Environmental Changes and Dynamics of a Network of Social Representations

Authors

  • Carine Pianelli PsyAction – Consulting firm on psychosocial risk assessment and management
  • Farida Saad French institute of science and technology for transport, development and networks (IFSTTAR); Laboratory of Social Psychology, University of Aix-Marseille

Keywords:

social representations, anchoring, representational dynamics, acceptability, speed, intelligent speed adaptation, automatic speed controls

Abstract

This research aims to study the transformation of a network of social representations

(representations of Speed, Speed Limit and the emerging representation of a driving aid:

the LAVIA system) following the occurrence of an irreversible event: the introduction of

Automatic Speed Controls (ASCs) in France. Two surveys were carried out, before and 

after the introduction of ASCs, on a representative sample of drivers living in the LAVIA

experimental area. The questionnaire included free and hierarchical associations (Study

1: N=1005; Study 2: N=281). The findings indicate that the structuring of the emerging

representation of LAVIA and its acceptability by drivers depend on pre-existing

representations within the social environment: the representations of Speed and Speed

Limit. The introduction of ASCs results in the adoption of new driving practices that lead

to the transformation of each representation belonging to the same network of social

representations.

Author Biographies

  • Carine Pianelli, PsyAction – Consulting firm on psychosocial risk assessment and management

    CARINE PIANELLI obtained her PhD at the University of Aix-Marseille and the European PhD

    on Social Representations and Communication under the supervision of Pr. Jean-Claude Abric

    and Farida Saad. Her thesis was financed by the French institute of science and technology for

    transport, development and networks (IFSTTAR). Afterwards, she was a researcher in

    IFSTTAR. Her main research interests focus on anchoring process and dynamics of the social

    representations. She founded PsyAction, consulting firm on psychosocial risk assessment and

    management in 2012.

  • Farida Saad, French institute of science and technology for transport, development and networks (IFSTTAR); Laboratory of Social Psychology, University of Aix-Marseille

    FARIDA SAAD is associate researcher at the Laboratory of Social Psychology of the University

    of Aix-Marseille. She was Research Director in the French institute of science and technology

    for transport, development and networks (IFSTTAR) until 2013. Her main research interests

    focus on behavioural adaptations to advanced driver support systems, analysis of road situations

    and drivers’activities from the cognitive psychology and ergonomics viewpoint, studies on

    mobility and safety in urban areas. She was involved in many national and international research

    projects, such as LAVIA (national project) and AID (european project).

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Published

2016-11-01

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 2 (2016): Special issue: Jean-Claude Abric

Section

Special issue