Out of Sight, Out of Mind

PerlJedi writes "Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have conducted a very simple study, with some surprising (or at least amusing) results about how our short term memory works. Quoting: 'Sometimes, to get to the next object the participant simply walked across the room. Other times, they had to walk the same distance, but through a door into a new room. From time to time, the researchers gave them a pop quiz, asking which object was currently in their backpack. The quiz was timed so that when they walked through a doorway, they were tested right afterwards. As the title said, walking through doorways caused forgetting: Their responses were both slower and less accurate when they'd walked through a doorway into a new room than when they'd walked the same distance within the same room.'"

Open the Door Jeopardy

[eldavojohn]

Alex Trebek: Good evening and welcome to another edition of "Open the Door Jeopardy" where contestants must step through a door after ringing in and answer because answering a 'clue' in the form of a question just isn't confusing enough. Ken Jennings, as our returning champion you start.
Ken Jennings: I'll start with the category 'I Confess!' for $400, Alex.
Alex Trebek: Very good ... 'His death and subsequent disagreement of heir resulted in the Battle of Hastings.'
*Ken Jennings rings in, opens the door and steps through it*
Ken Jennings: Um ... uh ... um ... I knew it a second ago.
Alex Trebek: Ooooh, I'm sorry, time is up. Anyone else?
*the heavy treads of IBM's Watson machine crush the door as it rolls in*
Watson: Who was Edward the Confessor?

It's quantum-mechanical

[ClickOnThis]

Obviously the subjects' brainwaves diffracted when they walked through the door...

Meetings

[sunderland56]

This is why I hate going to meetings and feeling stupid. Come to my cube and I'll know the answers.

Standard Experimental Procedure

[martin-boundary]

Experimenter: Please walk this way.

Subject: I think that door just sighed.

Experimenter: Ghastly, isn't it? All the doors on this experiment have been programmed to have a cheery and sunny disposition. Now, how many objects in your backpack?

Subject: Uh, really? That's, uh ... I'm sorry, what? Ah, I forget... what?

Experimenter: *scribbles on clibpoard*

Re:Life Imitates Art, or vice versa?

[burleywinz]

I did not know this and will try this technique the next time I have to give a speech. Are you supposed to start in the basement or the attic? Probably doesn't matter. I just hope I don't fall down the stairs.

Re:Common Knowledge

[ozmanjusri]

So those WERE the droids I was looking for?

Re:Or maybe

[treeves]

He would but he just walked through the door from the bathroom and has forgotten them.

Re:Different conclusion.

[bistromath007]

Dammit, now I forgot what I came to this website for.

Re:Or maybe

[Xtravar]

Our ancestors had about the same memory - they would open the door, get on the floor, and everybody walked the dinosaur. [youtube.com]