Bringing meaning to numbers: The impact of evaluative categories on decisions.

Abstract

Decision makers are often quite poor at using numeric information in decisions. The results of 4 experiments demonstrate that a manipulation of evaluative meaning (i.e., the extent to which an attribute can be mapped onto a good/bad scale; this manipulation is accomplished through the addition of visual boundary lines and evaluative labels to a graphical format) has a robust influence in health judgments and choices and across diverse adult populations. The manipulation resulted in greater use of numeric quality-of-care information in judgments and less reliance on an irrelevant affective state among the less numerate. Recall results for provided quality-of-care numbers suggested that the manipulation did not influence depth of number processing with the exception of cost information that was not remembered as well. Results of a reaction-time paradigm revealed that feelings were more accessible than thoughts in the presence of the manipulation, suggesting that the effect may be due, at least in part, to an affective mechanism. Numeric information is often provided in decisions, but may not be usable by consumers without assistance from information providers. Implications for consumer decision making and the functions of affect are discussed.

Testing innovative strategies to reduce the social gradient in the uptake of bowel cancer screening: a programme of four qualitatively enhanced randomised controlled trials

“…[125][126][127] Findings broadly indicate that comprehension of the information is improved, particularly for people with low numeracy. 128 Furthermore, the same study suggested that evaluative categories can increase deliberative processing of the numerical information. Numerical descriptors may also increase perceptions of risk and, as a result, may be more effective at altering behaviour than numerical information in isolation.…”

Consumer Understanding and Use of Numeric Information in Product Claims

“…There were several studies conducted to test the associations of numeracy and the understanding and the use of numeric information in risk and health domains (e.g., Hibbard, Peters, Dixon, & Tusler, 2007;Lipkus et al, 2001;Nelson, Fagerlin, Lipkus, & Peters, 2008;Peters, 2008;Peters et al, 2009;Peters, Hibbard, Slovic, & Dieckman, 2007;Peters & Levin, 2008;Woloshin, Schwartz, Black & Welch, 1999). Sheridan and Pignone (2002) investigated medical students' numeracy level, and its association to the 8 ability to interpret risk infom1ation.…”

“…Because participants were able to evaluate how good a 20,000-word entry was compared to a 10,000-word entry and, arguably, word entry was more important factor than the cosmetics of the dictionary, they were willing to pay more for the dictionary with a 20,000-word entry. Peters et al (2009) manipulated "evaluability" by providing affective labeling to numeric ratings. They presented pmiicipants with hard-to-evaluate healthcare ratings (e.g., score of 93 out of 100 for a survival rate), and provided affective categories (e.g., good, poor) to help the healthcare ratings become more "evaluable."…”

Overcoming Innovation Resistance beyond Status Quo Bias - A Decision Support System Approach (Research-in-Progress)

“…Choice architecture can be applied in multiple ways and in a variety of application scenarios (see Table 1 in the Appendix for applications to support environmental conservation behavior) [50], [54]- [66]. Nudging towards environmental conservation behavior, for instance, can take the form of placing consumptiondependent emoticons on energy bills -or information about one's own and the neighbors' average consumption.…”