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Item Exploring the science of evacuation behavior and decision-making during large scale community evacuations: A scientometrics analysis and scoping review(Elsevier Ltd, 2026-03-01) Kannangara C; Kuligowski E; Siriwardana C; Zhang G; Adikariwattage V; Jayawardane PUnderstanding how people behave during large-scale community evacuations is important as it can reveal key decision-making gaps which can be addressed to improve emergency planning and to keep communities safer. This study examines the critical gaps in existing research on evacuation behavior and decision-making during disasters by holistically exploring the research domain of evacuation behavior. A total of 667 articles and their references were analyzed using scientometrics methods. This study employs a novel approach to the analysis called overlay networks in CiteSpace. The findings highlight gaps in our understanding of human behavior during the evacuation, such as the stay-or-go decision and travel-related behavior, including destination, mode, route, and return-entry choices, in the context of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, volcanic hazards, and wildfires. Evacuations triggered by technological disasters are explicitly excluded from this review. It also emphasizes that tourist evacuations remain an underexplored area. Also, the current study reveals that established theories, such as the Protective Action Decision Model (PADM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), remain underutilized in research on evacuation behavior during hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. This research supports the findings of previous studies in emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary approaches to evacuation research. It also underscores the importance of integrating existing behavioral evidence into evacuation models, alongside efforts to collect additional data. Also, the study emphasizes the importance of strengthening research collaborations with scholars in Asia and Africa. This approach seeks to address the disparity in research conducted across different regions of the world.Item Modeling evacuation decisions in the 2019 Kincade fire in CaliforniaKuligowski, ED; Zhao, X; Lovreglio, R; Xu, N; Yang, K; Westbury, A; Nilsson, D; Brown, NItem From scientific models to decisions: exploring uncertainty communication gaps between scientists and decision-makers(Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 2025-09-01) Dhungana A; Doyle EEH; Prasanna R; McDonald GEffective communication of uncertainty relies on transparent exchanges between scientists and decision-makers. However, significant gaps often exist between how scientists and decision-makers perceive, understand, and communicate uncertainty. This study examines the dynamics of uncertainty communication between scientists and decision-makers, employing a reflective thematic analysis of 32 interview datasets, comprising 17 scientists and 15 decision-makers. Our results show that Scientists typically approach uncertainty through methodological rigour, employing technical vocabulary and probabilistic language, which aligns with their scientific training but often complicates comprehension for decision-makers. Conversely, decision-makers prioritise actionable insights and practical implications, requiring uncertainty to be communicated in a way that supports decision-making processes across diverse contexts. The study further highlights the need for tailored communication strategies that bridge the complexities of uncertainty with the practical needs of decision-makers, emphasising collaboration and user-focused uncertainty visualisations as pathways to enhance uncertainty communication between scientists and decision-makers for the uptake of uncertainty information into decision-making.Item Placemaking for tenant wellbeing: Exploring the decision-making of public and community housing providers in Aotearoa New Zealand(Elsevier Ltd, 2025-06) Witten K; Olin CV; Logan A; Chisholm E; Randal E; Howden-Chapman P; Leigh LIn addition to housing tenants, many public and community housing providers engage in placemaking to foster tenants’ connections to people and place. This paper reports on the placemaking practices of four community housing providers and two urban regeneration programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with provider staff – including those leading strategy, community development, tenancy management, planning and design efforts – to investigate the placemaking strategies adopted by providers and the values, priorities and investment tensions that underpin their decision-making. Common placemaking strategies included site selection to secure tenants’ locational access to community services and amenities, and designing shared ‘bump spaces’ into housing complexes to encourage neighbourly encounters between tenants. Efforts to foster a sense of community through increased stability and diversity of households were hindered by a predominance of single-person units in older housing developments, and by funding and regulatory constraints. Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, comprise approximately half of all public housing tenants and many have deep intergenerational connections to place. Where providers were engaging with Māori, early steps had been taken to incorporate cultural landscapes and values into placemaking initiatives; such practices were more evident in urban regeneration than community housing provider developments, enabled by longer-term planning horizons, broader development mandates and partnerships with iwi (Māori tribes) and local government. Nonetheless, placemaking aspirations of all providers were tethered to resource constraints and investment trade-offs, with any social infrastructure provision weighed up against the value of providing one more home instead.Item Reducing AI bias in recruitment and selection: an integrative grounded approach(Taylor and Francis Group, 2025-03-20) Soleimani M; Intezari A; Arrowsmith J; Pauleen DJ; Taskin NArtificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming business domains such as operations, marketing, risk, and financial management. However, its integration into Human Resource Management (HRM) poses challenges, particularly in recruitment, where AI influences work dynamics and decision-making. This study, using a grounded theory approach, interviewed 39 HR professionals and AI developers to explore potential biases in AI-Recruitment Systems (AIRS) and identify mitigation techniques. Findings highlight a critical gap: the HR profession’s need to embrace both technical skills and nuanced people-focused competencies to collaborate effectively with AI developers and drive informed discussions on the scope of AI’s role in recruitment and selection. This research integrates Gibson’s direct perception theory and Gregory’s indirect perception theory, combining psychological, information systems, and HRM perspectives to offer insights into decision-making biases in AI. A framework is proposed to clarify decision-making biases and guide the development of robust protocols for AI in HR, with a focus on ethical oversight and regulatory needs. This research contributes to AI-based HR decision-making literature by exploring the intersection of cognitive bias and AI-augmented decisions in recruitment and selection. It offers practical insights for HR professionals and AI developers on how collaboration and perception can improve the fairness and effectiveness of AIRS-aided decisions.Item Analyzing Risk Perception, Evacuation Decision and Delay Time: A Case Study of the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado(Elsevier B.V., 2023-12-11) Forrister A; Kuligowski ED; Sun Y; Yan X; Lovreglio R; Cova TJ; Zhao XClimate change is increasing the threat of wildfires to populated areas, especially those within the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The 2021 Marshall fire forced the evacuation of over 30,000 people in Boulder, Jefferson and Adams Counties in Colorado, US. To improve our understanding of wildfire evacuation response, we surveyed individuals affected by the Marshall fire to analyze their evacuation decisions and resulting behavior. We used linear and logistic regression models to determine the factors influencing individuals’ risk perceptions, their decisions to evacuate or stay, and the associated evacuation delay times. We found higher levels of risk perception at the time of the evacuation decision were associated with higher levels of pre-fire perceived risk, having mid-level household income, the receipt of fire cues and having a medical condition. Increased pre-event risk perception increased the likelihood of evacuating, along with gender (female-identified), being aged between 55 and 64 years, and having a higher household income. On the other hand, having a prior awareness of wildfires had a negative effect on evacuation likelihood. Additionally, having previous experience with fire damage, owning their home, having a larger household size and being alerted later in the fire event reduced the delay time; whereas engaging in preparation activities and having children in the home led to longer delay times. These research findings can be used by emergency managers to better prepare WUI communities for future wildfire events.Item How Visual Design of Severe Weather Outlooks Can Affect Communication and Decision-Making(American Meteorological Society, 2023-10-16) Clive MAT; Doyle EEH; Potter SH; Noble C; Johnston DMMultiday severe weather outlooks can inform planning beyond the hour-to-day windows of warnings and watches. Outlooks can be complex to visualize, as they represent large-scale weather phenomena overlapping across several days at varying levels of uncertainty. Here, we present the results of a survey (n 5 417) that explores how visual varia-bles affect comprehension, inferences, and intended decision-making in a hypothetical scenario with the New Zealand MetService Severe Weather Outlook. We propose that visualization of the time window, forecast area, icons, and uncertainty can influence perceptions and decision-making based on four key findings. First, composite-style outlooks that depict multiple days of weather on one map can lead to biased perceptions of the forecast. When responding to questions about a day for which participants accurately reported there was no severe weather forecast, those who viewed a composite outlook reported higher likelihoods of severe weather occurring, higher levels of concern about travel, and higher likelihoods of changing plans compared to those who viewed outlooks that showed weather for each day on a separate map, suggesting that they perceived the forecast to underrepresent the likelihood of severe weather on that day. Second, presenting uncertainty in an extrinsic way (e.g., “low”) can lead to more accurate estimates of likelihood than intrinsic formats (e.g., hue