Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Media news during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic often entail complex numerical concepts such as exponential increase or reproduction number. This study investigated whether people have difficulties in understanding such information and whether these difficulties are related to num...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/9/1230 |
| _version_ | 1797520083200770048 |
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| author | Laura Zamarian Katharina M. -A. Fürstenberg Nadia Gamboz Margarete Delazer |
| author_facet | Laura Zamarian Katharina M. -A. Fürstenberg Nadia Gamboz Margarete Delazer |
| author_sort | Laura Zamarian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Media news during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic often entail complex numerical concepts such as exponential increase or reproduction number. This study investigated whether people have difficulties in understanding such information and whether these difficulties are related to numerical competence, reflective thinking, and risk proneness. One hundred sixty-three participants provided answers to a numeracy scale focusing on complex numerical concepts relevant to COVID-19 (COV Numeracy Scale). They also provided responses to well-established objective and subjective scales, questions about affective states, and questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher scores on the COV Numeracy Scale correlated with higher scores on the Health Numeracy Scale, in the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), and in self-assessments of verbal comprehension, mathematical intelligence, and subjective numeracy. Interestingly, scores on the COV Numeracy Scale also positively correlated with the number of consulted information sources about COVID-19. Accuracy in the CRT emerged as a significant predictor, explaining ca. 14% of variance on the COV Numeracy Scale. The results suggest that people with lower reflective thinking skills and lower subjective and objective numerical competence can be more at disadvantage when confronted with COVID-related numerical information in everyday life. These findings advise caution in the communication of relevant public health information that entails complex numerical concepts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:51:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fa9d408012744ac8954e29abb78e5b72 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:51:49Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa9d408012744ac8954e29abb78e5b722023-11-22T12:15:01ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252021-09-01119123010.3390/brainsci11091230Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 PandemicLaura Zamarian0Katharina M. -A. Fürstenberg1Nadia Gamboz2Margarete Delazer3Department of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaFaculty of Psychology, Leopold-Franzenz University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaLaboratory of Experimental Psychology, Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples, 80135 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Neurology, Medical University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaMedia news during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic often entail complex numerical concepts such as exponential increase or reproduction number. This study investigated whether people have difficulties in understanding such information and whether these difficulties are related to numerical competence, reflective thinking, and risk proneness. One hundred sixty-three participants provided answers to a numeracy scale focusing on complex numerical concepts relevant to COVID-19 (COV Numeracy Scale). They also provided responses to well-established objective and subjective scales, questions about affective states, and questions about the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher scores on the COV Numeracy Scale correlated with higher scores on the Health Numeracy Scale, in the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), and in self-assessments of verbal comprehension, mathematical intelligence, and subjective numeracy. Interestingly, scores on the COV Numeracy Scale also positively correlated with the number of consulted information sources about COVID-19. Accuracy in the CRT emerged as a significant predictor, explaining ca. 14% of variance on the COV Numeracy Scale. The results suggest that people with lower reflective thinking skills and lower subjective and objective numerical competence can be more at disadvantage when confronted with COVID-related numerical information in everyday life. These findings advise caution in the communication of relevant public health information that entails complex numerical concepts.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/9/1230numerical conceptsrisk understandingdecision-makinganalytical thinkinghealth numeracy |
| spellingShingle | Laura Zamarian Katharina M. -A. Fürstenberg Nadia Gamboz Margarete Delazer Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic Brain Sciences numerical concepts risk understanding decision-making analytical thinking health numeracy |
| title | Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Understanding of Numerical Information during the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | understanding of numerical information during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | numerical concepts risk understanding decision-making analytical thinking health numeracy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/9/1230 |
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