measure total biological detriment.
- Comparing unlike effects, such as different types of occupational hazards or health impacts from energy sources, presents significant challenges.
Conclusions:
- Risk estimations are vital for making public health decisions on non-arbitrary grounds.
- Considering both the size and type of risk is essential for informed decision-making and shaping public opinion effectively.
Related Concept Videos
01:08The Availability Heuristic
A heuristic is a general problem-solving framework (Tversky & Kahneman, 1974). You can think of these as mental shortcuts that are used to solve problems. Different types of heuristics are used in different types of situations, and the impulse to use a heuristic occurs when one of five conditions is met (Pratkanis, 1989):
01:37Social Loafing
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated, individuals become less...
01:05Estimation of the Physical Quantities
On many occasions, physicists, other scientists, and engineers need to make estimates of a particular quantity. These are sometimes referred to as guesstimates, order-of-magnitude approximations, back-of-the-envelope calculations, or Fermi calculations. The physicist Enrico Fermi was famous for his ability to estimate various kinds of data with surprising precision. Estimating does not mean guessing a number or a formula at random. Instead, estimation means using prior experience and sound...
01:23Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Biopharmaceutical studies constitute a vital field aiming to enhance drug delivery methods and refine therapeutic approaches, drawing upon diverse interdisciplinary knowledge. In research methodologies, the choice between controlled and non-controlled studies significantly influences the study's reliability and accuracy.
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
01:11Hazard Rate
The hazard rate, also known as the hazard function or failure rate, is a statistical measure used to describe the instantaneous rate at which an event occurs, given that the event has not yet happened. From a probabilistic perspective, it represents the likelihood that a subject will experience the event in a very small time interval, conditional on surviving up to the beginning of that interval. In terms of frequency, the hazard rate can be viewed as the ratio of the number of events to the...
01:20Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory
Cognitive psychologist Richard Lazarus proposed the cognitive-mediational theory of emotions, which emphasizes how individuals' assessments of stressors significantly affect their experience of stress. According to Lazarus, the stress response is determined by a two-step appraisal process: primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. These cognitive appraisals help individuals evaluate the potential impact of a stressor and determine the adequacy of their coping resources.
Primary Appraisal:...
Primary Appraisal:...