by disengaging on Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:31 pm
I said "red ruler"--but that's only because while taking the test, I was holding a "red ruler" in my hand as a guide while going through a stack of ledger sheets.
Otherwise I have no doubt I'd have said "red hammer".
And yes Narc, I have seen this before, only a slightly different version a couple of years back which was very similar, only the question at the end asked to name a vegetable--and almost everyone will name a "carrot".
It actually worked better than this one because I don't know ANYONE who came up with a different answer--and I know the reason why as well.
As opposed to the "magic gopher" which ALWAYS works because it's a strict matter of mathematics, in this one the calculations are primarily a diversion. This one is based on psychology, which is why it only SOMETIMES works--it is far more difficult to predict how people will respond, which is actually why I prefer math.
In the "carrot" trick, the reason it worked is because the last number in the last equation is "6". So while you still are holding the number "6" in your mind, you are then asked to quickly name a vegetable, and as "carrot" is the most commonly known vegetable containing 6 letters, that's the one you choose. It's that simple.
As this one contains 2 variables, the design and explanation is a little more involved.
First, if you were to walk up to almost anyone on the streets, held a gun to their head and ask them to quickly name a color, the colors most likely chosen will either be "red" or "blue". This is because the mind, when under stress or diress, will automatically revert back to the most primitive state, and as primary colors, those are the very first colors you learned as a child. Why not "yellow"? Well, it's 2 syllables so you probably weren't taught how to write it until after you were taught "red" and "blue".
The purpose of having you do the calculations as quick as possible is to place the mind under similar "stress or duress". Then note that in the last 2 calculations, the number "3" is repeated--3 times. This is done to get you to associate the number 3 with the word "red", which also has 3 letters, to get you to choose as your primary color "red" instead of "blue".
Why hammer? Well, if you repeat the "gun to the head" experiment while asking people to name a tool, most people will chose "hammer" because again, the mind reverts to a primitive state and as children, the first tool we learn about is generally a hammer.
Note that in asking the question to name a tool, "all caps" are used, and as when capitalizing the word TOOL, the letter T is shaped like a hammer.
There also appears to be a certain amount of "subliminal messages" in the equations themselves. The mind generally focuses not as much on the the first number in each equation, but rather on the last number in each equation. Not the results either as you didn't actually SEE them, so lacking the visualization, you don't hold the answers in your head.
Note that the last number in each equation is either a 2,3, or 6, except for the final number, which is a 5...which may explain why a couple of people here chose "spade" and "drill" as well as my "ruler" instead--each of which contain 5 letters. (This would probably work better if they used a 6 instead, and maybe only didn't because than too many people would have remembered and associated it with the old "carrot" trick.)
There are no colors or tools with only 2 letters--that's to get that 2% into your head. (And I don't believe that's actually based on a REAL "statistic" for a single minute--I think whoever designed this just pulled that number out of the air.)
The 3s and 6s are to get you thinking about those numbers and hopefullly that will get you to respond properly. Note that the number 4 does not appear in ANY of the equations, or in the results either. That's so you DON'T chose the color "blue", which you might otherwise as it's a primary instinct.