Expert and lay judgements of danger and recklessness in adventure sports

Citation

Ebert PA & Durbach IN (2022) Expert and lay judgements of danger and recklessness in adventure sports. Journal of Risk Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2022.2091001

Abstract
We investigate differences in perceived danger and recklessness judgements by experts (experienced skiers, N=362) and laypeople (N=2080) about participation in adventure sports across the same judgemental task using a third person perspective. We investigate the relationship between danger and recklessness and the extent to which fatality frequency, as well as other contextual factors such as gender, dependants, competence, and motivations of the sports participant affect expert and laypeople judgements respectively. Experienced skiers gave lower overall danger and recklessness ratings than non-skiers. Experienced skiers’ judgements were also more sensitive than non-skiers’ to variations in the fatality rate of the activity and the competence level of the participant, yet were less sensitive to whether the event was done for external benefit such as a charity. Recklessness judgements were overall more sensitive to changes in activity descriptions than danger judgements. Our findings support the emerging picture of adventure sports participants as rational and sensitive to risk-relevant features rather than somehow pathological in their risk perception.

Keywords
Risk perception; uncertainty; decision making; moral dimension of risk; adventure sports

Notes
Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Online

Journal
Journal of Risk Research

People

Professor Philip Ebert

Professor, Philosophy