UCSB Media Skill Lab

We find that detection accuracy was not improved by a single warning ahead of time that bias may be present. Participants who were better at detecting bias tended to engage in more deliberative decision-making, taking longer to reach conclusions and requiring more evidence before responding. 🧵3/3

Following Marr’s levels of analysis, we asked how people detect bias using DDM (for a primer see: www.hannahoverbye.com/teaching/dri...). Modeling using DDM allows us to locate where in the decision process oversight may break down rather than only assessing final decisions. 🧵2/3

Can humans detect algorithmic bias? Not really 🧪🧵 In my new paper with Kristy Hamilton & @jacobtfisher.online even when an algorithm approved women for loans at half the rate of men, people did not do a good job of detecting it. 🔗 authors.elsevier.com/a/1ny4s2f%7E...

We are so excited to announce that @overbye.bsky.social has been awarded the James J. Bradac Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Research from the UCSB Department of Communication! 🏆 This honor recognizes significant contributions to the field of human communication. Congratulations! 🎉

Hey #ICA26! Tomorrow, catch our student Sylo de Vegvar present her work "Transgender and Cisgender Social Media Users through a Diffusion of Innovations Lens": 15:00–16:15 in Room 1.43 (CTICC1, Level 1). It's her first ICA, so stop by and say hi! 👋🥳

Great work by our own @overbye.bsky.social and our lab's leader Dr. Kristy Hamilton 🥳

I've noticed w/research it's often hard to find validated measures of constructs without hobbling together scales from multiple papers; now when possible I try to contribute by validating scales. Below is a scale that I hope is helpful that measures the perceptual attributes of DOI + reinvention 🧪

We’re excited to welcome our students for another year at UCSB! 🎉 An extra highlight this fall: 2 of our amazing grad students are on the job market 👇 🔹 Lindsay Miller: www.comm.ucsb.edu/people/linds... 🔹 Hannah Overbye-Thompson (@overbye.bsky.social): www.hannahoverbye.com #commsky #academicsky

Great work by our lab's @overbye.bsky.social 👏👏👏

🎉 Huge congrats to our team @overbye.bsky.social, Kristy Hamilton and @jacobtfisher.online for receiving a Top Student Paper award in the Communication & Social Cognition Division at #NCA25! 🏆

🚨 New publication alert! 🚨 Check out @overbye.bsky.social's latest: a synthesis of algorithmic bias research + a standout contribution introducing and defining workarounds as a way people adapt to biased systems. Smart, clear, and super relevant.👇

📱💡 Tech is everywhere, but are we using it in ways that match our goals? Huge congrats to our very own lab PI Dr. Kristy Hamilton for their GRIT talk on how digital media reshapes self-perception and digital habits! 👏👏👏

Shout-out to our grad student Lindsay Miller for an incredible week of scholarship and stamina, presenting at ICA one day, then flying out the next to present at ICEP (International Conference on Environmental Psychology)! 🌍✈️ Check out her research here: scholar.google.com/citations?us...

Want to learn about drift diffusion modeling (DDM) but not sure where to begin? I put together a short, non-technical intro + curated links to help you get started 👇🧪 🔗 www.hannahoverbye.com/home/drift-d...

@overbye.bsky.social absolutely crushed it at the top paper panel at @icacsab.bsky.social! She explained everything so clearly — I feel like everyone in that room can now do drift diffusion modeling. Check out the resources she created to help you get started with DDM (see below)! #ica25

📢 UCSB Communication is hiring a temporary lecturer! Check it out here 👇 recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02966 #CommSky #AcademicSky

Very happy to see that @overbye.bsky.social’s fantastic work on detecting bias in human-in-the-loop algorithms was awarded a top paper in @icacsab.bsky.social this year. Incredibly interesting, rigorous, and timely research! #ica25

🌟 A huge congratulations to @overbye.bsky.social for earning the Edwin Schoell Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching, the department’s top recognition for exceptional teaching. A deserved recognition of her contributions across the board, supporting undergrads, grads, and faculty 👏📘

🎉 Huge congratulations to our lab’s own Lindsay Miller for winning the UCSB Communication Dissertation Award for Societal Impact! Her research stood out for its innovation and real-world relevance, a well-earned recognition of work that truly makes a difference 👏📢📚

Next up for our #ICA25 presentations: Risk, Race, and Algorithms: Understanding Perceptions of Algorithm Bias Through the RPA Framework 🧠🤖 By @overbye.bsky.social, @garciaerick.bsky.social, Zhang & @laurentwang.bsky.social 📅 Sunday June 15 🕟 4:30–5:45 PM 📍Grays Peak B (Grand Conv Center 2)

🎤 Headed to #ICA25? 🚨 Mark your calendars: 📢 A Media Effects Perspective on Algorithm Bias 🧠 Presented by @overbye.bsky.social 📍 Capitol 3 (Regency 4) 🗓 Saturday, June 14 ⏰ 3:00–4:15 PM Come support our lab + dive into the future of algorithmic bias research! 💡

#ICA25 is just around the corner! Join us in supporting our lab’s presentations throughout the week. First up: Self-Endorsement and Sustainable Consumption: Using Algorithms to Promote Pro-Environmental Behavior presented by our own Lindsay Miller! Friday June 13, 1:30–2:45 PM, Capitol 6 (Regency 4)

So excited to share my research on how algorithmic bias influences decision making in human-in-the-loop contexts at #ICA25. Read more about it here 👇

Leading up to #ICA25 we're sharing info on papers that received Top Paper awards. Today, you can read about "Expectation of Algorithm Bias Increases Caution: Implications for Human-in-the-Loop Decisions" by @overbye.bsky.social Kristy Hamilton & @jacobtfisher.online : commscience.org/ica-top-pape...

🎉 Big congrats to not one, but TWO of our amazing grad students for winning the UCSB GSA Excellence in Teaching Award! This campus-wide honor recognizes grads who go above and beyond as teachers at UC Santa Barbara 👏📚 Congratulations @overbye.bsky.social & Lindsay Miller

Our final graduate student in our Meet the Lab series is @overbye.bsky.social. Hannah's work focuses on improving human-algorithm partnerships, understanding workarounds to AI bias, and building appropriate trust in algorithmic systems 🤖 You can read more about her work at www.hannahoverbye.com

Next up we have Sarah De Vegvar, the newest member of our lab! Sarah is a first year MA/PhD student whose interests lie in understanding the aspects of emerging technology that contribute to information spread, particularly in the context of health information.

Meet our amazing graduate students! Starting with Lindsay Miller. Lindsay is a 5th year PhD candidate whose interests lie in understanding how media contribute to a person’s tendency to engage in pro-social behaviors, especially regarding sustainable and pro-environmental practices 🌴

Meet the lab 💡 Our principal investigator Dr. Kristy Hamilton is a professor @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social. She investigates the intersection of technology and cognition to understand how people make strategic decisions about their technology use. Learn more here: www.kristyahamilton.comm.ucsb.edu