On April 29, 2006, Stephen Colbert (Phd) took his allotted time at the annual White House Correspondent's Association Dinner to administer a simple scientific test on the nature of mass movements. In the name of national security, Mr. Colbert, who was scheduled to dance around in a tuxedo with his head up his ass, decided instead to err on the side of solemnity in an attempt to confirm
Recent findings.
much more below the fold...
The Test:
The Asch Conformity Experiments
The participants -- the real subject and the confederates -- were all seated in a classroom where they were told to announce their judgment of the length of several lines drawn on a series of displays. They were asked which line was longer than the other, which were the same length, etc. The confederates had been prearranged to all give an incorrect answer to the tests.
While most subjects answered correctly, many showed extreme discomfort, and a high proportion (33%) conformed to the erroneous majority view of the others in the room when there were at least three confederates present...
The Participants:
Subjects and Confederates
At
least three? Done and Done. Queue the Cameras...
in 3, ...2,
The Findings:
The AOL Poll
How would you rate this joke?
''Sir, pay no attention to the people who say the glass is half-empty. Because 32 percent means it's two-thirds empty. There's still some liquid in that glass, is my point. But I wouldn't drink it ... The last third is usually backwash.''
Hit 68%
Miss 32%
Total Votes: 86,785
Now for a closer look at those AOL sampling cards...
No sign of bias here--with reality successfully rebuffed, and 68% approving adamantly of the job Mr. Bush is not doing, America and certainly Mr. Colbert rest easier tonight...
Or does he...?
from.the.gut.
cross posted on
Deny My Freedom