Reasoning Lab

Dr. Munnich’s research focuses on whether, and to what extent, statistics influence
people’s beliefs and preferences about personal and public policy issues. In a series of studies, he has found that people’s beliefs and preferences about numbers are influenced by how numbers are presented to them, and that these effects last for a considerable time. In a complementary line of research, he has focused on how people can learn to look for multiple perspectives and thereby improve the accuracy of their numerical beliefs. He has also explored ways in which exposure to spatial semantics (words used to describe spatial relationships) relates to spatial cognition.