Abstract
Information visualization involves the use of visual representations of data to amplify cognition. While visualizations do generally amplify cognition, they also have representational biases that encourage thinking and reasoning in certain ways at the expense of others. I propose that the development of representational fluency by visualization designers and users can help mitigate such biases, and that promoting representational fluency in visualization education and practice can be a useful general strategy for mitigating cognitive biases. Literature from various disciplines is discussed, including perspectives on meta-visualization, representational competence, and meta-representational competence. Some implications for visualization research, education, and practice are examined. The need for engaging users in deep, effortful cognitive processing is discussed and is situated within literature on established bias-mitigating strategies. A preliminary research agenda comprising five challenges is also proposed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Representation and visualization are used interchangeably throughout when referring to external, visual representations of data. A discussion of internal representations is outside the scope of this paper.
References
Ainsworth S (2006) DeFT: a conceptual framework for considering learning with multiple representations. Learning and Instruction 16(3):183–198
Anderson CA, Sechler ES (1986) Effects of explanation and counterexplanation on the development and use of social theories. J. Personality Social Psych 50(1):24
Archambault D, Purchase H, Pinaud B (2011) Animation, small multiples, and the effect of mental map preservation in dynamic graphs. IEEE Trans Visualization Comput Graphics 17(4):539–552
Arkes HR, Faust D, Guilmette TJ, Hart K (1988) Eliminating the hindsight bias. J Appl Psych 73(2):305
Baker M, Lund K (1997) Promoting reflective interactions in a CSCL environment. J Comput Assisted Learning 13(3):175–193
Chi MTH, Feltovich PJ, Glaser R (1981) Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Sci 5(2):121–152
Correll M, Gleicher M (2014) Bad for Data, Good for the Brain: knowledge-first axioms for visualization design. In: Proceedings of the 1st workshop on dealing with cognitive biases in visualisations (DECISIVe 2014)
Dimara E, Dragicevic P, Bezerianos A (2014) Accounting for availability biases in information visualization. In: Proceedings of the 1st workshop on dealing with cognitive biases in visualisations (DECISIVe 2014)
DiSessa AA (2004) Metarepresentation: native competence and targets for instruction. Cognition Instruction 22(3):293–331
Dragicevic P, Jansen Y (2014) Visualization-mediated alleviation of the planning fallacy. In: Proceedings of the 1st workshop on dealing with cognitive biases in visualisations (DECISIVe 2014)
Flyvbjerg B (2008) Curbing optimism bias and strategic misrepresentation in planning: reference class forecasting in practice. Eur Plann Stud 16(1):3–21
Gilbert JK (2005) Visualization: a metacognitive skill in science and science education. In: Visualization in Science Education, Springer, pp 9–27
Gilbert JK (2008) Visualization: an emergent field of practice and enquiry in science education. Theory and Practice in Science Education, Visualization, pp 3–24
Grove NP, Cooper MM, Rush KM (2012) Decorating with arrows: toward the development of representational competence in organic chemistry. J Chem Educ 89(7):844–849
Hill M, Sharma M, O’Byrne J, Airey J (2014) Developing and evaluating a survey for representational fluency in science. Int J Innovation Sci Mathe Educ 22(6):22–42
Hirt ER, Markman KD (1995) Multiple explanation: a consider-an-alternative strategy for debiasing judgments. J Personality Soc Psych 69(6):1069–1086
Jackson SL, Krajcik JS, Soloway E (1998) The design of guided learner-adaptable scaffolding in interactive learning environments. In: Proceedings of the ACM conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI ’98) pp 187–194
de Jong T, Ferguson-Hessler MGM (1991) Knowledge of problem situations in physics: a comparison of good and poor novice problem solvers. Learning Instruction 1(4):289–302
Kahneman D (2013) Thinking, fast and slow. Penguin Books Ltd., London
