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Project

Evaluation bias in media supported scenarios

Working groupKnowledge Exchange Lab
Duration01/2015 - 03/2019
FundingIWM budget resources
Project description

Most people need to solve complex problems and face difficult decisions on a daily basis. However, people often fail to come to unbiased conclusions because cognitive distortions influence their information processing. In this project we focused on the formation of such a cognitive bias and on ways to counteract it.

We investigate the evaluation bias, which reflects the human tendency to evaluate and interpret information in a biased way. Already existing knowledge and preferences influence how people perceive new information. People judge preference-consistent information to be more positive and important than preference-inconsistent information. This can be detrimental when the solution of a problem is preference-inconsistent or a balanced evaluation of information is important, for example in decision making and judgment tasks.

The distorted evaluation is credited to a different amount of cognitive resources applied to information processing. Studies within this project investigate the formation of the evaluation bias, the underlying cognitive processes and how media support can facilitate a more balanced evaluation of information for individuals and small groups.

Cooperations

Ann-Katrin Wesslein, University of Tübingen