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Updated: May 15, 2026

Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations
Published on: September 16, 2015
A review of contemporary methods for the presentation of scientific uncertainty
K A Makinson1, D M Hamby, J A Edwards
1Department of NuclearEngineering and Radiation Health Physics Oregon State University,116 Radiation Center Corvallis, OR 97331-5303, USA. makinske@engr.orst.edu
Abstract:
Graphic methods for displaying uncertainty are often the most concise and informative way to communicate abstract concepts. Presentation methods currently in use for the display and interpretation of scientific uncertainty are reviewed. Numerous subjective and objective uncertainty display methods are presented, including qualitative assessments, node and arrow diagrams, standard statistical methods, box-and-whisker plots,robustness and opportunity functions, contribution indexes, probability density functions, cumulative distribution functions, and graphical likelihood functions.
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