3 ms·

Have a citation for that with data?

• scarmig 9y ago
  So, having spent some time trying to track it down, the best I found was [0], which wasn't nearly as strong as I suggested: "In an experiment, people read a realistic persuasive message that was relevant to them. Results showed that anecdotal evidence does not benefit from the inclusion of statistical evidence or from its intrinsic quality." I originally heard about this from Kevin Drum [1], but I was unable to track down the actual study he alludes to. That said, he does link to an interview [2] with... an anecdote about the use of data: "We have an experiment of helping a starving child. A certain percentage of people help [by donating money to the kid]. Then we have another condition with a different group, same child, same situation, except we put the numbers of the statistics of starvation next to her picture, and the donations dropped in half." [0] http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0163853X.2017.1312195 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0163853X.2017.13... [1] http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/08/facts-or-anecdotes-pick-one-and-stick-with-it/ http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/08/facts-or-anecd... [2] https://www.vox.com/explainers/2017/7/19/15925506/psychic-numbing-paul-slovic-apathy https://www.vox.com/explainers/2017/7/19/15925506/psychic-nu...
  • yorwba 9y ago
    What about the other direction; do pure statistics benefit from the inclusion of anecdotes? I would expect that to be the case, at least in the general population; but you seem to say that it's not.