In this project, we conducted a series of crowdsourced experiments to explore the biasing effects of data facts. Our findings show that the presentation style, strength, and alignment of data facts with pre-existing beliefs significantly impact confirmation bias. Data facts that support prior beliefs can exacerbate confirmation bias, whereas those that refute those beliefs can mitigate it. This effect is amplified when the data facts are used in combination with visual annotations. Data facts describing variable correlations are perceived to be more compelling than ones describing average values and are associated with higher levels of confirmation bias.
Paper      

In this project, we explore visual and textual representations of beliefs and attitudes through a two-round qualitative study (N = 41) and investigate their potential to enhance the expressiveness of elicited data. Participants expressed their attitudes and beliefs (i) visually, through hand-drawn sketches, and (ii) verbally, through text. We identified five key elements in the sketches: emotions, directional attitudes, structural beliefs, uncertainty, and topics, and analyzed how these elements interact, using the textual elicitations to disambiguate sketches. Current draft is under revision.