Appendix A_Information about Mental Models

Appendix A: Information about Mental Models Research and
Expert Model Developed from Stakeholder Interviews

The purpose of this document is to provide additional information about Mental Models research
and to provide the mental model developed from interviews with stakeholders during the first
phase of this research.
The concept of mental models is a well-established theory in psychology and has been the focus
of extensive research. A person’s “mental model” can be thought of as a complex web of deeplyand often subconsciously-held beliefs, which affect how an individual defines a problem, reacts
to information, forms judgments and makes decisions. These beliefs may be complete and
correct, or they may have gaps that are consequential to decision making and action. Decades of
research has shown that to effectively engage people and enable changes in their beliefs and
behaviors, one must understand and change their mental models. Over the past 30 years,
researchers have used the mental models method to guide the design and implementation of
communications strategies related to a diverse set of health and safety issues including those
related to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for produce safety, plastic surgery, obesity,
impacts of climate change extreme heat events, and child vaccinations.
As a research method, the mental models approach begins with the elicitation of the knowledge
of experts on a given topic. The previous study conducted, Stakeholder Interviews for Break the
Chain Retailer Education Campaign, elicited information from experts associated with academic
institutions, federal and state government, retailer associations, and public health associations.
The knowledge gathered was then integrated to create an expert model, which provides a formal
representation of how situations or problems are understood, capturing the range of legitimate
expert opinion and uncertainty. Expert models are essential tools for decision making, and are
especially well-suited to complex health-focused risk and communications challenges. A
common form of depicting the expert model is an influence diagram, which describes a decisionmaking system in terms of variables and the relationships among them, as they relate to the
outcomes of interest to stakeholders. In the case of the sale, distribution and marketing of
cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to youth, this decision-making system may focus on
how tobacco retailers, at all levels – from owners, trainers and managers, to clerks – make a
number of decisions that ultimately influence the degree to which youth are protected from the
effects of tobacco. For example, these decisions may include staff education and communication
and checking identification.
The Expert Model will serve as the analytical framework for the design and analysis of in-depth
research with tobacco retail clerks and managers, allowing for direct comparison between
experts and retail clerks/supervisors' mental models of those complex issues and decisionmaking situations. Additionally, the Expert Model aided in development and refinement of the
key topics and questions that will be explored with retailers and clerks in the subsequent research
activities with these audiences.
Below is the Expert Model developed from the stakeholder interviews.

Appendix A: Information about Mental Models Research and
Expert Model Developed from Stakeholder Interviews