Thesis subject

MSc thesis topic: 9000 Pigs – Why humans cannot understand large numbers and what this means for the planet and society

In a recent barn fire, 9000 pigs died. These numbers should be shocking but humans actually fail to understand large numbers. This is a problem because all planetary and many societal challenges can only be solved if we can develop an understanding of large quantities. How do we imagine that there are 269,000 tons of plastic waste floating in the Oceans, that Antarctica sheds an average of 149 billion metric tons of ice per year, that every year about 15 billion trees are cut down, or that there are more than 47 million chicken (poultry) in the Netherlands.

In this thesis we are laying the theoretical foundations of these challenges and will develop solutions. While it is not possible to experience large numbers and quantities in the real world, we can create experiences in the virtual world and in doing so turn abstract information into a viscerally accessible format.

The literature is full of examples that human’s miserable fail to understand large numbers and large quantities. Research did, for example show, that people are able to understand the order of geologic events, but they do not develop an understanding of what it means that millions of years lie between them (Libarkin, Kurdziel, & Anderson, 2007). At the same time, understanding large numbers and quantities is key for success in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, but maybe more importantly, to also develop an understanding of the urgency of planetary and societal challenges. GRS works at the forefront of assessing impact of the Anthropocene on the planet but there are many more examples of large number assessments at WUR.

With the developments of high-quality, consumer grade immersive technologies we are now in the position to bridge the gap between abstract large number data assessments and how humans learn and understand efficiently, effectively, and more naturally, that is, through experience. In this project we envision the design of en experiential access to large number / quantities of planetary and societal relevance and to empirically evaluate that modern communication technologies such as virtual reality, can facilitate a deeper understanding of large numbers.

Relevance to research/projects at GRS or other groups

One of the strategic initiatives of WUR is the creation and exploration of immersive technologies and advanced visualization for science communication. GRS is leading efforts to advanced visualizations for environmental applications. ESG is in the process of establishing a landscape visualization laboratory (WANDER) to facilitate efforts for integrating advances in visualization technologies into environmental applications.

Objectives

develop a more systematic understanding of the problem of communication large numbers/quantities and what potential solutions are;
guide the design of an immersive experience for the communication of large numbers/quantities;
evaluate the effectiveness of such an approach.

Literature

Resnick, I., Newcombe, N. S., & Shipley, T. F. (2017). Dealing with Big Numbers: Representation and Understanding of Magnitudes Outside of Human Experience. Cognitive Science, 41(4), 1020–1041.
Chirico, A., Scurati, G. W., Maffi, C., Huang, S., Graziosi, S., Ferrise, F., & Gaggioli, A. (2021). Designing virtual environments for attitudes and behavioral change in plastic consumption: A comparison between concrete and numerical information. Virtual Reality, 25(1), 107–121.
Lee, B., Brown, D., Lee, B., Hurter, C., Drucker, S., & Dwyer, T. (2021). Data Visceralization: Enabling Deeper Understanding of Data Using Virtual Reality. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 27(2), 1095–1105.

Requirements

Data science background
Interest in science and communication
Interest in immersive technologies

Theme(s): Modelling & visualisation; Human – space interaction; Empowering & engaging communities