A note on judgments and behavior : Distancing and Corona virus exposure
(2024) In Judgment and Decision Making 19.- Abstract
In a questionnaire, participants judged the increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus exposure when moving closer to an infected person. Earlier studies have shown that the actual increase in virus exposure is underestimated and the present study replicated and extended these studies. The primary purpose was to investigate to what extent questionnaire judgments about hypothetical situations can predict judgments and actual behavior in real physical space. Participants responded to a questionnaire and the same participants also took part in a parallel study that was conducted in a room with a mannequin representing a virus infected person. The earlier reported bias in the perception of exposure as a function of distance to a virus source was... (More)
In a questionnaire, participants judged the increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus exposure when moving closer to an infected person. Earlier studies have shown that the actual increase in virus exposure is underestimated and the present study replicated and extended these studies. The primary purpose was to investigate to what extent questionnaire judgments about hypothetical situations can predict judgments and actual behavior in real physical space. Participants responded to a questionnaire and the same participants also took part in a parallel study that was conducted in a room with a mannequin representing a virus infected person. The earlier reported bias in the perception of exposure as a function of distance to a virus source was replicated in the questionnaire and the physical laboratory study. A linear function connected median exposure judgments at the same distances from a virus source in the questionnaire and in the laboratory, R2 = 0.99. When asked to move to a distance that would give a prescribed exposure level, a linear function described the relationship between questionnaire distance judgments and moves to distances in the physical space, R2 = 0.95. We concluded that questionnaire data about perceived virus exposures are reliable indicators of real behavior. For health reasons, the significant underestimations of the steep increase of virus exposure during an approach to a virus source need to be stressed in communications to policy makers, the public, professionals working close to clients, nursing staff, and other care providers.
(Less)
- author
- Svenson, Ola ; Gimeno, Inés Duce ; Nilsson, Mats ; Salo, Ilkka LU and Lindholm, Torun
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- airborne virus, Covid-19, distance bias, judgment and behavior, virus exposure
- in
- Judgment and Decision Making
- volume
- 19
- article number
- e33
- publisher
- Society for Judgment and Decision Making
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85210872759
- ISSN
- 1930-2975
- DOI
- 10.1017/jdm.2024.28
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- f35f847e-fabc-4ba6-b477-fd9e934c7bca
- date added to LUP
- 2025-01-27 14:16:43
- date last changed
- 2025-04-07 19:58:30
@article{f35f847e-fabc-4ba6-b477-fd9e934c7bca,
abstract = {{<p>In a questionnaire, participants judged the increase in SARS-CoV-2 virus exposure when moving closer to an infected person. Earlier studies have shown that the actual increase in virus exposure is underestimated and the present study replicated and extended these studies. The primary purpose was to investigate to what extent questionnaire judgments about hypothetical situations can predict judgments and actual behavior in real physical space. Participants responded to a questionnaire and the same participants also took part in a parallel study that was conducted in a room with a mannequin representing a virus infected person. The earlier reported bias in the perception of exposure as a function of distance to a virus source was replicated in the questionnaire and the physical laboratory study. A linear function connected median exposure judgments at the same distances from a virus source in the questionnaire and in the laboratory, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.99. When asked to move to a distance that would give a prescribed exposure level, a linear function described the relationship between questionnaire distance judgments and moves to distances in the physical space, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.95. We concluded that questionnaire data about perceived virus exposures are reliable indicators of real behavior. For health reasons, the significant underestimations of the steep increase of virus exposure during an approach to a virus source need to be stressed in communications to policy makers, the public, professionals working close to clients, nursing staff, and other care providers.</p>}},
author = {{Svenson, Ola and Gimeno, Inés Duce and Nilsson, Mats and Salo, Ilkka and Lindholm, Torun}},
issn = {{1930-2975}},
keywords = {{airborne virus; Covid-19; distance bias; judgment and behavior; virus exposure}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Society for Judgment and Decision Making}},
series = {{Judgment and Decision Making}},
title = {{A note on judgments and behavior : Distancing and Corona virus exposure}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jdm.2024.28}},
doi = {{10.1017/jdm.2024.28}},
volume = {{19}},
year = {{2024}},
}