It doesn't help things aren't labelled very well. I had to fiddle with things to work it all out. But at least I could, which gives it a leg up over an equivalently labelled static graph.
In the doughnut charts, blue is accepted rate, red is rejected rate (as labelled earlier in the article).
The gray circle indicates which has a higher percentage of acceptance between male and female.
The y-axis on the line graph is %age admitted combined over both departments. As you drag the women slider, you'll see the %age accepted rate for women combined over both department matches the y value of the women line in the line chart.
The illustration is to show how the distribution of applicants between the easy and hard departments (the lurking explanatory) effects the combined acceptance percentages (the explained). This is the focal point, so all other variables need to be fixed.
The fixed values are: in the easy department, 62% of men are accepted and 80% of women are accepted. In the hard department, 26% of men are accepted and 27% of women are accepted. In both departments women are slightly favoured over men, so both always have a gray circle around the women's charts.
There are 1,835 women applicants and 1,362 men applicants, making a total of 2,691.
The combined accept rates is derived from this static data and the user controlled variable of the distribution of applicants between the departments. You can pick some arbitrary inputs and trace the maths through to calculate how many apply to each department, and how many of those get accepted, then add that up to find the combined value (be warned the actual percentages aren't the nice rounded ones they label them as).
While the point on the purple line is below the point on the green line in the y axis, the combined acceptance percentage for women is larger than the men. There is no Simpson's paradox here because taking the lurking explanation into account - that the distribution of applicants between departments has an effect - does not change the outcome. Women are favoured in all three measurements; the gray circle is around all the women's charts.
When the point on the purple line is above the point in the green line in the y axis, the combined acceptance percentage for women flips to being smaller than men. Here we have the Simpson's paradox - taking into account the lurking explanation changes the outcome. Women are favoured in the breakdown by department, but men appear favoured in the combined statistic.
I found the interactive chart helped me figure out this explanation, but it wasn't helped by poor labelling and the fact they seem to have used real (read messy) statistics to perform the underlying calculations with rather than the nice rounded "62%" etc. they label.
In the doughnut charts, blue is accepted rate, red is rejected rate (as labelled earlier in the article).
The gray circle indicates which has a higher percentage of acceptance between male and female.
The y-axis on the line graph is %age admitted combined over both departments. As you drag the women slider, you'll see the %age accepted rate for women combined over both department matches the y value of the women line in the line chart.
The illustration is to show how the distribution of applicants between the easy and hard departments (the lurking explanatory) effects the combined acceptance percentages (the explained). This is the focal point, so all other variables need to be fixed.
The fixed values are: in the easy department, 62% of men are accepted and 80% of women are accepted. In the hard department, 26% of men are accepted and 27% of women are accepted. In both departments women are slightly favoured over men, so both always have a gray circle around the women's charts.
There are 1,835 women applicants and 1,362 men applicants, making a total of 2,691.
The combined accept rates is derived from this static data and the user controlled variable of the distribution of applicants between the departments. You can pick some arbitrary inputs and trace the maths through to calculate how many apply to each department, and how many of those get accepted, then add that up to find the combined value (be warned the actual percentages aren't the nice rounded ones they label them as).
While the point on the purple line is below the point on the green line in the y axis, the combined acceptance percentage for women is larger than the men. There is no Simpson's paradox here because taking the lurking explanation into account - that the distribution of applicants between departments has an effect - does not change the outcome. Women are favoured in all three measurements; the gray circle is around all the women's charts.
When the point on the purple line is above the point in the green line in the y axis, the combined acceptance percentage for women flips to being smaller than men. Here we have the Simpson's paradox - taking into account the lurking explanation changes the outcome. Women are favoured in the breakdown by department, but men appear favoured in the combined statistic.
I found the interactive chart helped me figure out this explanation, but it wasn't helped by poor labelling and the fact they seem to have used real (read messy) statistics to perform the underlying calculations with rather than the nice rounded "62%" etc. they label.