Lollipops Help Align Visual and Statistical Fit Estimates in Scatterplots With Nonlinear Models

IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2023 Jul;29(7):3436-3440. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2022.3158093. Epub 2023 May 26.

Abstract

Scatterplots overlayed with a nonlinear model enable visual estimation of model-data fit. Although statistical fit is calculated using vertical distances, viewers' subjective fit is often based on shortest distances. Our results suggest that adding vertical lines ("lollipops") supports more accurate fit estimation in the steep area of model curves (https://osf.io/fybx5/).