Examine the Role of Expert and Lay Knowledge in Understanding and Managing Risk.

Examine the role of expert and lay knowledge in understanding and managing risk. Contents Page Introduction 3 Risk3-4 What is risk? How do we understand risk? How do we manage risk? Expert Knowledge4-5 What is it? Advantages of expert knowledge Disadvantage of expert knowledge Lay Knowledge5-6 What is it? Advantages of lay knowledge Disadvantages of lay knowledge Beck’s Theory of a Risk society6 Case Study: Allotments the London Borough of Hackney. 7 Who has the knowledge? What are the risks? What is the evidence? Conclusion Case Study: Sun tanning. 8-9 Who has the knowledge? What are the risks?What is the evidence? Conclusion Conclusion9 References10 Introduction. This report will investigate how expert and lay knowledge can be used to understand and manage risk in today's risk society. Using the course materials to explain how different types of knowledge influence how we assess risk. Risk What is risk? Risk is ‘a state in which there is a possibility of known danger o r harm, which if avoided may lead to benefits. ’ (Bromley et al 2009) A risk can be visible, such as an injury sustained by falling off a bicycle, or invisible such as the link between sunbathing and skin cancer.The level of potential harm will affect the degree of risk felt. How do we understand risk? In today's society risk is almost always associated with a negative outcome. So when we are partaking in any activity we automatically compare the risk to the potential benefit. In order to understand risk we have to gain knowledge about the potential harm, this may be either expert or lay knowledge. How do we manage risk? By comparing the potential benefits against the potential harm of an activity we can decide whether to partake in that activity.One example of managing risk involves cycling and how risk is reduced by wearing a helmet. In this situation the benefits of cycling remained the same, it is the risk of sustaining serious head injury that is reduced by wearing a hel met (Carter and Jordan 2009, p59). In order for people to assess risk they will often review two types of knowledge. Expert knowledge – knowledge provided by experts. Lay knowledge – knowledge provided by personal experience. Expert knowledge What is it? Expert knowledge is usually provided by officials in order to inform the general public of the risks that certain activities may pose.There are two main ways of obtaining expert knowledge as discussed by Carter and Jordan (2009), scientific testing is used in the example of the allotments and epidemiology which was used in relation to sunbathing. Both of which have their advantage and disadvantages. Epidemiological findings are often refined and processed into health campaigns and policies. The advantages of expert knowledge are: 1. Experts have access to knowledge and equipment not available to the layperson. 2. They can complete complex scientific testing. 3. They are able to complete large-scale and long-term resear ch such as epidemiology. . Expert assessment of risk can be generalised and can be applied/delivered to specific target groups and the general populace. 5. They are usually employed to assess invisible risks. The disadvantages of expert knowledge are: 1. There are many different theorists and tests available and they often contradict one another making the results difficult for the public to understand. 2. Political agendas can affect project funding and research. 3. Information is given in blanket statements to the general public and can cause anxiety for non-specific groups. 4.Results from scientific tests can be analysed, reviewed and interpreted differently by different people. Lay knowledge What is it? Lay knowledge is an individual’s interpretation of expert knowledge combined or compared to personal experience. (Carter and Jordan 2009, p88) cite Davidson et al who suggest that people interpret and analyse expert knowledge into â€Å"lay knowledge† and they do th is through the medium of humour sometimes referred to as they â€Å"Uncle Norman† or â€Å"the last person† exceptions. For example my uncle Norman smoked 50 cigarettes a day, had fried breakfast every morning and lived until he was 92.The advantages of lay knowledge are: 1. People are empowered to use their own expertise and experiences to evaluate risks. 2. It is in line with the person's own views and religious beliefs. 3. Any assessment is specific to individuals, and their interpretation of expert knowledge. The disadvantages of lay knowledge are: 1. It is subjective and limited to an individual's knowledge or experience. 2. It only looks at risk on an individual basis and does not take into consideration the population as a whole. 3. It is usually based on the exceptional attention to the rule.Beck's theory of a risk society. One prominent sociologist investigating risk is Ulrich Beck, the main points to his theoretical perspectives are: 1. Risks in current socie ty are increasingly invisible. 