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A tendency to perceive illusory streaks or clumps in random sequences of data—the hot hand phenomenon—has been identified as a human universal tied to our evolutionary history of foraging for clumpy resources. We explored how this misperception of randomness and, more generally, ecologically relevant statistical thinking develops ontogenetically. Based on previous work with adults, we developed three tablet-based decision-making tasks that assessed how 3- to 10-year-old children in the U.S. and Germany decide whether sequential events will continue in a streak or not, their understanding of randomness, and their ability to reason about randomness in spatially dependent terms. Our analyses suggest that children, like adults, hold strong expectations of clumpy resources when they search through and reason about 1- and 2-dimensional statistical distributions. This evolved psychological default to clumped resources decreases somewhat with age. Future research should explore possible early interventions to improve statistical literacy and minimize the detrimental effects that (mis)perceptions of streaks and patterns can have on everyday life.
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Reproductive Coercion and Perceptions of Future Violence
Reproductive coercion is an understudied form of intimate partner abuse related to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Prior research suggests that women accurately predict whether their abuser will continue the abuse. Thus, understanding factors related to these perceptions is necessary to enhance safety. Using a diverse sample of women in the United States seeking protection orders, the current study examines reproductive coercion as a predictor of women’s perceptions of future violence. Findings suggest that psychological abuse and, to a lesser extent, reproductive coercion are related to whether women believe their abuser will continue their abuse. Implications for research and services are discussed.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1353671
- PAR ID:
- 10525180
- Publisher / Repository:
- SAGE Publications
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Violence Against Women
- Volume:
- 26
- Issue:
- 10
- ISSN:
- 1077-8012
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 1228-1241
- Size(s):
- p. 1228-1241
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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