Annette-- Jim Dougan was the person who made the comments, and I didn't take time to put the "Annette said" and "Jim said" tags in as I should have.
Psychologists who study literature/reading/verbal cognition often win the lit prize. See, there's a third, secret criterion that we don't mention very often--in addition to making people laugh and then think, a winning achievement has to be able to be summed up in a sentence or two! Most funny, thought-provoking books can't be. So the lit prize often goes to achievements *about* literature rather than to literature itself. Robin --- "Annette Taylor, Ph. D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Darn, my server sent off the reply before I typed > anything and tips > will count it as a used up reply for the day! > > I wanted to know how my name got attached to this > discussion. I never > said anything at all about ridicule or quality of > the papers. I simply > said I found it surprising, perhaps impressive, that > psychologists > were being awared prizes in literature, and I want > to clarify that! > > Annette > > Quoting Robin Abrahams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > It's not at all deserving of ridicule. The Igs are > > awarded to achievements that first make people > laugh, > > and then make them think. Whether the > > research/invention/accomplishment is "good" or > "bad" > > doesn't enter into the equation. > > > > Personally, I think the Silvers & Kriener piece is > a > > fun study, and particularly interesting when it's > > shown that inappropriate highlighting affects > > comprehension even when the readers are informed > that > > the highlighting is random, and they should ignore > it. > > > > > > The Oppenheimer study (this year's winner) is more > > complex, and simply brilliant. Check it out if you > > can. > > > > --- Jim Dougan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > >> At 09:33 AM 10/13/2006, you wrote: > >> >What seems to be even more surprising to me is > that > >> the prizes for > >> >literature are going to psychologists! > >> > > >> >Annette > >> > >> > >> Wow - I guess I just don't get why this is > deserving > >> of ridicule (even if > >> it is friendly ridicule). > >> > >> All of us have probably had the experience of > >> reading a used book someone > >> else has underlined. Sometimes that earlier > reader > >> has underlined strange > >> things that don't seem relevant. I don't know > about > >> the rest of you, but I > >> find that pretty distracting. > >> > >> Just how distracting is it? I don't know - but > it > >> certainly seems worthy > >> of study. > >> > >> -- Jim > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> >Quoting Robin Abrahams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > >> > > >> >>As a former winner himself, David is not > exactly > >> >>unbiased! > >> >> > >> >>He and his student Vicki Silvers Geir won the > >> >>literature prize in 2002: > >> >> > >> >>Vicki Silvers Gier and David S. Kreiner of > Central > >> >>Missouri State University, for their colorful > >> report > >> >>"The Effects of Pre-Existing Inappropriate > >> >>Highlighting on Reading Comprehension." [ > >> PUBLISHED > >> >>IN: Reading Research and Instruction, vol. 36, > no. > >> 3, > >> >>1997, pp. 217-23.] > >> >> > >> >>I've always had a soft spot for the literature > >> prizes, > >> >>and this year's was an excellent one: > >> >> > >> >>LITERATURE: Daniel Oppenheimer of Princeton > >> University > >> >>for his report "Consequences of Erudite > Vernacular > >> >>Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems > with > >> >>Using Long Words Needlessly." > >> >>REFERENCE: "Consequences of Erudite Vernacular > >> >>Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems > with > >> >>Using Long Words Needlessly," Daniel M. > >> Oppenheimer, > >> >>Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol. 20, no. 2, > >> March > >> >>2006, pp. 139-56. > >> >> > >> >>--- David Kreiner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > >> >> > >> >>>And the inventor won the prestigious Ig Nobel > >> Peace > >> >>>Prize. From > >> >>>www.improbable.com : > >> >>> > >> >>>PEACE: Howard Stapleton of Merthyr Tydfil, > Wales, > >> >>>for inventing an > >> >>>electromechanical teenager repellant -- a > device > >> >>>that makes annoying > >> >>>noise designed to be audible to teenagers but > not > >> to > >> >>>adults; and for > >> >>>later using that same technology to make > >> telephone > >> >>>ringtones that are > >> >>>audible to teenagers but not to their > teachers. > >> >>>REFERENCE: http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>>David Kreiner > >> >>>Professor of Psychology and > >> >>>Associate Dean of The Graduate School > >> >>>University of Central Missouri > >> >>>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >>> > >> >>> >>> "FRANTZ, SUE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> 10/12/2006 > >> >>>10:02 PM >>> > >> >>> > >> >>>I'm sure some of you have already heard of > this, > >> but > >> >>>it was news to > >> >>>me. > >> >>> > >> >>>Today in class I was talking about hearing and > >> >>>hearing loss in the > >> >>>upper > >> >>>frequencies. And