This column will make the case that many people, including
holders of graduate degrees, professional researchers and even
editors of scientific journals, can be too easily impressed by
math. A mathematical model is developed to describe sequential
effects. (See the highlighted equation in the graphic). Did that
second sentence make the first more persuasive? It did for most
participants in a recent intriguing experiment whose result
suggests people often interact with math in a way that isn't
very logical. Other research has shown that even those who
should be especially clear-sighted about numbers—scientific
researchers, for example, and those who review their work for
publication—are often uncomfortable with, and credulous about,
mathematical material. As a result, some research that finds its
way into respected journals—and ends up being reported in the
popular press—is flawed. In the latest study, Kimmo Eriksson, a
mathematician and researcher of social psychology at Sweden's
Mälardalen University, chose