Revisiting the experience-behavior hypothesis: The effects of hurricane hugo on hazard preparedness and other self-protective acts

We interviewed residents of 4 southeastern cities that differed in the natu re of their exposure to Hurricane Hugo 2 years following the hurricane abou t their current precautionary behaviors and attitudes in the domains of haz ard preparedness, crime prevention, vehicular safety, and health maintenanc e. Earlier interviews provided data on individual differences in severity o f exposure. Both individual- and community-level measures of exposure predi cted hazard preparedness. The effects of exposure on behavior were largely mediated by exposure's effects on the perceived usefulness of those behavio rs. Although smaller in magnitude, effects of exposure generalized to self- protective acts other than hazard preparedness. The findings contradict ear lier conclusions in the literature that the effects of personal experience on self-protective behavior are modest, transient, and specific.