Is there more than one ratio bias? If so, why?

Bourdin, David; Engin, Ayşegül; Vetschera, Rudolf

doi:10.1002/bdm.2263

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 76 publications

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“…In one real-world example, consumers believed they were getting less value for their money for A&W's third-pound burger than McDonald's Quarter Pounder because 3 is smaller than 4 (Conradt, 2016). This phenomenon, in which people attend only to one of two quantities in a ratio (a:b), or only to the numerator or denominator in a fraction in isolation, is known by different terms: ratio bias (Bourdin et al, 2021), 1-in-x phenomenon, or denominator neglect in the health cognition LEVERAGING MATH COGNITION literature and natural number bias or whole number bias in the domain of math cognition (see glossary below).…”

Section: Leveraging Math Cognition To Combat Health Innumeracymentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

Thompson

Mielicki

Rivera

et al. 2022

Perspect Psychol Sci

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Rational numbers (i.e., fractions, percentages, decimals, and whole-number frequencies) are notoriously difficult mathematical constructs. Yet correctly interpreting rational numbers is imperative for understanding health statistics, such as gauging the likelihood of side effects from a medication. Several pernicious biases affect health decision-making involving rational numbers. In our novel developmental framework, the natural-number bias—a tendency to misapply knowledge about natural numbers to all numbers—is the mechanism underlying other biases that shape health decision-making. Natural-number bias occurs when people automatically process natural-number magnitudes and disregard ratio magnitudes. Math-cognition researchers have identified individual differences and environmental factors underlying natural-number bias and devised ways to teach people how to avoid these biases. Although effective interventions from other areas of research can help adults evaluate numerical health information, they circumvent the core issue: people’s penchant to automatically process natural-number magnitudes and disregard ratio magnitudes. We describe the origins of natural-number bias and how researchers may harness the bias to improve rational-number understanding and ameliorate innumeracy in real-world contexts, including health. We recommend modifications to formal math education to help children learn the connections among natural and rational numbers. We also call on researchers to consider individual differences people bring to health decision-making contexts and how measures from math cognition might identify those who would benefit most from support when interpreting health statistics. Investigating innumeracy with an interdisciplinary lens could advance understanding of innumeracy in theoretically meaningful and practical ways.

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Section: Leveraging Math Cognition To Combat Health Innumeracymentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

Thompson

Mielicki

Rivera

et al. 2022

Perspect Psychol Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Consumer responses to time-based sales messages

Yang

Chen

et al. 2023

Annals of Tourism Research

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Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

Thompson¹,

Mielicki²,

Rivera³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Rational numbers (i.e., fractions, percentages, decimals, and whole-number frequencies) are notoriously difficult mathematical constructs. Yet, correctly interpreting rational numbers is imperative for understanding health statistics, such as gauging the likelihood of side effects from a medication. Several pernicious biases impact health decision making involving rational numbers. In our novel developmental framework, the natural number bias--a tendency to misapply knowledge about natural numbers to all numbers--is the mechanism underlying other biases that shape health decision making. Natural number bias occurs when people automatically process natural-number magnitudes and disregard ratio magnitudes. Math cognition researchers have identified individual differences and environmental factors underlying natural number bias and devised ways to teach people how to avoid these biases. Although effective interventions from other areas of research can help adults evaluate numerical health information, they circumvent the core issue: people’s penchant to automatically process natural number magnitudes and disregard ratio magnitudes. We describe the origins of natural number bias and how researchers may harness the bias to improve rational number understanding and ameliorate innumeracy in real-world contexts, including health. We recommend modifications to formal math education to help children learn the connections among natural and rational numbers. Additionally, we call on researchers to consider individual differences people bring to health decision-making contexts, and how measures from math cognition might identify those who would benefit most from support when interpreting health statistics. Investigating innumeracy with an interdisciplinary lens could advance understanding of innumeracy in theoretically meaningful and practical ways.

show abstract

Is there more than one ratio bias? If so, why?

Cited by 3 publications

References 76 publications

Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

Consumer responses to time-based sales messages

Leveraging Math Cognition to Combat Health Innumeracy

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