variation). Third, shaded forecast areas may lead to higher levels of confidence in the forecast than outlined forecast areas. Fourth, inclusion of weather icons can improve comprehension in some conditions. The results demonstrate how visualization can affect decision-making about severe weather and support several evidence-based considerations for effective design of long-term forecasts.Item The operation of confirmation bias : discourse analysis of witnesses' evidence about the conduct of a sexual abuser : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2018) Bourne, S.Confirmation bias is a cognitive bias where beliefs formed at an early stage are unreasonably sustained even in the face of new information that makes those beliefs untenable or at least questionable. In these circumstances, new information that does not fit with the earlier-formed beliefs may be ignored, while information supporting those beliefs is accepted readily as lending credence to them. During 2010 and 2011, Jonathan Lord was employed by the YMCA in New South Wales, Australia, until a child disclosed that he had been inappropriate touched by Mr Lord. This led to Mr Lord being convicted of 13 representative offences including multiple aggravated indecent assault charges and two counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, relating to 12 children enrolled in the YMCA Before and After School Care service. Subsequently, several of the children's parents, and some of Mr Lord's YMCA co-workers, gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that was conducted in Australia from 2012 to 2017. This study shows how confirmation bias may lead to tragic or destructive outcomes in some circumstances. The use of discourse analysis in this study has afforded a 'micro context' understanding of how Mr Lord's abuse of children associated with the YMCA service persisted undetected for more than a year, despite Mr Lord breaching YMCA rules and being observed engaging in other questionable conduct regarding children in that period.Item Policy analysis using microsimulation : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Social Policy, at Massey University(Massey University, 1993) Bade, KeithRecent changes in the social policy development arena in New Zealand mean that traitional methods of social policy analysis are not now adequate for all analyses. Microsimulation is a technique that can provide another dimension to social policy analysis. The thesis starts by discussing some of the major social policy developments in New Zealand pointing out some of the weaknesses in the analyses accompaning them. The thesis then goes on to introduce microsimulation as a technique that can help improve the analysis of social policy. However, the main body of the thesis consists of the development of a microsimulation model, a discussion of the database upon which the model is based, and an analysis carried out using the model. The thesis demonstrates the usefulness of microsimulation models in identifying impacts of social policy changes on small sectors of the population. It does this by simulating the income effects of the increase in the qualification age for National Superannuation on the population sector aged sixty to sixty - five. Although the thesis demonstrates the effectiveness of microsimulation models, the project uncovered a number of areas where currently available data are not sufficiently adequate for the methodology to be utilised to the full. The thesis finishes by suggesting a number of areas where further development could be productive and assist in improving the quality of social policy analysis.Item Decision style, ability and the effectiveness of a careers intervention : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 1984) Williams, Janet MaryThis study aimed to evaluate the impact of a career decision-making exercise on decision-making skills in groups with different academic ability and career decision style. The study was conducted in a single sex female school using four classes (90 students in total) of Fourth Formers. Three separate phases were carried out within a two week period as part of the careers program. Phase one involved pretesting students using measures of knowledge of sources of careers information and actions to be used when making a careers decision. Career decision style, logical reasoning and demographic details were also obtained at this stage. During phase two students were either taught a specific decision-making exercise (Experimental intervention) or an exercise on women in the workforce (Placebo intervention). The final phase involved a post test and follow up career exercises. Results were analysed using 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (type of intervention, career decision style, academic ability and pre/post test) way ANOVAs for each dependent measure. The group exposed to the career decision-making exercise did not show the predicted improved performance over those exposed to the placebo intervention. Gains were evident in the knowledge of career information sources but this was the same for both interventions. Academic ability and career decision style did influence the intervention outcomes but not in the predicted directions. Results are discussed in terms of the adequacy of the measures of career decision-making skills and the unexpected impact of the placebo activity. The importance of taking into account decision style and academic ability in designing careers interventions is high-lighted.
