Reducing the Linear Perception of Nonlinearity
Use of a Physical Representation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12166014 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dutt (0000-0002-2151-8314, Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory, Department of Social and Decision Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA USA, corresponding author), Cleotilde González (0000-0002-6244-2918, Dynamic Decision Making Laboratory, Department of Social and Decision Sciences Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh PA USA) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 51-67 |
| Publication date | 2011-10-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Behavioral Decision Making (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-3257 • E-ISSN: 1099-0771 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/bdm.759 |
| OpenAlex | W2115815662 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 44 |
Research shows that while judging accumulations of quantities over time (e.g., money in a bank account or CO 2 in Earth's atmosphere), people assume that the shape of the accumulation is similar to the shape of the inflow (i.e., people rely on a correlation heuristic). Relying on the correlation heuristic is particularly worrisome for Earth's climate, as judging the CO 2 accumulation according to its emissions (inflow) would underestimate the actual (nonlinear) increase. This misperception undermines the seriousness of climate problem and results in wait‐and‐see behavior. We report two experiments where the effectiveness of a physical representation is compared with graphical and text representations in reducing people's underestimation of nonlinear accumulation in different contexts and problems. A physical representation presents an accumulation using a picture that works as a metaphor. In the first experiment, participants drew the shape of an accumulation over time relying on physical or graphical representations in one of two contexts: carbon dioxide and marbles. Although the participants underestimated the accumulation in both contexts, underestimations were reduced in the physical representation compared with the graphical representation. In the second experiment, we extended the evaluation of physical representations against both text and graphical representations in two different climate problems (with linearly increasing or decreasing inflow). Again, underestimations of the accumulation were reduced in the physical representation compared with the other two representations, regardless of the nature of the problem. We discuss implications of using the physical representation for improving people's estimates of nonlinear CO 2 accumulation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Cognitive psychology · Epistemology · Heuristic · Inflow · Mechanics · Nonlinear system · Perception · Physics · Representation (politics · Seriousness · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Computer Science · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Mathematics · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
Climate change 2001
How to Solve It
Abrupt Climate Change
What Do People Know About Global Climate Change? 2. Survey Studies of Educated Laypeople
Risk Communication on Climate
Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems
Why a Diagram is (Sometimes) Worth Ten Thousand Words
What Do People Know About Global Climate Change? 1. Mental Models
Domain-specific reasoning
Now What Do People Know About Global Climate Change? Survey Studies of Educated Laypeople
Pictures speak louder than numbers
Citizens’ perspectives on climate change and energy use
Pupils' over‐reliance on linearity
Who proficts from visual aids
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,1 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2016 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |