20.500.12556/RUL-176646 Comprehension and recall in data-driven visual communication research data underlying the article In today’s data-saturated society, visual communication has become an essential tool for making complex information accessible. As exposure to visual data increases—whether through educational settings, media outlets, official statistics, public institutions, or social media—the ability to interpret charts becomes a vital form of literacy. However, our knowledge of how charts from real-life contexts are understood and remembered, and what influences their comprehension and recall is relatively modest. This study examines how individuals comprehend and recall information from plain versus embellished bar charts using authentic Eurostat data. In a between-subjects design, participants described chart messages and recalled visuals at two different time points. Unlike traditional comprehension tests, open-ended responses were used to capture spontaneous interpretations, simulating a real-world task: viewing a public statistical chart and making sense of it without guidance. Most participants identified the general topic—often echoing the title—but deeper insights (e.g., pattern recognition, opinions) were rare. While embellishments did not affect message extraction, they significantly improved chart recall. A statistical background positively predicted recall, with some evidence also suggesting an association with comprehension, whereas cognitive reasoning and topic interest showed limited associations. These findings underscore the importance of chart titles, user experience, and design features in shaping understanding. The study advocates for improved chart wording, cautious use of embellishment, and educational efforts to foster data visualization literacy. data visualization chart comprehension bar charts statistical literacy visual design prikazovanje podatkov razumevanje grafikonov stolpčni grafikoni statistična pismenost grafično oblikovanje true false false Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik The study was conducted on the Prolific research platform in December 2021. Neznano 2025-12-06 17:41:03 2025-12-08 21:13:38 2025-12-23 04:02:33 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 0000-00-00 NiDoloceno NiDoloceno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 README.txt README.txt README 1 4C23837666E60DD72EBDFCBD3FF21D2C 2da028f5498dbaaa2d585d31fb0ac556d7f6e87b15dd51c358c9b1b353185935 0c8ddaae-d2c2-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=223117 Charts_comprehension_recall_SurveyQuestionnaire.docx Charts_comprehension_recall_SurveyQuestionnaire.docx Charts comprehension recall SurveyQuestionnaire 1 0602798761030BAA4F538D68313F33AD a389796d32f01b940cccdaca527447b75b4703f1cd5cd716b1bcab1fd9d50857 ab5d1b3d-d474-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=223177 Charts_comprehension_recall.xlsx Charts_comprehension_recall.xlsx Charts comprehension recall 1 34809946BA45D30CF8715A0AB3F5F4BD b17b2e029857ea2fa4c35cf7c529a01626dcac29ac98536276d69fac5c0b5d12 162e1910-d2c2-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=223118 Fakulteta za družbene vede Ekonomska fakulteta Samoizpolnjeni vprašalnik 0 0 0