Wednesday, August 7, 2013
This blos is now closed
I won't be posting here anymore, but will be posting similar content at my main blog at http://survmeth.blogspot.com/. Look for posts labeled "humor" or "pop culture"
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Closing this blog...at some point!
Since I don't post here much, I'm going to close this blog before long, and post the few things here on my main blog (www.survmeth.blogspot.com). Start following me there if you like these posts. I'll be tagging posts on this theme as "statistics and research in pop culture"
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Cleveland Show 2-17-13
"According to this chart the only department that's pulling its weight is the charts department!"
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Mad Men, Germans, and Focus Groups
The series Mad Men (now streaming on Netflix, FYI) has some great references to social science and psychological research. In S1 E6, Sterling Cooper's in-house researcher (who of course is a stereotypical "unaffected" German woman and studied under Carl Jung) is running a focus group on women's lipstick preferences. Despite the horribly unethical behavior of the girl-crazy male employees watching the session, the scene is priceless for this survey-relevant exchange.
Researcher (in her clinical Deutsch-Forscher tone): How many lipsticks do you own?
Participant: Gee, I don't know. I'd have to go home and count.
Researcher: Do you match your lip color to your clothing or to your accessories?
Joan (empathizing with visually distressed participant): I know this seems like a loaded question.
Researcher: It is UNloaded and I insist you curb your editorial comments.
Participant (assuming she can't answer "neither" or refuse): Sometimes I match it to my nail polish?
Watch the scene in full and tell me if you think Joan teaches us anything about the importance of rapport in gaining participant cooperation. The portrayal of German researchers certainly doesn't match what I know from my German friends and colleagues...well, not EXACTLY anyway. ;)
Researcher (in her clinical Deutsch-Forscher tone): How many lipsticks do you own?
Participant: Gee, I don't know. I'd have to go home and count.
Researcher: Do you match your lip color to your clothing or to your accessories?
Joan (empathizing with visually distressed participant): I know this seems like a loaded question.
Researcher: It is UNloaded and I insist you curb your editorial comments.
Participant (assuming she can't answer "neither" or refuse): Sometimes I match it to my nail polish?
Watch the scene in full and tell me if you think Joan teaches us anything about the importance of rapport in gaining participant cooperation. The portrayal of German researchers certainly doesn't match what I know from my German friends and colleagues...well, not EXACTLY anyway. ;)
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Parenting in the "News"
As reported tonight by Weekend Update on SNL...
"A new study shows that people who have children are happier than people who don't have children. The study was not conducted at an airport"
"A new study shows that people who have children are happier than people who don't have children. The study was not conducted at an airport"
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