Wroclaw Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
J Exp Psychol Appl. 2019 Sep;25(3):372-385. doi: 10.1037/xap0000207. Epub 2019 Feb 7.
We developed and validated intervention aimed at enhancing numeracy (the ability to understand and use the concept of probability and statistical information) and decision making. One hundred and twenty-two participants were randomly assigned to a Mental Number Line Training condition (MNLT) or an Arithmetic Training Active Control condition (ATAC). Response mode (a slider anchored within the current response range vs. a numerical keyboard) was the only, and essential, difference between experimental conditions. After MNLT, participants developed a more precise mapping of numbers onto the mental number line. However, the results regarding the transfer of this effect to performance in other cognitive tasks were mixed. We observed the transfer to an ability to quickly estimate the sum of numerical quantities (measured by the precision of estimates for the total price of everyday products), but we did not find evidence that MNLT, as compared to the control condition, improved performance on numerical competencies measures or decision-making tasks. Interestingly, we found that both MNLT and ATAC resulted in higher subjective numeracy as well as normatively better financial decisions, and valuation of risky prospects. Developing more exact symbolic-number mapping may be a promising direction of future research on improving decision making skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
我们开发并验证了一项旨在提高计算能力（理解和使用概率和统计信息概念的能力）和决策能力的干预措施。122 名参与者被随机分配到心理数字线训练条件（MNLT）或算术训练主动控制条件（ATAC）。反应模式（在当前响应范围内固定的滑块与数字键盘）是实验条件之间唯一且必要的区别。MNLT 后，参与者将数字更精确地映射到心理数字线上。然而，关于这种效果转移到其他认知任务表现的结果喜忧参半。我们观察到这种效果可以转移到快速估计数值数量总和的能力上（通过对日常产品总价格的估计精度来衡量），但我们没有证据表明 MNLT 与对照条件相比，在数值能力衡量或决策任务方面表现更好。有趣的是，我们发现 MNLT 和 ATAC 都导致了更高的主观计算能力以及更规范的财务决策和风险前景评估。发展更精确的符号-数字映射可能是未来提高决策技能研究的一个有前途的方向。
