Policy Advisors and Scientists' Mental Models Of Policy-Making: Validating An Elicitation Method

Policy development is characterized by connecting problems with viable and equitable solutions.  Individuals’ mental models (cognitive structures that define reasoning, decision-making and behavior) influence how problems are defined and alternative solutions prioritized.  We used qualitative (interviews and influence diagrams) and quantitative methods (self-report and repertory grids) to elicit senior policy advisors and scientists’ mental models of the role of scientific evidence in invasive species policy-making.  Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed four mental model types which suggested that the majority of scientists supported evidence-based policy (risk management and scientific authority mental models), while policy advisors supported more community-oriented approaches to policy-making (political and community acceptability mental models).  Network analysis of the influence diagrams supported these results: the majority of policy advisors believed the community was more influential and connected in the policy-making process than evidence; scientists believed evidence was more influential and connected.  We triangulated these results with the quantitative data, which showed that the vast majority of policy advisors and scientists believed that policies should be at least 70% evidence-based, and all participants considered evidence to be more credible, and most considered it to be more effective, than input from the general community.  For the policy advisors, these results contrasted with the qualitative results.  Our research suggests that policy advisors’ mental models of the policy-making process were influenced by context, social norms and responsibility, revealing a difference between what they say (espoused mental model expressed through qualitative methods) and how they act (in-use mental model expressed through quantitative methods).  Using appropriate methods to elicit and share mental models is critical in redressing complex environmental problems.