Book Review

Review of the following: Risk-Taking BEHAVIOR. (J. Frank Yates, ed., Wiley 1992) [244 pp.] Acknowledgements, author index, figures, preface, references, series preface, subject index, tables. LC 91-21229, ISBN 0-471-92250-1. [Cloth $64.95. 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset NJ 08875

Book Review

Review of the following book: ELAINE VAUGHAN, SOME FACTORS INFLUENCING THE NONEXPERT\u27S PERCEPTION AND EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL Risks. (Garland Pub. Co. 1990) [249 pp.] Abstract, appendices, bibliography, figures, tables. LC: 90-13855, ISBN: 0-8420-0422-1. [Cloth $59.00. 136 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.

Book Review

Review of: WESLEY A. MAGAT & W. KIP VISCUSI, INFORMATIONAL APPROACHES TO REGULATION. (MIT Press 1992) [274 pp.] Appendices, endnotes, illustrations, index, list of titles in the Regulation of Economic Activity series, list of tables and figures, preface, series foreword. LC 91-29483; ISBN 0-262-13277-X. [$32.50 cloth. 55 Hayward Street; Cambridge MA 02142.

Age Differences in Personal Risk Perceptions: A Note on an Exploratory Descriptive Study

The authors test for differences in risk perceptions among different age groups

Post Hoc Evaluations of Obviousness: Preliminary Report of an Attempt to Identify, Empirically, the Characteristics of a Superior Evaluator

Over a century and a quarter have passed since the Supreme Court in Hotchkiss v. Greenwood held that more than mere novelty is necessary to support a valid patent. Congress, after 100 years of experience with a concept which came to be called invention, attempted to improve the situation by requiring that an invention not be obvious if it is to be patented. It seems safe to say that in the intervening time the doctrine of non-obviousness has not developed into a foolproof yardstick for measuring the quality of cerebral or other effort necessary to make an advance over the prior art a patentable one. Several years ago, as will be described in detail below, research was commenced in order to learn not about non-obviousness, per se, but rather to identify characteristics which might make some individuals more capable of hindsight evaluations of obviousness than others. It was thought that if such characteristics could be identified, they might be helpful in making policy decisions concerning the choices of fora which might be available for post-issue determinations of patent validity. While a great deal of data has been collected, progress has been hampered by the lack of resources for its analysis. Nevertheless, enough progress has been made to report on the research to date

Individual Control of Risk: Seat Belt Use, Subjective Norms and the Theory of Reasoned Action

When faced with a risk for which an inexpensive solution is available, individuals often choose the risk rather than the solution. Protection from certain kinds of risks, e.g., using seat belts or condoms or insulating against radon, is largely under personal control, but individuals often choose not to comply with behaviors which would reduce the risk. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) has been used to predict when individuals will comply. The authors attempted to validate aspects of the TRA by the use of scenarios. Factor analysis of their data supports the theory that intention is a major determinate of behavior but fails to establish the influence of scenarios on subjects\u27 intention to wear seat belts

Individual Response to Risk As a Function of Normative Social Pressure: A Pilot Study of Seat Belt Use

The authors attempt to clarify some of the variables that influence whether people act appropriately when a Risk is substantial and subject to individual control. They do so by reporting results of a pilot study of seat belt use. Also, the authors believe their approach to be generalizable to problems such as encouraging people to test for radon, to use condoms to prevent AIDS or to quit smoking