Embedded Files
Our minds jump to conclusions easily, as we are very good at finding patterns, inventing stories, then confirming our beliefs. Data visualisation scholar and journalist Alberto Cairo (2016) calls these mind bugs.
Finding patterns
Finding patterns
Information tends to be messy and noisy - and noise is tough to get our heads around. If a school improves their exam scores two years in a row, we will jump on the chance to call it a trend, not just a coincidence.
Seeing patterns is the only way we make sense of the world: we do not want to see separate facial features - instead we want to recognise the patterns of the faces of our friends and family. But how can we separate meaningful patterns from noise?
For data experts, there are statistical tests to help out, but the strongest tool at our disposal is common sense and healthy scepticism. Ask yourself: could the patterns be just a coincidence?
Inventing stories
Inventing stories
Once we have seen a pattern, our minds are immediately at work to find an explanation. School improvement does not happen 'just cause', right? It must be something that the teachers did, or better yet - something that we did.
As we cherry-pick evidence, we are bound to create a good story. There is nothing inherently bad about this. However, we should try and delay this for a while, until we have fully engaged with the data. Once we find an explanation to what we see, try posing it as a question. Ask 'Are the 8th graders better because of the new methods?', rather than claim that as an answer. This should help to keep your mind open and prevent confirmation bias.
Confirming our beliefs
Confirming our beliefs
Every teacher has been there - the troublemaker in the classroom is acting up again - there seems to be nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, (or unfortunately), a classroom observer tells us that the other children are behaving in exactly the same way - we have fallen prey to confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias makes us perceive evidence that supports our beliefs with greater ease, while simultaneously blinding us to information that would make us reconsider our views. Putting a label on a student or a school (or inventing a beautiful story) makes life easier - as with the previous mind bugs, these are generally useful to make sense of the world. However, we should be aware of these labels at all times: set aside time to reflect on your assumptions and cross-check these with colleagues.
Page updated
Report abuse