Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions
Donation requests often convey numerical information about the people in need. In two studies we investigated the effects of numeracy and presentation format on the underlying affective and cognitive mechanisms of donation decisions. In Study 1, participants were presented with information about a v...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2011-10-01
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| Series: | Judgment and Decision Making |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297500002679/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797696017323261952 |
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| author | Stephan Dickert Janet Kleber Ellen Peters Paul Slovic |
| author_facet | Stephan Dickert Janet Kleber Ellen Peters Paul Slovic |
| author_sort | Stephan Dickert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Donation requests often convey numerical information about the people in need. In two studies we investigated the effects of numeracy and presentation format on the underlying affective and cognitive mechanisms of donation decisions. In Study 1, participants were presented with information about a victim in need, either in a frequency format or in a percentage format. In Study 2, we manipulated the identifiability and number of target victims. Our results demonstrate that donations of individuals lower in numeracy were more susceptible to changes in numeric presentation format than those higher in numeracy. Importantly, the underlying mechanisms for donations differed by numeracy. Whereas the mental image of the victim influenced donation decisions of less numerate people only, the estimated impact of a donation was positively correlated with donation amounts for both more and less numerate individuals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:20:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d0d50ac575fd4ee989d7ab2df6dd5edd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1930-2975 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:20:30Z |
| publishDate | 2011-10-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Judgment and Decision Making |
| spelling | doaj.art-d0d50ac575fd4ee989d7ab2df6dd5edd2023-09-03T14:02:46ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752011-10-01663865010.1017/S1930297500002679Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisionsStephan Dickert0Janet Kleber1Ellen Peters2Paul Slovic3Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Kurt-Schumacher.Str.10, 53113, Bonn, GermanyUniversity of ViennaOhio State UniversityDecision Research and University of OregonDonation requests often convey numerical information about the people in need. In two studies we investigated the effects of numeracy and presentation format on the underlying affective and cognitive mechanisms of donation decisions. In Study 1, participants were presented with information about a victim in need, either in a frequency format or in a percentage format. In Study 2, we manipulated the identifiability and number of target victims. Our results demonstrate that donations of individuals lower in numeracy were more susceptible to changes in numeric presentation format than those higher in numeracy. Importantly, the underlying mechanisms for donations differed by numeracy. Whereas the mental image of the victim influenced donation decisions of less numerate people only, the estimated impact of a donation was positively correlated with donation amounts for both more and less numerate individuals.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297500002679/type/journal_articledonation decisionsnumeracymental imagesaffect |
| spellingShingle | Stephan Dickert Janet Kleber Ellen Peters Paul Slovic Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions Judgment and Decision Making donation decisions numeracy mental images affect |
| title | Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions |
| title_full | Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions |
| title_fullStr | Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions |
| title_short | Numeracy as a precursor to pro-social behavior: The impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions |
| title_sort | numeracy as a precursor to pro social behavior the impact of numeracy and presentation format on the cognitive mechanisms underlying donation decisions |
| topic | donation decisions numeracy mental images affect |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297500002679/type/journal_article |
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