a couple of my students > said, > >> "Oh, > >> >>>like the mosquito > >> >>>ringtone." They were passing comments, and I > >> didn't > >> >>>want to get into > >> >>>it, so I left it until I got back to my office > to > >> >>>investigate. > >> >>> > >> >>>In short, a theater in England was having > >> problems > >> >>>with the large > >> >>>number > >> >>>of youth gathering in their square. Compound > >> >>>Security > >> >>>(http://www.compoundsecurity.co.uk/) supplied > >> them > >> >>>with a high-pitched > >> >>>tone (18-20 kHz) to pipe into the square. It > >> >>>worked. The kids > >> >>>dispersed. And since it was too high for most > >> >>>adults to hear, it > >> >>>didn't > >> >>>bother their patrons. > >> >>> > >> >>>For the BBC radio program that discusses it, > go > >> >>>here: > >> > >>> > http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2006/04/04/mosquito_soun > >> >>> > >> >>>d_wave_feature.shtml > >> >>> > >> >>>In the radio program, they have a recording > from > >> the > >> >>>square playing in > >> >>>the background, but according to my evening > >> >>>students, you can't hear > >> >>>the > >> >>>high-pitched tone. Apparently that MP3 cut > off > >> the > >> >>>higher > >> >>>frequencies. > >> >>>But at the bottom of the page, there's an MP3 > of > >> >>>just the recording > >> >>>from > >> >>>the square where it can be heard -- if you're > >> young > >> >>>enough. I'm not. > >> >>>All I hear is the hum of traffic and people in > >> the > >> >>>background. But my > >> >>>younger evening students were plugging their > >> ears, > >> >>>and my older > >> >>>students > >> >>>were left looking at each other. (I think this > >> MP3 > >> >>>peaks at about 17 > >> >>>kHz > >> >>>if I was reading the classroom's audio > software > >> >>>correctly.) The > >> >>>descriptions students gave were interesting -- > >> like > >> >>>a cricket, like > >> >>>dying birds. In the news program they say that > >> >>>people over 25 can't > >> >>>hear > >> >>>it, but of course there's much variability. > One > >> of > >> >>>my nearly-30 > >> >>>students said he could hear it. > >> >>> > >> >>>And now the kicker. > >> >>> > >> >>>It's available as a ringtone (in the US: > >> >>>http://www.fork.com/, in the > >> >>>UK: http://www.mozzyworld.com/). Reportedly, > >> >>>students are now using it > >> >>>to hear the arrival of text messages in class > >> >>>because their older > >> >>>teachers can't hear it. > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>>-- > >> >>>Sue Frantz Highline > Community > >> >>>College > >> >>>Psychology Des Moines, WA > >> >>>206.878.3710 x3404 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >>>http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/ > >> >>>-- > >> >>>Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology > >> >>>Assistant Director, Project Syllabus > >> > >>>http://www.lemoyne.edu/OTRP/projectsyllabus.html > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>>--- > >> >>>To make changes to your subscription go to: > >> > >>> > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>>!DSPAM:1452,452f01ff88571227018335! > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>>--- > >> >>>To make changes to your subscription go to: > >> > >>> > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > >> >>> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >>Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not > >> reflect the opinions of > >> >>the sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware > of. > >> >> > >> >>--- > >> >>To make changes to your subscription go to: > >> > >>> > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. > >> >Professor of Psychology > >> >University of San Diego > >> >5998 Alcala Park > >> >San Diego, CA 92110 > >> >619-260-4006 > >> >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > > >> > >> > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > >> >This message was sent using IMP, the Internet > >> Messaging Program. > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> >--- > >> >To make changes to your subscription go to: > >> > >> > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > >> > > >> > >> > >> --- > >> To make changes to your subscription go to: > >> > > > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > >> > >> > > > > > > Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not > reflect the opinions of > > the sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware of. > > > > --- > > To make changes to your subscription go to: > > > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > > > > > > > > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. > Professor of Psychology > University of San Diego > 5998 Alcala Park > San Diego, CA 92110 > 619-260-4006 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > This message was sent using IMP, the Internet > Messaging Program. > > > > --- > To make changes to your subscription go to: > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > > Notices at the bottom of this e-mail do not reflect the opinions of the sender. I do not "yahoo" that I am aware of. --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
