Numbers Tell, Words Sell | Mattie Toma (University of Warwick)

15 December 2025 | 12:00 — 13:00

Hybrid/Mixed

FBK-IRVAPP is pleased to invite you to the following seminar: Numbers Tell, Words Sell.

With the participation of Mattie Toma (University of Warwick)

Abstract

When communicating numeric estimates, experts often choose between using numbers or natural language. We run two experiments to analyze whether experts strategically use language to persuade. In Study 1, senders in the general public communicate probabilities of abstract events to receivers; in Study 2, academic researchers communicate findings from research papers to policymakers. Incentives to persuade increase the likelihood of using language rather than numbers by 25–29 percentage points, and receivers are effectively persuaded. Experts slant language more than numbers, particularly when they prefer language. Our findings suggest that experts leverage the imprecision of language to excuse communicating slanted messages.

The seminar is held in English.

Guest Speakers

Mattie Toma - Guest Speaker

University of Warwick

Mattie is an Associate Professor in the Behavioural Science Group at the University of Warwick and an Invited Researcher at J-PAL. She received her PhD from Harvard University in 2022. Mattie's research uses tools from behavioral and experimental economics to address policy-relevant questions, including improving policymaker decision-making and identifying effective global health interventions.

Registration

Registration to this event is mandatory.

Privacy Notice

Pursuant to art. 13 of EU Regulation No. 2016/679 – General Data Protection Regulation and as detailed in the Privacy Policy for FBK event’s participants, we inform you that the event may be recorded and disclosed on the FBK institutional channels. In order not to be filmed or recorded, you can always disable the webcam and/or mute the microphone during virtual events or inform the FBK staff who organize the public event beforehand.