Human Disposition toward Hazards: Testing the Environmental Appraisal Inventory
Fridgen, C. (1994). Human disposition toward hazards: Testing the Environmental Appraisal Inventory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 2, 101-111.
Expands work by F. N. Schmidt and R. Gifford on the Environmental Appraisal Inventory (EAI) by testing it on a larger population, adding 4 human-generated environmental threats (ETs) and a scale to assess perceived personal responsibility. Ss were 288 adult callers of a toll-free hazardous materials information line. The relationship between environmental disposition scales and Ss' commitment to safeguard the environment was explored. ETs were divided into 3 types: natural and technological hazards, global and local impacts, and long- and short-term impacts. Most Ss believed that they were personally immune to ETs. They indicated a low level of responsibility for ETs relative to their sense of control. Ss high in commitment were more likely to safeguard the environment. Results suggest that the EAI has utility as a measure of the cognitiveelational interface between people and the environment.
