Her thesis ‘Understanding and Mitigating Algorithm Aversion in Medical Decision Making: A Study on the Role of Algorithm Information’ investigates how algorithm information impacts algorithm aversion. Additionally the study examines the moderating effect of algorithm awareness, with the aim to find what factors promote the adoption of algorithm use in healthcare.

She found that the quantity of algorithm information doesn’t have a significant influence on algorithm aversion. Instead, the type of information provided, and algorithm awareness are more influential factors.

Maaike: ‘This implies that healthcare professionals should inform patients about the algorithm's decision accuracy and its level of confidence in those decisions. They should also explain that the algorithm improves over time by learning from new data and that it is designed to minimize bias. Providing this information helps mitigate algorithm aversion. Finally, efforts should be directed towards improving the algorithm awareness of the patient as this strengthens these effects.’

About the UvA Thesis Prize

From the 7 faculty winners, the jury, which consists of the deans of the seven faculties, will choose the best thesis of 2024. The grand prize winner will be announced during the UvA Education Day on Tuesday 22 October.

More about the other faculty winners of the UvA Thesis PrizeExternal link