One reason for disagreements among multiple pieces of information is the authors’ usage of evidence that appeared in such information. Suppose that some information about the effectiveness of a certain prescription for a disease says the treatment is good, while other information says it is not. The document supporting the pro-position of the treatment may only focus on the part of the body of evidence to explain the position, while the comprehensive bodies of evidence support the opposite. Such a way of using evidence to explain the author’s position is known as ‘cherry-picking’. However, the general public may encounter only information supporting the pro-position and they may make their epistemic or practical judgment based on the information.
Therefore, laypeople need to develop the information literacy that allows them to make their decisions based on more reliable information that appropriately deals with bodies of evidence. We are conducting research to develop educational programs that enable students to learn how to grasp evidence well, not only in science, but also in various other fields of information.
Recent Publications
Mochizuki, T., Chinn, C. A., Oura, H., & Yamaguchi, E. (2024). Recognizing Cherry-Picked Data in Scientific Information: Epistemic Challenge toward Understanding Comprehensive Evidence. In Lindgren, R., Asino, T. I., Kyza, E. A., Looi, C. K., Keifert, D. T., & Suárez, E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences – ICLS 2024 (pp. 1243-1246). International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Oura, H., Mochizuki, T., Chinn, C. A., Yamaguchi, E., & Lin, Q. (2024). The Role of Instruction in Shaping Reasoning about Bodies of Evidence: An Experimental Comparison. In Lindgren, R., Asino, T. I., Kyza, E. A., Looi, C. K., Keifert, D. T., & Suárez, E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences – ICLS 2024 (pp. 1263-1266). International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Oura, H., Mochizuki, T., Chinn, C. A., Winchester, E., & Yamaguchi, E. (2022). Detecting Cherry-Picked Evidence in Texts: Challenges for Undergraduate Students. In Chinn, C. A., Tan, E., Chan, C., & Kali, Y. (Eds.) 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences– ICLS 2022 (pp. 1257–1260). Hiroshima, Japan: International Society of the Learning Sciences.