How Pictures Skew Our Judgment 141
An article at Ars summarizes a study into how simply seeing pictures can alter what we believe, even if the pictures don't provide any information about the topic at hand (abstract). Researchers asked true-or-false questions to a group of test subjects about whether a minor celebrity was still alive. When they provided a picture of the celebrity, more people evaluated the statement as 'true' than when no picture was provided. The researchers then switched the question, asking whether it was true or false that the celebrity was dead. Again, the subjects shown a picture were more likely to respond with 'true.' Experiments also showed this phenomenon wasn't limited to questions about people, but general knowledge as well.
"The authors spend a bit of time discussing why this sort of truth bias might arise. In cases where we have rich information—a photo or detailed description of something—it's easier to pull additional information out of our memory. So, even if a photo doesn't tell us much about whether the person is alive, it does make it easier to retrieve relevant information on them—if they're wearing a suit in the photo, we might reason they're a political or financial figure, etc. When the information flows that readily, we're more likely to conclude that we're familiar with the question that's being posed, and will then tend to conclude it's true."
Re:Reminds me of Critical Thinking (Score:5, Insightful)
not necessarily true (therefore false)
I'm not clear on this bit...
Re:all the GWB photos from the last decade (Score:3, Insightful)
Trust me, you didn't need a picture of the guy to consider him an idiot.
Re:Reminds me of Critical Thinking (Score:5, Insightful)
Agreed. Critical thinking classes should be in high school, and mandatory.
Critical Thinking is seen as a threat to a lot of groups, as well as some parents. I think this is why such a simple, yet neglected concept is left to college, where it's at the option of the student to take the class, rather than have kids coming home challenging their parents, church and community leaders.
Re:Yeah well..... (Score:4, Insightful)
Most people are idiots. They immediately jump to a conclusion based upon flimsy evidence like photos (never thinking maybe the photo has been doctored), or something they read at FOX or MSNBC.com, or were told on facebook. (See my sig for examples of these idiots.)
My favorite quote on the subject: There are people who will doubt a panel of highly educated experts who have gathered evidence, studied, assembled the facts and presented them in a thoughtful manner, but will accept for indesputable fact the word of a blowhard on the radio, TV or internet, who has nothing at all to back up their assertions.
do you believe it?