Jove
Visualize
Contact Us

Related Experiment Videos

Frequency versus probability formats in statistical word problems.

J S Evans1, S J Handley, N Perham

  • 1Centre for Thinking and Language, Department of Psychology, University of Plymouth, PL4 8AA, Plymouth, UK. j.evans@plym.ac.uk

Cognition
|October 6, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Child eating behaviors are consistently linked to intake across meals that vary in portion size.

Appetite·2024
Same author

A multicentre study of pembrolizumab time-of-day infusion patterns and clinical outcomes in non-small-cell lung cancer: too soon to promote morning infusions.

Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology·2022
Same author

Endamebic Pyorrhea and Its Complications: A Preliminary Note.

The Dental register·2021
Same author

First Global-Scale Synoptic Imaging of Solar Eclipse Effects in the Thermosphere.

Journal of geophysical research. Space physics·2020
Same author

Antigenic site changes in the rabies virus glycoprotein dictates functionality and neutralizing capability against divergent lyssaviruses.

The Journal of general virology·2018
Same author

Are sound abatement measures necessary in the cytology reading room? A study of auditory distraction.

Cytopathology : official journal of the British Society for Clinical Cytology·2017
Same journal

Investigating the origins of partisanship: What motivates children to preferentially endorse their ingroups' claims?

Cognition·2026
Same journal

People make graded judgments about the inconceivable.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

The self as an image: Appearance and belief in visual representations of one's own face.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Corrigendum to 'Consonant, vowel, and tone cues in early wordform recognition: Evidence from Cantonese-learning infants' [Cognition 275 (2026) 106624].

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Identifying distinct sources of whole number interference in children's decimal comparison: the role of numerical magnitude and inhibitory control.

Cognition·2026
Same journal

Evidence for abstract spatial concept learning in young animals.

Cognition·2026
See all related articles
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

People do not always use base rate information effectively in probability judgments. Presenting information in frequency formats only improves accuracy when it aids mental model construction, and can sometimes introduce bias.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Decision Science
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • Humans often struggle to integrate base rate information into probability judgments.
  • Previous research suggested frequency formats improve Bayesian reasoning, unlike probability formats.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-examine the impact of information format (frequency vs. probability) on base rate neglect.
  • To investigate conditions under which frequency formats enhance, rather than hinder, accurate probabilistic inference.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments tested participants' ability to incorporate base rate information.
  • Information was presented in either frequency or probability formats.
  • Judgments were elicited in either frequency or probability formats.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Frequency formats did not consistently outperform probability formats.
  • Performance improved with frequency formats only when a set inclusion mental model was facilitated.
  • Frequency response formats increased reliance on base rates, leading to neglect of diagnostic evidence.

Conclusions:

  • The format of information presentation significantly impacts probabilistic reasoning.
  • Facilitating mental model construction is key for frequency formats to improve base rate integration.
  • Frequency formats can introduce biases, leading to overemphasis on base rates and underutilization of diagnostic information.