Abstract
The present study investigates the role of graph type (i.e., line or bar) in a context in which graphs are manipulated to mislead the viewer. Participants had to make a series of financial decisions based on two graphs that depicted the financial data of two companies. The two graphs were either presented accurately (i.e., one graph represented the more profitable option) or inaccurately (one of the two graphs? y-axis was distorted, which therefore seemed the more profitable option, but actually was unprofitable). Participants chose the incorrect (i.e., unprofitable) option more often in the inaccurate condition and were thus deceived. If they did manage to look past the distortion and chose the correct option, it took them more time to do so. Our results did not show any differences between the deceiving characteristics of bar and line graphs.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Building bridges: Improving our understanding of learning from text and graphics by making the connection |
Editors | Huib Tabbers, Erica de Vries |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |