## 5 Discussion  
### Results Analysis  
Although multiple methods exist in the literature to examine relationships between factors, this study employed ISM and MICMAC to establish hierarchical relationships and calculate the driving forces and dependencies of the factors. This approach offers a more comprehensive and systematic advantage in studying the relationships between factors compared to traditional methods [57]. Figure 2 provides a clear hierarchical structure of the influencing factors of college students' emergency cognitive ability, demonstrating strong interrelationships among these 12 factors. It effectively conveys these relationships to emergency management personnel in an easily understandable manner, aiding managers in devising measures to enhance college students' emergency cognitive ability [58]. ISM, grounded in the practical experience and knowledge of on-site experts, deduced both direct and indirect relationships among the influencing factors of college students' emergency cognitive ability, providing deeper insights for managers to address specific requirements during emergencies. In the current ISM model, factors related to disaster attention are at the top level of the model, factors related to safety knowledge are in the middle, and factors related to safety awareness are at the bottom of the ISM model (Figure 2). From Figure 2, it can be seen that disaster information acquisition (\(C_{1}\)), pathways for disaster information dissemination (\(C_{2}\)), and media attention (\(C_{4}\)) are located at the top level of the ISM model, belonging to the direct factor layer. These factors at the direct level influence college students' emergency cognitive ability directly because they are directly related to information acquisition and attention allocation. The sources of information, methods of dissemination, and media attention all directly shape students' level of cognition of potential risks. Different information channels can provide different types of information. Diverse sources of information can increase students' comprehensive cognition of potential risks, including various types of disasters and emergencies [59]. Reliable information dissemination channels ensure accurate communication of information. For example, official emergency notification channels and trustworthy news media can provide timely and credible information, helping students to better understand the current situation. High media attention means that students are exposed to information related to disasters and emergencies more frequently [60]. This can increase their level of attention to potential risks and make it easier for them to understand current events. Their relationships are shown in Figure 4.  
Figure 4 clearly illustrates the entire process from information acquisition to dissemination and enhanced attention. College students acquire information through diverse channels (\(C_{1}\)), which expands coverage via rapid dissemination pathways (\(C_{2}\)). High media attention (\(C_{4}\)) further increases the frequency of exposure, helping to strengthen students' risk awareness and emergency cognitive ability. Figure 4: Influence diagram of direct factors influencing college students’ emergency cognitive ability. Factors such as disaster history experience learning (\(C_{3}\)), degree of basic safety knowledge mastery (\(C_{5}\)), degree of mastery of security knowledge in specific fields (\(C_{6}\)), degree of understanding of relevant laws and regulations (\(C_{7}\)), degree of emergency measures and skill (\(C_{8}\)), and self-protection awareness (\(C_{9}\)) are positioned in the middle layer of the ISM model, belonging to the critical factors layer. These factors in the critical factors layer influence college students' emergency cognitive ability because they involve specific knowledge, experience, and skills [61]. They can enhance students' recognition of risks, their ability to take appropriate measures, and their self-protection awareness.