From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Status: No, score=1.5 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_20 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,1ea92c0e5255811d X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2003-03-12 07:41:10 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!arclight.uoregon.edu!wn13feed!wn12feed!worldnet.att.net!199.45.49.37!cyclone1.gnilink.net!spamkiller2.gnilink.net!nwrdny02.gnilink.net.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "Frank J. Lhota" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada References: <1047043964.776224@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <87isuvw9tb.fsf@inf.enst.fr> <1047052877.215272@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <1047065756.226519@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> <%UBba.57202$qi4.39112@rwcrnsc54> Subject: Re: Way OT: Adam Smith and Software Markets X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1106 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 Message-ID: Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 15:41:11 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 141.157.180.30 X-Complaints-To: abuse@verizon.net X-Trace: nwrdny02.gnilink.net 1047483671 141.157.180.30 (Wed, 12 Mar 2003 10:41:11 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 10:41:11 EST Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:35252 Date: 2003-03-12T15:41:11+00:00 List-Id: wrote in message news:%UBba.57202$qi4.39112@rwcrnsc54... > Hyman Rosen wrote: > So you don't believe in subliminal suggestion or other experimental > observations? I suppose observational evidence in favor of one computer > language over another should also be ignored. Sheeeesh. What experimental observations? Keyes may have written some very entertaining books, but he is not a Psychologist, or a scientist of any kind for that matter. Keyes has yet to perform a rigorous, controlled, double blind experiment to test his theories. Others have properly tested the "Subliminal Seduction" theories, and the results have been consistently negative. For example, there is the conjecture that the unconscious mind can read a text message flashed on a movie or television screen for such a brief period of time that the conscious mind will not detect it. Presumably, this theory was proved when a movie theater in Pasadena CA flashed the words "Eat Popcorn" on their screen, and found that their popcorn sales tripled. Or was that theater in Niagara Falls NY? Or was the message "Drink Coke"? I have heard this and other variations of the story. We're dealing with an urban legend here. There are serious questions as whether this event ever happened, much less whether this is a valid experiment. There are ways to perform a double blind experiment to test this conjecture. For example, you could make two prints of a film, one with the quick flash message, and one without the message. You show the two prints to two separate audiences, and measure the audience responses to see if the message had any effect. Neither the audiences nor those making the measurements should know which print has the hidden message. This double blind experiment has been done, and the results were that the behavior of the audience that saw the hidden message did not differ significantly from the control audience. It appears that when a messages is too quick for the conscious mind to read, it is also too quick for the unconscious mind. I should also point out that modern Psychology has moved away from the whole conscious / unconscious dichotomy. In matters or pseudo science and cranks, I usually refer people to the web site of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Their URL is http://www.csicop.org. They have debunked Brian Wilson Keyes and his "Subliminal Seduction" ideas in the past, but that was several years ago, and unfortunately they don't have any Keyes items on the site right now.