The Psychology of Routine Discretion

Accident Screening by British Factory Inspectors

Bibliographic Data

ID6090574
AuthorsSally Lloyd‐bostock (Health and Safety Executive, corresponding author)
Year1992
Volume14
Issue1
Pages45-76
Publication date1992-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLaw & Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-8240 • E-ISSN: 1467-9930
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9930.1992.tb00075.x
OpenAlexW2148088887
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited30

It is well recognized that discretion over the day to day enforcement of law is often exercised routinely by “repeat players.” However, the psychology of repetitive, routine decision making has not received particular attention. An empirical study of factory inspectors' discretion in screening accidents for investigation was conducted, using interviews with inspectors and analysis of records. The paper analyzes the selection decision as a process of categorization that attends simultaneously to characteristics of the accident, the legal and organizational context, and normal responses within the agency, in a way that maximizes cognitive economy. The paper suggests that, with experience, skill at routine decision making comes to be exercised towards the “automatic” end of a continuum from ‘automatic’ (non‐conscious) to (consciously) “controlled” processing of information. Since data are available on accidents not selected as well as those selected, the implications of inspectors' decision strategies can be examined

Accident (philosophy · Agency (philosophy · Categorization · Cognition · Context (archaeology · Discretion · Enforcement · Factory (object-oriented programming · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · History · Law · Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Psychology · Regulation and Compliance Studies · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

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