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Perspective of science for personal and social decisions: health, safety, natural hazards, and risks Concepts

See also: Human organisms/anatomy for background information

Initial perceptual naive misconceptions (any age)

Misconceptions (Explanations, Naive understanding, Misconceptions, or Perceptual responses)

Beginning (preschool - 7 years)

Concepts

Health

Safety

Natural hazards

Risks

Intermediate (7 years - 11 years)

Concepts

Health

Safety

Natural hazards

Risks

Literate (11+)

Concepts

Health

  1. Science can inform decision making in what is necessary for healthy lives and what is detrimental.

Safety

    1. Life involves risks.
    2. Science can provide data in making decision for risk management.

Natural hazards

  1. Natural hazards can present personal and societal challenges because miss identifying the change or incorrectly estimating the rate and scale of change may result in either too little attention and significant human costs or too much cost for unneeded preventative measures.

Risks

  1. Science provides data from observations and models to provide for risk analysis to consider the type of hazard and estimates for the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for reducing or eliminating risks. There are risks associated with natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions). with chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water, soil, and food), with biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial, and parasite), social hazards (occupational safety and transportation) and with personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).
  2. Science provides real life data from observations that individuals can usein a systematic approach to thinking critically about risks and benefits. Examples include applying probability estimates to risks and comparing them to estimated personal and social benefits. Important personal and social decisions are made based on perceptions of benefits and risks.

 

Dr. Robert Sweetland's notes
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