PERCEIVING DAMAGES OF BUILDINGS
 Together with psychologists from the Ruhr-University Bochum, engineers from the collaborative research center 837 did research on how far non-professionals perceive damages of buildings in contrast to experts. Opposing to experts, non-professionals assess damages of historical buildings far less severe than those of modern buildings. Business psychologist Katharina Friedrich reports that an old church tower with a clearly visible tilt was classified as an insignificant damage or was seen as there was no damage at all. Overall, residential buildings were evaluated more accurate than old towers, churches or castles. Massive or very simple damages were assessed on the same level by non-professionals and experts. Whereas moderate damages were largely underestimated by non-professional people. The aim of the project of the collaborative research center 837 alongside with psychologists is to compare engineering critical values with the subjective perception of humans. If there are grave deviations, one has to possibly take action and inform the general public in the future. More information can be found in the German article here: http://news.rub.de/presseinformationen/wissenschaft/2017-06-22-psychologie-wie-menschen-schaeden-gebaeuden-wahrnehmen |