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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the Financial Times, curates her preferred stories in this weekly newsletter.
This article, selected by a teacher with accompanying suggested questions, is part of the Financial Times’ free schools access program. For more details and registration, click here.
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Specification:
Teacher themes: Topics rooted in published data and evidence, appealing to individuals intrigued by how data can be intentionally or unintentionally manipulated to deceive us.
Links to articles, news, and analysis.
Relevant BQ
Key terms and ideas: Publication bias, Evidence, Misperception, “The focusing illusion,” Clear metrics
Investigating Issues: Unconscious bias
Exhibition: Prompt 12 (bias); potential object — a scientific journal
Click to access the article below and respond to the following questions:
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What insights can we glean from the information presented in this (factually accurate) depiction of the UK Premier League table, specifically identifying the team with the highest likelihood of winning the League this season?
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How much should our comprehension of Premier League football be influenced by this table?
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According to the source, what issue does the article highlight regarding forming our understanding of Premier League football based on the table?
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In what way does the article connect this issue to ‘publication bias’?
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How does publication bias distort our perception of the world, and what instances does the article cite to illustrate this?
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What remedies does the article propose to counteract the impact of publication bias?
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“Nothing in life is as important as you think it is, while you are thinking about it.” How can understanding what Daniel Kahneman meant by this assist us in mitigating the effects of publication bias?
Michael Dunn,