Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: Becca Priddy on 16/08/2006 05:37:12

Title: the number six
Post by: Becca Priddy on 16/08/2006 05:37:12
i came across this today  and was wondering why this happens.. here is the experiment

what is

1+5
2+4
3+3
4+2
5+1

now say the number six for fifteen seconds




now think of a vegetable

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is it a carrot?

the email i received said that 98% of people will say carrot after repeating the number six ....


why is this?

[8)]

becca :)
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: neilep on 16/08/2006 13:35:22
I said Broccoli !

Men are the same as women, just inside out !
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Hadrian on 16/08/2006 14:41:56
There two parts of this experiment.

First you get the person the use the logical part of the brain. This set them up for an auto resonance to a recall request.  

Now the second part is built on the belief that most people go to their visual system when recalling objects. Carrots have a very strong image and a lot of kid got to chew on them in early life. This make them first on the auto recall list of veg for lots of people.  

You can increase the effect by priming the subject by having them encounter similar shaped, coloured or the same objects in there peripheral vision before the test. Or even the word carrot on a poster on a notice board that the pass on the way to such a test can create almost 100% results, even if they don’t directory look at it.  


What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: ROBERT on 16/08/2006 14:50:52
quote:
Originally posted by Becca Priddy

the email i received said that 98% of people will say carrot after repeating the number six ....
why is this?


What about the fact that "carrot" has six letters,
perhaps carrot is the most well known veg name with six letters ?.

If you retry the experiment with the number five,
will the majority of people say "onion" ?.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Hadrian on 16/08/2006 14:59:04
Yes this is certainly a priming factor.

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: neilep on 16/08/2006 15:55:39
Lots of magicians use this technique of using visual hints in the peripheral vision and aural cues.

So, is it a trick ?..or something more intrinsic to human behaviour ?

I wonder how close a figure to 98% of people would say " carrot " even if you just asked them to think of a vegetable rather than priming them with visual clues and performing number tricks. Quite high I would think.


Men are the same as women, just inside out !
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Karen W. on 16/08/2006 16:07:02
I am afraid I said celery!!! I could not even think of a vegetable for a few seconds!! I drew a blank!

Karen
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: sharkeyandgeorge on 16/08/2006 17:16:19
artichoke how far out of whack am I!

J.B.S Haldane on the perforated eardrums which were a consequence of his pressure experiments "the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of  the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment".
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Boo on 16/08/2006 17:26:08
.... im starting to think that maybe this isnt right.. althought both my mom and i answered carrot, i have tried doing this to 3 other people who said corn , corn, and onion...... maybe it is something that has to be read  by the person and not read to the person.. or maybe this whole email is a fake? [xx(] strange...

becca :)
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Hadrian on 16/08/2006 19:06:48
It’s impossible to replicate this from an email. It is something that has to be set up it is more about the method of execution then the formula. Yes it’s a trick and yes it all about how are mind works.

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Hadrian on 16/08/2006 19:12:52
I have now ask 6 people of different ages to do this and every one has come up with carrots.

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: neilep on 16/08/2006 19:39:41
I took a risk...I wrote ' CARROT' on a business card and gave it to my son to hold but not to turn it over !!!

I did the above routine....he said ' carrot ' ...he was sooooooooooo freaked  !!  YAYYYYYYYY !!



Then tried it on wifey (but was dubious of her ability to do the math part [:)][:D]....she said Celery !!



She said that saying ' Six ' so many times made her think of a stick of celery.....six = stick !!

Interesting !!


Men are the same as women, just inside out !
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Carolyn on 16/08/2006 20:17:34
Neil - I did the same with my son, he also said carrot.

Here's another one....


Say fork 5 times.

Spell fork 8 times.

Say fork 3 times.

Spell fork 3 times.

Say fork once.

Spell fork once.

Say fork once again.
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Now what do you eat soup with?

Carolyn
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Mjhavok on 16/08/2006 22:21:03
I pick up the bowl and drink.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: gecko on 18/08/2006 07:47:53
i think youd have to ask people, with no introduction, to name a vegetable. i feel as though a majority(maybe even 98%) would say carrot anyway.

also, thats not how the fork trick works! you spell Pork, or Work, or somethign like that, 5 times, then ask "what do you eat soup with" and then people will go with the rhyming "fork". at least thats how i learned it. its less obvious its a trick then.

another is "say cop 5 times" "spell cop 5 times" or something similar and then "what do you do at a green light?"

GO!
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Hadrian on 18/08/2006 13:49:00
Ok

Try this

Say Duckbill Platypus 5 times
Say Duckbill Platypus 10 times
Say Duckbill Platypus 15 times
Say Duckbill Platypus 20 times
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Now put your eyes to haven and hold you up in the air.

Then sing

I would love to kiss a Duckbill Platypus
But my dad would make such a fuss
He always been funny about whom I date
Ever since I moved from fancying prime mate
Well my sister a hot date with a fish
So why on earth can't I get my wish?
 
Platypus Platypus Duckbill and all
Give your pucker and in love I will fall
Each to their fancy every single one of us
Need to find and kiss a Duckbill Platypus

Now ask the question
What is the first non bird with a duck like bill that come into your mind?


What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Hadrian on 04/09/2006 20:59:41
I thought i get some feedback by now! [:p][^][:p]

What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: moonfire on 05/09/2006 03:20:53
lol  you are so funny...

"Lo" Loretta
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Karen W. on 05/09/2006 03:39:32
Hadrian I cannot say it three times straight without twisting it all up, let alone 20 times.. YIKES!

Karen
Title: Re: the number six
Post by: Niklas on 05/09/2006 06:28:46
I said cucumber, oh well, gues it don't work for everyone.

http://www.longer-living.com/
Title: the number six
Post by: Infamous on 02/03/2007 16:46:47
I pick up the bowl and drink.
Ha,ha,ha,ha,.........good one Mjhavok. That's good enough for me too.
........................infy
Title: the number six
Post by: neilep on 02/03/2007 17:21:13
Say Neil is great 5 times
Say neil is great 4 times
Say Neil is gerat 8 times
say neil is great 3 times
Then say Neil is great just 2 more times



Good isn't it ?

I'm great !!!...LOL  [;D] [;D]
Title: the number six
Post by: Karen W. on 02/03/2007 17:24:51
YES YOUR GREAT AND WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH SHEEPY!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!IT IS GOOD!!!LOL
Title: the number six
Post by: neilep on 02/03/2007 17:54:24
Mam..thank ewe...I missed me too !!..LOL
Title: the number six
Post by: Ethos on 21/11/2009 02:56:29
I said Broccoli !

<font size="1"><font color="blue"> Men are the same as women, just inside out !</font id="blue"></font id="size1">
I said Turnip and it also has 6 letters............Whooooooo!!!
Title: the number six
Post by: EatsRainbows on 22/11/2009 05:11:31
Quote
I wonder how close a figure to 98% of people would say " carrot " even if you just asked them to think of a vegetable rather than priming them with visual clues and performing number tricks. Quite high I would think.
Quote

Well i just asked two of my housemates to name the first vegetable that came to mind, and that was without doing the exercise first, and they both said carrot. So could you be right neilep!?  [:)]

Best friends said carrot too, without the test. She pointed out that when she was a kid, in learning the alphabet, C was for carrot... hmm!?!?  [:)]

p.s i cannot get rid of the double quote here.... gah!