Numeracy and Affect in Judgment and Decision Making

最近对计算能力的研究表明，个体在处理数字的能力上存在很大差异，事实上，许多人都是“不识数的”。“在我们这个日益技术化的世界里，缺乏计算能力（缺乏理解和使用基本概率和数学概念的能力）可能是在金融、医疗和其他领域做出正确决策的一个关键劣势。这项拟议中的研究探讨了计算能力和影响力在决策中的作用。”我们研究了数字能力在某种程度上有助于决策，而在另一些情况下则会损害决策。我们还研究了计算能力是否会影响情感，我们试图操纵情感，以及提高和破坏计算能力，以测试假设。这项研究将增加越来越多的知识，关于情感和审议的思维方式可能会影响决策的重要方面，如以不同的方式（框架）描述决策的特点的影响。此外，关于提高人民决策能力的建议主要是基于对整个人口的研究结果。然而，每个人所需要的援助类型可能不同。那些数字能力低的人可能需要不同的决策辅助工具，而不是那些数字能力高的人。在一些涉及非常复杂的数字的决定中，我们可能都需要帮助。我们越来越多地被要求对重要的生活问题做出自己的决定。健康和财务决定不再完全由家庭医生等专家做出。相反，所有决策者都面临着比前几代人更多的选择和更多的信息。因此，以研究为基础的建议是必不可少的，以帮助决策者谁在他们的偏好和处理信息的能力不同，谁面临的决定，在数字上的复杂性不同。

Recent research in numeracy suggests that individuals differ substantially in their abilities to process numbers and that, in fact, many people are "innumerate." In our increasingly technical world, innumeracy (a lack of ability to understand and use basic probability and mathematical concepts) may be a critical disadvantage to making good decisions in financial, medical, and other domains.The proposed research examines the roles of numeracy and affect in decision making. We examine the extent to which numerical ability helps decisions in some situations and hurts decisions in others. We also examine whether numeracy impacts affective feelings, and we attempt to manipulate affect as well as to enhance and disrupt calculation ability in order to test hypotheses. This research will add to the growing body of knowledge concerning how affective and deliberative ways of thinking may influence important aspects of decision making such as the effects of describing features of a decision in different ways (framing). In addition, proposals for improving people's decision-making abilities are based primarily on research results based on the population as a whole. It may be, however, that individuals will differ in the type of assistance they need. Those low in numerical ability may need different decision aids than those high in numerical ability. In some decisions that involve very complex numbers, we may all need assistance. We are increasingly being asked to make our own decisions about vital life issues. No longer are health and financial decisions left entirely to specialists such as the family doctor. Instead, all decision makers are faced with more choices and more information than in previous generations. Thus, research-based advice is essential to help decision makers who differ in their preferences and abilities for processing information and who face decisions that differ in numerical complexity.