Kozma R, Russell J (2005) Students becoming chemists: developing representational competence. Visualization in Science Education pp 121–145
Kozma RB, Russell J (1997) Multimedia and understanding: expert and novice responses to different representations of Chemical phenomena. J Res Sci Teaching 34(9):949–968
Larrick RP (2004) Debiasing. In: Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making, Blackwell Publishing, pp 316–337
Leuven KU, Verbeiren T, Leuven KU, Aerts J (2014) A pragmatic approach to biases in visual data analysis. In: Proceedings of the 1st workshop on dealing with cognitive biases in visualisations (DECISIVe 2014)
Liang HN, Parsons P, Wu HC, Sedig K (2010) An exploratory study of interactivity in visualization tools: ’Flow’ of interaction. J. Interactive Learning Res 21(1):5–45
Nathan MJ, Alibali MW, Masarik K, Stephens AC, Koedinger KR (2010) Enhancing middle school students representational fluency: a classroom-based study. (WCER Working Paper No 2010-9) Retrieved from University of WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin Center for Education Research website: http://www.wcerwiscedu/publications/workingpapers/papersphp
Nitz S, Tippett CD (2012) Measuring representational competence in science. In: EARLI SIG 2 Comprehension of Text and Graphics, pp 163–165
Norman DA (1993) Things that make us smart: defending human attributes in the age of the machine. Addison-Wesley
Novick L, Hurley SM (2001) To matrix, network, or hierarchy: that is the question. Cognitive psychology 42(2):158–216
Parsons P, Sedig K (2014) Distribution of information processing while performing complex cognitive activities with visualization tools. In: Huang W (ed) Handbook of human-centric visualization, Springer, New York, chap 28, pp 693–715
Pohl M, Winter LC, Pallaris C, Attfield S, Wong BLW, (2014) Sensemaking and cognitive bias mitigation in visual analytics. Proceedings -, (2014) IEEE joint intelligence and security informatics conference. JISIC 2014:323. https://doi.org/10.1109/JISIC.2014.68
Scaife M, Rogers Y (1996) External cognition: how do graphical representations work? Int J Human-Comput Studies 45(2):185–213
Sedig K, Parsons P (2013) Interaction design for complex cognitive activities with visual representations: a pattern-based approach. AIS Trans on Human-Comput Interact 5(2):84–133
Sedig K, Klawe M, Westrom M (2001) Role of interface manipulation style and scaffolding on cognition and concept learning in learnware. ACM Trans Comput-Human Interact (TOCHI) 8(1):34–59
Sedig K, Parsons P, Dittmer M, Haworth R (2014) Human-centered interactivity of visualization tools: micro- and macro-level considerations. In: Huang W (ed) Handbook of human-centric visualization, Springer, New York, chap 29, pp 717–743
Stenning K, Lemon O (2001) Aligning logical and psychological perspectives on diagrammatic reasoning. Artif Intell Rev 15(1–2):29–62
Stenning K, Oberlander J (1995) A cognitive theory of graphical and linguistic reasoning: logic and implementation. Cognitive Sci 19(1):97–140
Stieff M (2011) Improving representational competence using molecular simulations embedded in inquiry activities. J Res Sci Teaching 48(10):1137–1158
Suthers DD (1999) Representational bias as guidance for learning interactions: a research agenda. New computational technologies to support learning, exploration and collaboration, Artificial Intelligence in Education Open learning environments, pp 121–128
Wilder A, Brinkerhoff J (2007) Supporting representational competence in high school biology with computer-based biomolecular visualizations. J Comput Mathe Sci Teaching 26:5–26
Zhang J (1997) The nature of external representations in problem solving. Cognitive sci: a Multidisciplinary J 21(2):179–217
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Parsons, P. (2018). Promoting Representational Fluency for Cognitive Bias Mitigation in Information Visualization. In: Ellis, G. (eds) Cognitive Biases in Visualizations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95831-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95831-6_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95830-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95831-6
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)