2. Personal experience is no longer adequate for assessing risk. 3. We rely increasingly on knowledge provided by experts, however, that knowledge is â€Å"open to a social process of definition† (Beck cited in Carter and Jordan, 2009, p. 80). 4. Expert knowledge is usually targeted at the blanket population and can cause anxiety for everyone. . Political considerations are increasingly focusing on risk making epidemiology increasingly popular when devising health campaigns. 6. Experts focusing on long and short-term risks. Case Study: Allotments in the London Borough of Hackney. Who has the knowledge? In this example the knowledge about the risks is provided by experts such as the environment agency and scientists. What are the risks? They have assessed the risks to be: 1)Potential health risks of eating vegetables grown in soils containing poisons such as arsenic and lead. )Potential health risks from their skin contact with soil containing po isons such as arsenic and lead. What evidence is there? 1)The first shows the total levels of poisons in the soil by testing various soil samples and found dangerous levels of arsenic and lead in the soil. 2)The second test at the amount of those poisons that can be absorbed into the human body and found that the levels of poisons that could potentially be absorbed by the body were not high enough to cause concern. However, because there is no standardisation for the second test, the Environment Agency would not accept these findings.Nine samples were sent to different facilities around the world for testing and there was a high degree of variance in the results. Conclusion Because of the two different tests the soil went from being poisonous to safe again (‘A risky world? ’, 2009, track 2). Differences in results from scientific testing make it difficult to know which set if expert knowledge to follow. Case Study: Sun tanning. Who has the knowledge? In this example hea lth experts and holidaymakers have the knowledge to assess the risks of sun tanning. What are the risks? )Health experts advise there is a risk of getting skin cancer through exposure to the sun. 2)Holidaymakers perceive the risk as embarrassment of being seen as a â€Å"peelie wally† when they are on the holidays. What evidence is there? Organisations such as Cancer research UK have taken evidence from epidemiological studies that link overexposure to the sun to skin cancer. However, (Carter and Jordan 2009 p 81) show other scientific research that says lack of sunlight contributes to mood disorders such as SADS, and lack of vitamins D causes illnesses and diseases such as osteomalacia, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. http://www. longevity. about. com/od/researchandmedicine/a/vitamin_d. htm accessed on 11July 2012) Evidence from focus groups urged holidaymakers indicates that they are fully aware of the expert knowledge when assessing risk in relation to sun tanning they a re more likely to be influenced by lay knowledge. One interviewee states with the tan â€Å"Your skin clears up and you look and feel healthier†¦ † (Carter and Jordan 2009 p 77) Conclusion. Therefore in this case study the holidaymakers were comparing their own mbarrassment of going on holiday and being a â€Å"peelie wally† and the benefits of getting a tan and feeling healthier and looking better, with the health advice experts have given about sun tanning causes skin cancer. Conclusion. It is apparent in today’s society risks are increasingly invisible so we rely more on expert knowledge. The two case studies have shown that expert knowledge is often contradictory and there are many differing opinions on how best to obtain evidence in order to assess risk. Because of this people will use lay knowledge to assist them is assessing risk.Lay knowledge is also influential if a person has had experience of harm caused by the risk then they will be more cautiou s about partaking in that activity. So it could be deemed that expert knowledge and lay knowledge are more often than not in direct contrast with one another. References. ‘A risky world? ’ (2009) Exploring Social Lives [Audio CD 1], Milton Keynes, The Open University. Bromley, S. , Jeffries, E. , Meegan, J. and Staples, M. (2009) Learning Companion 3, Introducing the social sciences, Milton Keynes, The Open University. Carter, S. nd Jordan, T. (2009) ‘Living with risk and risky living’, in Bromley, S. , Clarke, J. , Hinchliffe, S. , and Taylor, S,. (eds) Exploring Social Lives, Milton Keynes, The Open University. http://www. longevity. about. com/od/researchandmedicine/a/vitamin_d. htm accessed on 11July 2012 Word count: 1368 Self-Reflection. I am still struggling to stick to my study schedule but I found this TMA much easier than the previous ones because it was not an essay. The shorter more concise paragraphs and bullet point are easier for me to link be cause of my dyslexia.