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ERIC Number: ED639244
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Visual Display Size and Shape Impact the Accuracy of US Adults' Health-Risk Estimates
Charles J. Fitzsimmons; Lauren Woodbury; Jennifer M. Taber; Lauren K. Schiller; Marta K. Mielicki; Pooja G. Sidney; Karin G. Coifman; Clarissa A. Thompson
Grantee Submission, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making v36 n5 Article e2341 2023
Health risks, when presented as ratios (e.g., two out of seven people), are challenging to understand, but visual displays can foster accurate understanding. We conducted three experiments to test how characteristics of numbers (Experiment 1), icon arrays (Experiments 1, 2, and 3), and number lines (Experiments 1 and 3) influenced people's ability to accurately estimate the risk of experiencing side effects. Participants in each experiment saw smaller- (e.g., 2 out of 7) and larger-component (e.g., 264 out of 924) equivalent ratios in one of three conditions: with number lines only, with icon arrays only, or in the form of Arabic numerals with no accompanying visual. We found that risk estimates were more accurate when presented in 10 x 10 icon arrays, long horizontal 1 x 99 arrays, or number lines. We theorize that hypothetical risks can be estimated more accurately when the display affords easy translation to a percentage.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305U200004
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/r9gyq/