14/11/2025
Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences faculty member Prof. Dr. Nebi Sümer delivered two presentations on November 12th as part of the Brand Week Insight Academy for market research experts and data analysts. In the sessions entitled "Pitfalls and Misconceptions in Data" and "Human in Data," Sümer addressed common misconceptions, measurement errors, and the psychological underpinnings of data analysis from a multifaceted perspective.
"Pitfalls and Misconceptions in Data": Good Data: The Right Decision, Bad Data: A Great Risk
In this session, Sümer emphasized the central role of data in decision-making processes and explained how inaccurate data can lead to misleading conclusions. He explained how average values, when taken out of context, can lead to false inferences and the fact that mistaking correlation for causation is the most common mistake in research.
Explaining motivational response bias based on the question "Does a survey lie?", Sümer provided examples of how the discrepancy between participants' statements and their actual behaviors emerges. Sümer also touched on data manipulation techniques and shared how selectively presenting numbers can influence public perception and institutional decisions. The session, supported by real-world examples, revealed the consequences of strategic errors in research.
"Human in Data": The Psychology Behind Data
Sümer explained that understanding human behavior without considering context is impossible and how context analysis can be conducted from data. In the second session, he addressed the importance of interpreting data not merely as numerical outputs but also through the lens of human behavior and psychological dynamics. He highlighted the role of emotions in research, addressing the challenges of measuring implicit traits and the methods by which these traits can be captured.
Explaining fundamental measurement biases, Sümer discussed the question of whether logic or emotion dominates an individual's decision-making processes, using both theoretical and practical examples. Offering tips for unraveling the layers of meaning behind statements and numbers, Sümer emphasized that analyses conducted without understanding the real-world implications of data are incomplete.
This session, which explored the intersections between social psychology and data analysis, once again clearly demonstrated the importance of interpreting data not merely as a technical output but as a multidimensional phenomenon informed by human behavior.
