tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13641190.post4747934973527129429..comments2023-10-08T04:08:41.418-06:00Comments on Sporadic Maunderings: Karl PopperQalmleahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17131154882107531113noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13641190.post-4854513723226808572009-08-28T20:35:29.627-06:002009-08-28T20:35:29.627-06:00Yeah. There was a fairly recent study where, imme...Yeah. There was a fairly recent study where, immediately after an event, people were asked to write down where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about it. A year or so later, they had the same people come back and answer the same question. Something like 50% (or more) of the answers were different, and when shown what they had written initially, most denied it. <br /><br />Another study found that human memory works something like "Save As", meaning that as you recall something, the way that you recall it will influence it for future recalls. In particular, courtroom witnesses who repeatedly rehearse a particular version of events will come to believe that was how it really happened, whether or not it <em>was</em> how it really happened.<br /><br />And I love the definition.Qalmleahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17131154882107531113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13641190.post-42133462696488182292009-08-28T18:29:32.569-06:002009-08-28T18:29:32.569-06:00I think #6 is also extremely important, because it...I think #6 is also extremely important, because it rules out using anecdotes as confirmation of a theory. <br /><br />Anecdotes are not evidence. Even if the teller absolutely believes the story to be true. Even if it is from first hand experience. <br /><br />Without strict controls in place, it is impossible to account for every variable. Even with them it is very difficult.<br /><br />Also, any police investigator will tell you that eyewitness accounts are unreliable. Ask five witnesses and you may end up with six incompatible, but entirely sincere, stories.<br /><br />word verification: gelsyc - a compound with the consistency of toothpaste that sets to the hardness of steel when exposed to an intense electromagnetic field.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10876775111703252840noreply@blogger.com