OBJECTIVE: Efficient prenatal risk communication hinges upon parents' grasp of statistical information. When forming their subjective representation of a probability, pregnant women may focus on inappropriate factors and ignore the appropriate factors. METHOD: The present research investigates the subjective probability that pregnant women derive from statements of the form 'There is a 1 in X chance that the baby will have condition Y,' where the number X and the severity of the condition Y were orthogonally manipulated. RESULTS: Study 1 showed that when judging how big is a 1 in X chance that a child will be affected by condition Y, pregnant women (n = 336) were sensitive to the severity of Y, but selectively numb to the objective number X. Study 2 (n = 461) replicated this pattern, but also showed that numerical numbness could be overcome by a simple intervention, namely, a quick comment that 1 in X was 'above average.' CONCLUSION: Practitioners must be aware that when forming a subjective probability assessment, pregnant women might be inappropriately sensitive to the severity of Y, and inappropriately numb to the number X, and that a simple communicative intervention can help in overcoming this selective number numbness.
http://hdl.handle.net/11572/89291
Titolo: | Overcoming number numbness in prenatal risk communication |
Autori Unitn: | |
Anno di pubblicazione: | 2011 |
Titolo del periodico: | |
Citazione: | Overcoming number numbness in prenatal risk communication / S. Pighin; J. F. Bonnefon; L. Savadori. - In: PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS. - ISSN 0197-3851. - STAMPA. - 31:8(2011), pp. 809-813. |
Abstract: | OBJECTIVE: Efficient prenatal risk communication hinges upon parents' grasp of statistical information. When forming their subjective representation of a probability, pregnant women may focus on inappropriate factors and ignore the appropriate factors. METHOD: The present research investigates the subjective probability that pregnant women derive from statements of the form 'There is a 1 in X chance that the baby will have condition Y,' where the number X and the severity of the condition Y were orthogonally manipulated. RESULTS: Study 1 showed that when judging how big is a 1 in X chance that a child will be affected by condition Y, pregnant women (n = 336) were sensitive to the severity of Y, but selectively numb to the objective number X. Study 2 (n = 461) replicated this pattern, but also showed that numerical numbness could be overcome by a simple intervention, namely, a quick comment that 1 in X was 'above average.' CONCLUSION: Practitioners must be aware that when forming a subjective probability assessment, pregnant women might be inappropriately sensitive to the severity of Y, and inappropriately numb to the number X, and that a simple communicative intervention can help in overcoming this selective number numbness. |
Handle: | http://hdl.handle.net/11572/89291 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 03.1 Articolo su rivista (Journal article) |
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