A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure

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...

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Main Authors: Ola Svenson, Inés Duce Gimeno, Mats Nilsson, Ilkka Salo, Torun Lindholm
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-01-01
Series:Judgment and Decision Making
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000287/type/journal_article
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author Ola Svenson
Inés Duce Gimeno
Mats Nilsson
Ilkka Salo
Torun Lindholm
author_facet Ola Svenson
Inés Duce Gimeno
Mats Nilsson
Ilkka Salo
Torun Lindholm
author_sort Ola Svenson
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-5058e7dec77f4ec99ef64a205d5888b22025-08-20T02:33:07ZengCambridge University PressJudgment and Decision Making1930-29752024-01-011910.1017/jdm.2024.28A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposureOla Svenson0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1717-7198Inés Duce Gimeno1Mats Nilsson2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2081-7144Ilkka Salo3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0943-5484Torun Lindholm4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8867-5752Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Decision Research, Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, OR, USADepartment of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, SwedenDepartment of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, SwedenIn 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.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000287/type/journal_articlejudgment and behaviorvirus exposuredistance biasCovid-19airborne virus
spellingShingle Ola Svenson
Inés Duce Gimeno
Mats Nilsson
Ilkka Salo
Torun Lindholm
A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure
Judgment and Decision Making
judgment and behavior
virus exposure
distance bias
Covid-19
airborne virus
title A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure
title_full A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure
title_fullStr A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure
title_full_unstemmed A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure
title_short A note on judgments and behavior: Distancing and Corona virus exposure
title_sort note on judgments and behavior distancing and corona virus exposure
topic judgment and behavior
virus exposure
distance bias
Covid-19
airborne virus
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S1930297524000287/type/journal_article
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