Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce
Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce
We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming international conference on “Nurturing Critical Minds: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Education and the Workforce”. The conference is interdisciplinary, it will cover a diverse range of fields and perspectives on the development of critical thinking skills in different academic fields at universities and labour market institutions. Showcasing the holistic approach, the conference aims to explore the vital role of critical thinking in diverse academic disciplines and its significance in the ever-evolving landscape of labour market institutions.
The conference aims to bridge the gap between universities and labour market institutions, fostering a culture of critical thinking that thrives in the classroom and enhances professional growth in the workplace. This conference will serve as a platform for educators, researchers, and labour market professionals from diverse fields to explore innovative strategies, and share best practices and collaborate on integrating critical thinking skills into educational curricula.
Keynote speakers
Alistair Starling
Co-Founder and Managing Director of the European Diplomats
Luís Sebastião
Associate Professor in the Department of Pedagogy and Education, Director of the Center for Research in Education and Psychology, University of Évora
Dimitris Pnevmatikos
Professor in the Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Western Macedonia
Erika Vaiginienė
Associate professor in the Department of Business, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vilnius University
Inga Jončienė
Head of Business Development at Alliance for Recruitment
Adam Mastandrea
Assistant Professor in the Department of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, Institute of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University
Daiva Penkauskienė
Director of Modern Didactics Center, Associate Professor in the Institute of Educational Sciences and Social Work, Mykolas Romeris University
Sandra Kairė
Associate Professor, Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University
Kay Hemmerling
Dr Kay Hemmerling, Chairman at the Institute for Moral-Democratic Competence (IMDC e.V.)
Programme
Programme
G. Dzemydaitė, G. Melnik-Leroy, L. Aidokas, G. Dzemyda, V. Marcinkevičius, D. Melnikienė, A. Usovaitė
Is my visualization better than yours? Analyzing factors modulating exponential growth bias in graphs
Is my visualization better than yours? Analyzing factors modulating exponential growth bias in graphs
Gerda Ana Melnik-Leroy1, Giedrė Dzemydaitė2* , Linas Aidokas1, Gintautas Dzemyda1, Virginijus Marcinkevičius1, Danguolė Melnikienė1,3, Ana Usovaitė1,4
1Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies, Vilnius University, Lithuania
2Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vilnius University, Lithuania
3Faculty of Philology, Vilnius University, Lithuania
4Department of Graphical Systems, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania
Humans tend to systematically underestimate exponential growth and perceive it in linear terms, which can have severe consequences in a variety of fields. Recent studies have attempted to examine the origins of this bias and to mitigate it by comparing the use of the logarithmic vs. linear scales in graphical representations. However, these studies have yielded conflicting results regarding which scale induces more perceptual errors.
In the current study, through an experiment with a short educational intervention, we further examined the factors modulating the exponential bias in graphs and suggested a theoretical explanation for our findings. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that each scale can induce misperceptions in a particular context. In addition, we explored the effect of mathematical education by testing two groups of participants: those with a background in humanities versus in formal sciences.
The results of this study confirm that, when used in an inadequate context, both logarithmic and linear scales can dramatically affect the interpretation of visualizations representing exponential growth. In particular, while the log scale leads to more errors in graph description tasks, the linear scale misleads individuals when predicting the future trajectory of exponential growth. The second part of the study revealed that the difficulties with both scales can be reduced through a short educational intervention. Importantly, while no difference between participant groups was observed before the intervention, participants with a better mathematical education showed a stronger learning effect in the posttest. The findings of this study are discussed in light of a dual-process model.
Keywords: cognitive bias; exponential growth; graph perception; logarithmic scaling; mathematical literacy
Biography
Giedrė Dzemydaitė, Assoc. Professor, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Vilnius University, Lithuania. Giedrė Dzemydaitė earned her PhD in economics in 2016. She currently holds the position of associate professor and senior researcher at Vilnius University in Lithuania. Her research interests include regional development, production efficiency, structural change and innovation. Giedrė collaborates on interdisciplinary studies, particularly with digital technologies, data scientists, mathematicians, and psychologists. She has experience working on projects related to economic analysis, policy formation, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Additionally, she is involved in international Erasmus+ capacity-building projects with partners from Europe and Asia. Giedrė is a member of the European Regional Science Association and serves on the board of the Baltic Section.
