Towards the end of my PhD, I noticed that many people have difficulty understanding even some basics in statistics, which made me realize that more research on statistics communication and numeracy is essential to improve data-driven decision making on policy and individual level. For example, when comparing various treatments, a patient should understand what the corresponding survival probabilities mean and how (im)precise these estimates are.
Therefore, I decided to shift research focus from mathematics to the communication of statistics to improve the understanding of statistical results. I am currently working on several interdisciplinary projects, e.g.:
- a survey on communicating uncertainty and precision in weather warnings, in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, supported by the ODISSEI LISS Panel Grant;
- a large-scale survey to study effective ways of communicating statistical uncertainties and its effect on people’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses, supported by the Gratama-Stichting-LUF Project Grant;
- research on effective ways to debunk misleading graphs, supported by the LUF Lustrum Subsidy;
- a pilot study regarding the effect of teaching students about misleading statistics on their ability to recognise misleading graphs and on critical thinking.
- multiple studies on the variability of the interpretation of probability phrases, either communicated in written or verbal format, and in different populations and contexts.
Publications:
You can find my publications via Google Scholar.