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Hannah Overbye-Thompson

@overbye.bsky.social

810 followers 600 following 190 posts

PhD candidate @ UC Santa Barbara Comm | I study how people detect, perceive & respond to AI/algorithmic bias | On the market! https://www.hannahoverbye.com/

www.hannahoverbye.com

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Mar 28

I'm excited to share that I'm officially a Ph.D. candidate 🎉 Meaning I'll be on the job market this fall (gulp). My research explores human-algorithm interaction and the social impact of emerging tech at the intersection of mass communication & decision-making.

#commsky #AcademicSky

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · 15d

doi.org/10.1080/1521...

Racial Bias in AI Training Data: Do Laypersons Notice?

Given that the nature of training data is the primary cause of algorithmic bias, do laypersons realize that systematic misrepresentation and under-representation of certain races in the training da...

doi.org

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · 15d

New study (2025) examines if people can detect bias in AI training data. Key finding: Training data cues were largely ineffective; users relied on AI performance instead to judge bias + consistent with prior work on AI bias, the majority of participants failed to notice any bias in training data 🧪

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Sep 3

New paper (2025) by @len-s.bsky.social proposes the PMSIS model: parents can use racially diverse entertainment media + "foreground co-viewing" + active mediation to improve children's intergroup socialization 🧪 doi.org/10.1093/annc...

Great work Sovannie 👏👏👏 #commsky

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 29

tmb.apaopen.org/pub/7w7ecobk

Fabulous work 👏👏👏

What Is an Algorithm? A Cross-Cultural Examination of Social Media Users’ Mental Associations on Algorithms

Volume 6, Issue 3. DOI: 10.1037/tmb0000170

tmb.apaopen.org

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 29

New study by @janadreston.bsky.social @anneo.bsky.social & @germanneubaum.bsky.social reveals how users understand algorithms. Key findings: 71% have a basic understanding of algorithms but only 33% can explain how they work; users see themselves as passive actors when interacting with algorithms 🧪

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 27

Personally, I had a lot of fun on this project. It was my first time leading a mixed-methods study and an all-student team. I hope this research is useful for informing design, policy, and education efforts that help people feel more empowered in the algorithmic age.

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 27

Demographics mattered too:

👩‍🦱 Women & people of color often described avoidant attitudes—seeing risks but feeling powerless. Which makes sense, as they are often the target of algorithmic bias

👨 White men sometimes saw systemic risks but reported higher efficacy.

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 27

Qual findings:

⚠️ Risks clustered around mental health, privacy, fairness, and polarization.

💡 Efficacy beliefs were split into: Powerlessness, Strategic consumption (user tactics) & Collective responsibility (policy, regulation, audits)

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 27

Quant findings:

📊 People saw organizational algorithms as riskier than personal ones.

📊 But they also felt less able to mitigate bias in those systems.

In other words, the higher the stakes, the less control people feel.

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 27

Drawing from the Risk Perception Attitude framework, we studied how people think about algorithmic bias in both:

- Organizational algorithms (e.g., hiring, healthcare, policing)
- Individual-use algorithms (e.g., search engines, facial filters)

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 27

Excited to share my new paper with @garciaerick.bsky.social Xinyi Zhang & @laurentwang.bsky.social.

We ask: Do people see algorithmic bias as a risk—and do they feel capable of addressing it? Answer... It depends! More below 👇🧪 #commsky

doi.org/10.1080/1044...

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 21

jme.bmj.com/content/51/6...

Practical, epistemic and normative implications of algorithmic bias in healthcare artificial intelligence: a qualitative study of multidisciplinary expert perspectives

Background There is a growing concern about artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare that can disadvantage already under-represented and marginalised groups (eg, based on gender or race...

jme.bmj.com

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 21

New study by Aquino et al. provides a fabulous look at differing opinions about algorithmic bias held by healthcare professionals. 72 experts had 3 key disagreements: whether bias exists (most say yes, some no), who's responsible for fixing it & whether to include race/ethnicity data in AI systems 🧪

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 21

doi.org/10.1037/xge0...

APA PsycNet

doi.org

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 21

New study by @drjt.bsky.social examines if attention control explains the 🔗 between inspection time tasks and intelligence. Key finding: attention control fully mediated the inspection time-intelligence relationship + people with better sustained attention showed less performance decline over time 🧪

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Reposted by Hannah Overbye-Thompson

UCSB Media Skill Lab @mediaskill.bsky.social · Aug 5

🎉 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! 🏆

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 4

4. The Oracle of Bacon 🥓🎬
A classic: plug in any actor and see how many steps it takes to reach Kevin Bacon (or any other actor).
Based on co-appearances in films. oracleofbacon.org

The Oracle of Bacon

Kevin Bacon numbers, link any actor to any other, the Center of the Hollywood Universe, and more

oracleofbacon.org

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 4

3. The Beer Graph 🍺
Curious how Lagers relate to Stouts?
This interactive network lets you explore how beers are connected by taste, aroma, and appearance.
Fun use of similarity graphs!
seekshreyas.github.io/beerviz/

Beer Viz | Discover beers, & say cheers!

seekshreyas.github.io

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 4

2. The Hidden Network of Trees 🌳
Trees communicate underground using fungal networks; sharing nutrients, warning of threats, and shaping forest life.
A lovely example of why we study two-mode networks

🍄📡 www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUqE...

How trees secretly talk to each other - BBC World Service

YouTube video by BBC World Service

www.youtube.com

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 4

1. Who Will Be the Next Pope?
Network science can help us predict it.
The Network Conclave project mapped connections between cardinals; before Robert Prevost was selected, we could see he had the highest eigenvector centrality (i.e., he knew important others).
👑🌐 www.unibocconi.it/en/news/netw...

In the Network of the Conclave - Bocconi University

How network science can help us understand who will be the next Pope. The study by Soda, Iorio, and Rizzo reveals how status, information and alliances influence the papal election.

www.unibocconi.it

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 4

After a great summer teaching Social Networks at UCSB, I wanted to share 4 of my favorite network examples we explored in class 🧪🧵

1. Who Will Be the Next Pope?
2. The Hidden Network of Trees 🌳
3. The Beer Graph 🍺
4. The Oracle of Bacon 🥓🎬

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 1

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Psychopathology and Gaming Disorder in Adolescents

This cohort study uses data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study to examine directional longitudinal associations between psychopathology and gaming disorder among adolescents.

jamanetwork.com

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 1

New from @kyliewoodman.bsky.social "baseline levels of psychopathology were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing gaming disorder 1 year later. However, there was no significant association between gaming disorder and the development or worsening of psychopathology." 🧪

Media Neuroscience Lab @medianeuro.bsky.social · Aug 1

“Why is my teen addicted to video games?”
Our new study in JAMA Network Open shows that psychopathology is a key driver--not an outcome of gaming disorder!
Depression, anxiety, ADHD, and social challenges may underlie gaming disorder.
Treat the root, not just the game. 🎮🧠
#commsky #psychsci #gaming

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Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 1

Amazing job @kyliewoodman.bsky.social. This is such important research.

Hannah Overbye-Thompson @overbye.bsky.social · Aug 1

doi.org/10.1093/jcmc...

Social (media) psychology of the “news-finds-me” perception: habits, mindsets, and beliefs

Abstract. Unintended encounters with news on social media can foster a reliance on incidental news exposure and the perception that “news finds me.” Becaus

doi.org