Prevent closely knit homogeneous-attitude communities to reduce bias by increasing productive friction¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends that in collaborative knowledge construction and learning environments, designers should prevent the emergence of closely knit communities with very homogeneous attitudes toward certain topics. According to the article, this "can be a means of reducing biases by increasing productive friction" (Jirschitzka et al. 2017). The strategy targets platforms and learning environments where diverse viewpoints can be incorporated and exposure to others' perspectives can support knowledge development.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A platform or learning environment that allows contributors with different attitudes and backgrounds to encounter and edit shared artifacts

Constraints¶

• The article states more research is needed to understand dynamics in homo- and heterogeneous knowledge communities and to disentangle effects of specific digital environment forms; exposure to different viewpoints is not a guarantee for successful knowledge construction

Target Learners¶

• contributors and learners in large-scale online knowledge construction platforms

Target Learning Goals¶

• reduction of biases and radicalization, and productive resolution of socio-cognitive conflicts

Affordances¶

• Productive Friction Concept

Claims¶

• Articles edited by more heterogeneous contributors are more balanced, indicating productive friction that counters polarization [+W]
• Wikipedia contributors show confirmation bias by preferentially editing articles consistent with their own views [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Foster and, if necessary, enforce socio-cognitive conflicts that lead to productive solutions as a strategy to optimize learning outcomes
• Use debriefing to enable multiple viewpoints, shared cognitive resources, and challenge students' assumptions to foster critical thinking

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Peter Holtz & Joachim Kimmerle & Ulrike Cress. (2018). Using big data techniques for measuring productive friction in mass collaboration online environments. Intern. J. Comput.-Support. Collab. Learn. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-018-9285-y