Science Communication to Enhance Health Decisions (keynote)
Document Type
Other
Date of Seminar
10-2-2023
Access Restrictions
Access limited to Washington University campus
Copyright
Materials provided for non-profit, educational use; further reproduction and distribution in any way inconsistent with copyright law (17 U.S. Code) and its “fair use” provisions may result in liability for copyright infringement.
Recommended Citation
Peters, Ellen, "Science Communication to Enhance Health Decisions (keynote)" (2023). #SciComm Seminars.
https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/scicomm_series/24
COinS
Notes
Advantages and disadvantages exist for presenting numeric information in science communication. On the one hand, public innumeracy and experts’ concerns about providing numbers suggest not showing them. On the other hand, people often prefer getting them and their provision can increase comprehension, trust, engagement, and healthy behaviors while reducing risk overestimates and supporting decision-maker autonomy. Presenting numeric facts without considering their comprehensibility and usability though is like throwing good money after bad. Thus, we’ll briefly examine theory-based strategies that improve understanding and use of numbers.