54th Sogo Bosai Seminar

We are pleased to announce the 54th Sogo Bosai Seminar as follows. We look forward to your kind participation.
 
[Title]
Rehearsing Disaster: Can Video Games Help Young Adults Prepare for Disaster?
 
[Speaker]
Dr. Elizabeth Safran (Associate Professor of Geological Science at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon)
 
[Date]
April 18 (Mon) 14:00-16:00
 
[Venue & Registration]
The seminar will be held in a hybrid manner both via Zoom and onsite. The venue is room S-519D of Uji campus, Kyoto University.
 
Please register here by April 15.
https://forms.gle/yjLuw4vRRZmFbz5L9
 
[Abstract]
The Pacific Northwest of the United States is subject to great subduction zone earthquakes, but it lacks a strong “earthquake culture” because the last event was >300 years ago. Among the least prepared residents are 18-29-year-olds, who are generally overlooked in traditional messaging. Video games resonate with the media consumption habits of this age group and can put earthquake preparedness into an engaging context. They also offer players vicarious experiences of rare phenomena. Our project uses video games as research tools to explore what motivates young adults to prepare for earthquakes. Here I describe two experiments focused on learning and changes in self-reported levels of cognitive (self-efficacy, outcome expectation), pre-behavioral (intent to act), and behavioral outcomes right after playing a custom-built video game, as well as several months later. Our results suggest that video games are more engaging than web media and effectively promote both learning about, and self-confidence in accomplishing, preparation and response actions.
 
[Short bio]
Dr. Elizabeth Safran is an Associate Professor of Geological Science at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She did her undergraduate degree at Harvard University and her graduate studies in geomorphology at the University of Washington and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She now works with colleagues in Psychology, Rhetoric and Media Studies, and Computer Science on understanding and promoting earthquake preparedness behavior. She is a member of the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission and a Neighborhood Emergency Team member.