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Research
Given the number of faculty in the CAIDe Lab, we are often involved in a variety of research projects. Here are a few examples of projects that highlight our work.
Numeric Evidence In Science Communication
Advantages and disadvantages exist for presenting numeric information in science communication. On the one hand, public innumeracy and experts’ concerns about providing numbers suggest not always showing them. On the other hand, people often prefer getting them, and their provision can increase comprehension, trust, and healthy behaviors while reducing risk overestimates and supporting decision-making autonomy. Presenting numeric facts without considering their comprehensibility and usability, however, is like throwing good money after bad. We summarize research concerning three theory-based strategies that improve the understanding and use of numbers by decreasing cognitive effort (e.g., doing the math for the audience), being consistent with principles of numeric cognition, and providing affective meaning.
Objective Numeracy and Numeric Confidence
Many adults in the US struggle with understanding and using numbers, an ability we call objective numeracy (it’s like literacy but with numbers). This difficulty is associated with decision making and worse health and financial outcomes. Additionally, how confident people feel about their number skills – we call this numeric self-efficacy - plays a role in decision making. It appears to influence whether someone persists in tasks involving numbers and how they emotionally react to these tasks. A lack of confidence seems to de-motivate the use of numeric abilities crucial for success in health and finances. In this chapter, we delve into the ways we measure these two aspects of being good with numbers and explore the psychological reasons behind how they affect judgment and decision-making. We also consider how well dual-process theories explain these results. Ultimately, this research suggests that opportunities exist to improve the lives of individuals and society as a whole. By providing education and using evidence-based communication, we believe we can empower people to take control of their lives and make better health and financial decisions.
Developing and Validating Numeracy Scales
Established numeracy (like numeric literacy) measures have several flaws. We addressed these flaws by creating three short Numeric Understanding Measures (NUMs). These include an adaptive measure (A-NUM), a non-adaptive four-item measure (4-NUM), and a single-item measure. Validation of the NUMs included confirmatory factor analysis, tests of convergent/discriminant validity, and tests of predictive validity. We demonstrated convergent/discriminant and predictive validity for the NUMs.
Social Media Health Messaging On Smoke Risk
As wildfire smoke continues to impact public health in regions like Oregon and Washington, effective communication is crucial to inform and protect communities. Recognizing the increasing risk posed by climate change, our study analyzed social media communication patterns regarding smoke exposure and mitigation measures. Institutional accounts primarily focused on promoting protective actions, with variations observed between Washington and Oregon-based accounts in the emphasis on risk information versus community engagement. These findings underscore the importance of timely and targeted messaging to empower individuals in safeguarding themselves against the health effects of wildfire smoke.
