Steven Gray, assistant professor of human ecology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, will present, "Using Mental Models to Understand Human-Environment Interactions" at 2:30 p.m., Dec. 2 in the Nebraska East Union (Goldenrod Room). The seminar is free and open to the public. It is hosted by the Nebraska Water Center, Daugherty Water for Food Institute, Nebraska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit and the School of Natural Resources.
Mental models are internal representations of the external world that are used to guide human decisions within a particular environment. In addition to being externally influenced through the development and revision of beliefs over time, mental models also have the ability to influence and shape the environments that they interpret. This is because human agents, within the social and ecological systems of which they are a part, have the ability to alter their decisions and behaviors in light of perceived changes. It is this 'mental modeling' prediction of future social and ecological states that result in decisions that aim to maximize changes that are deemed favorable, and decrease changes that are unfavorable.
In this talk, Gray will present a novel framework, method and software for measuring the mental models of a range of natural resources users to understand decision-making and ultimately environmental and social change. Drawing from a range of case studies that include mental model data collected from bushmeat hunters in Tanzania, recreational fishermen in Germany and rural farmers in Nepal, Gray will show how knowledge varies across individuals within diverse communities engaged in resource management. Further, Gray will demonstrate how different beliefs align with different policy preferences and environmental interactions. Finally, Gray will present an overview of a new program, using data collected from the Virginia Master Naturalists program, that aligns community understanding and behavior by making mental models explicit before management decisions are made.