Numeracy, logical reasoning and real-world decision making

Abstract

Mathematics is typically studied for longer than most other school subjects. One justification is that mathematics develops skills that are useful in day-to-day life. We tested this hypothesis by investigating whether two specific skills that mathematical study is thought to develop–numeracy and logical reasoning–are related to real-world decision outcomes. We looked at decision outcomes in the context of everyday situations outside of employment, where the decisions do not involve dealing with numerical information. In a large (N = 1001) and diverse adult sample, we found that better numerical and logical reasoning skills were associated with better real-world decision outcomes, and that this relationship remained when controlling for general cognitive abilities, although the effects we found were small. Although only correlational, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that mathematical study develops skills which can be used to improve decision outcomes outside of mathematical contexts.