Mental Model of the Drug Market Intervention

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed the growth of the so-called “pulling-levers” approach to reducing gang and gun violence, and more recently, to eliminate overt drug markets. Research has indicated promising results, at least in terms of impact at a community level, yet much remains to be known about the theoretical foundation of these interventions. The current research utilizes an approach developed in the cognitive sciences to examine these theoretical foundations. Specifically, the “mental models” approach to developing graphical representations of how people know, perceive, make decisions, and construct behavior is applied to the drug market intervention strategy as originally developed in High Point, North Carolina. In-depth interviews were conducted with police officials, social service providers, and community partners to better understand how this strategy was developed and what these “experts” believe are the foundation of the strategy. The findings indicate a complex logic model undergirding the strategy with multiple theoretical components.