The psychology of beach users: importance of confirmation bias, action, and intention to improving rip current safety

A. Dana Ménard, Chris Houser (), Robert W. Brander, Sarah Trimble and Alexandra Scaman
Additional contact information
A. Dana Ménard: University of Windsor
Chris Houser: University of Windsor
Robert W. Brander: UNSW Sydney
Sarah Trimble: Texas A&M University
Alexandra Scaman: University of Windsor

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2018, vol. 94, issue 2, No 24, 953-973

Abstract: Abstract The rip current hazard on beaches is a global public health issue. While physical controls on rip current formation and flow behavior are relatively well understood, there has been a recent increase in studies examining the less-understood social dimensions of the hazard. This paper reviews how these studies provide insight into beach safety practices and rip current knowledge among beach users, their ability to spot a rip, and their ability to understand and heed posted warnings. However, we identify how these studies are hindered by methodological limitations and problematic sample choices. It is argued that beach user behavior is affected by confirmation bias, a cognitive shortcut by which a person selectively attends to evidence confirming their preexisting beliefs and ignores disconfirming evidence, and to make decisions in accordance with this bias. Evidence is presented to suggest that there is a potential for beach-going behaviors to be influenced by other beach users and past observations, whether the behavior of others conforms to warnings about the dangers posed by rips in general or at a specific time and place. We also suggest that beach users’ self-reported intentions and beliefs about beach safety may not correspond to their actions at the beach. This suggests a need for active intervention and creation of social norms that address cognitive errors associated with unsafe beach behavior, which in turn requires that coastal scientists and beach safety practitioners should collaborate with social scientists and psychologists for more effective safety outcomes.

Keywords: Rip current; Beach safety; Psychology; Beach hazard; Survey methodology; Drowning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-018-3424-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:94:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11069-018-3424-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11069

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-018-3424-7

Access Statistics for this article

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards is currently edited by Thomas Glade, Tad S. Murty and Vladimír Schenk

More articles in Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards from Springer, International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().