This exercise might also be useful in demonstrating the worthlessness of mere content validity, i.e. taking a test item to mean merely what you or some group of experts say it means.
Bill Scott >>> Paul Brandon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 04/10/07 2:59 PM >>> This rather silly exercise might be useful in demonstrating the role of previous learning (experience) in answering questions, but that's about it. That 4 year olds are fairly literal (and don't know how big a giraffe is ;-) is pretty obvious. To get the 'correct' answers one must disregard one's previous experience and answer only on the basis of what's written in the questions (but I wonder how many of the 4 year olds knew what an "animal conference" was). In the real world, it is not likely that the 'correct' answers would get either the giraffe or the elephant into a refrigerator, or you across the river, so that any executive who answered this literally would likely (hopefully) be out of a job. And note that question two refers to "a refrigerator", not "the refrigerator." It makes a difference. At 11:40 AM -0400 4/10/07, David Hogberg wrote: >I don't know about the 90% claim made at the end, but it makes a good story. > >from today's General Bulletin Bd on Saabnet.com: > >The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you >whether you are qualified to be a professional consultant. Scroll >down for each answer. The questions are NOT that difficult. But >don't scroll down UNTIL you have answered the question. > >1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator? > >The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, >and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do >simple things in an overly complicated way. > > >2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator? > >Did you say, 'Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close >the refrigerator?' >Wrong Answer. > >Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in >the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think >through the repercussions of your previous actions. > > >3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals >attend.... except one. Which animal does not attend? > >Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. >You just put him in there. This tests your memory. > > >Okay, even if you did not answer the first three questions >correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true >abilities. > > >4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and >you do not have a boat. How do you manage it? > >Correct Answer: You jump into the river and swim across. Have you >not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal >Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes. > >According to Anderson Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the >professionals they tested got all questions wrong, but many >preschoolers got several correct answers. Anderson Consulting says >this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals have >the brains of a four-year-old. -- The best argument against Intelligent Design is that fact that people believe in it. * PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Psychology Dept Minnesota State University * * 23 Armstrong Hall, Mankato, MN 56001 ph 507-389-6217 * * http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~pkbrando/ * --- 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
