Wolfgang Gaissmaier

Publications (25) View all

• Article: Clinical decision making: the need for meaningful research.

  Jonathan Sherbino, Geoffrey R Norman, Wolfgang Gaissmaier
  Academic medicine: journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 02/2013; 88(2):150-1. · 2.34 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Cornelia Betsch

  Dataset: 2012 Betsch et al Vaccine

  Cornelia Betsch, Noel T. Brewer, Pauline Brocard, Patrick Davies, Wolfgang Gaissmaier, Niels Haase, Julie Leask, Frank Renkewitz, Britta Renner, Valerie F. Reyna, Constanze Rossmann, Katharina Sachse, Alexander Schachinger, Michael Siegrist, Marybelle Stryk
• Article: 9/11, Act II: A Fine-Grained Analysis of Regional Variations in Traffic Fatalities in the Aftermath of the Terrorist Attacks.

  Wolfgang Gaissmaier, Gerd Gigerenzer
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  ABSTRACT: Terrorists can strike twice-first, by directly killing people, and second, through dangerous behaviors induced by fear in people's minds. Previous research identified a substantial increase in U.S. traffic fatalities subsequent to the September 11 terrorist attacks, which were accounted for as due to a substitution of driving for flying, induced by fear of dread risks. Here, we show that this increase in fatalities varied widely by region, a fact that was best explained by regional variations in increased driving. Two factors, in turn, explained these variations in increased driving. The weaker factor was proximity to New York City, where stress reactions to the attacks were previously shown to be greatest. The stronger factor was driving opportunity, which was operationalized both as number of highway miles and as number of car registrations per inhabitant. Thus, terrorists' second strike exploited both fear of dread risks and, paradoxically, an environmental structure conducive to generating increased driving, which ultimately increased fatalities.
  Psychological Science 11/2012; · 4.43 Impact Factor
• Article: Psychological research and the prostate-cancer screening controversy.

  Hal R Arkes, Wolfgang Gaissmaier
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  ABSTRACT: In October of 2011, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a draft report in which they recommended against using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test to screen for prostate cancer. We attempt to show that four factors documented by psychological research can help explain the furor that followed the release of the task force's report. These factors are the persuasive power of anecdotal (as opposed to statistical) evidence, the influence of personal experience, the improper evaluation of data, and the influence of low base rates on the efficacy of screening tests. We suggest that augmenting statistics with facts boxes or pictographs might help such committees communicate more effectively with the public and with the U.S. Congress.
  Psychological Science 05/2012; 23(6):547-53. · 4.43 Impact Factor
• Article: The relationship between response time and diagnostic accuracy.

  Jonathan Sherbino, Kelly L Dore, Timothy J Wood, Meredith E Young, Wolfgang Gaissmaier, Sharyn Kreuger, Geoffrey R Norman
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  ABSTRACT: Psychologists theorize that cognitive reasoning involves two distinct processes: System 1, which is rapid, unconscious, and contextual, and System 2, which is slow, logical, and rational. According to the literature, diagnostic errors arise primarily from System 1 reasoning, and therefore they are associated with rapid diagnosis. This study tested whether accuracy is associated with shorter or longer times to diagnosis. Immediately after the 2010 administration of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part II at three test centers, the authors recruited participants, who read and diagnosed a series of 25 written cases of varying difficulty. The authors computed accuracy and response time (RT) for each case. Seventy-five Canadian medical graduates (of 95 potential participants) participated. The overall correlation between RT and accuracy was -0.54; accuracy, then, was strongly associated with more rapid RT. This negative relationship with RT held for 23 of 25 cases individually and overall when the authors controlled for participants' knowledge, as judged by their MCCQE Part I and II scores. For 19 of 25 cases, accuracy on each case was positively related to experience with that specific diagnosis. A participant's performance on the test overall was significantly correlated with his or her performance on both the MCCQE Part I and II. These results are inconsistent with clinical reasoning models that presume that System 1 reasoning is necessarily more error prone than System 2. These results suggest instead that rapid diagnosis is accurate and relates to other measures of competence.
  Academic medicine: journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 04/2012; 87(6):785-91. · 2.34 Impact Factor