Did the moon actually get bigger?

Have you ever thought your eyes are playing tricks on you?  Depth perception cues account for many of these instances.

A few years ago I was driving home in the evening just as the full moon was rising.  It was rather low on the horizon and I thought about how large it looked, larger than usual, actually.   A few hours after I got home I remembered the enormous full moon and excitably brought my dad outside to see how huge it was.  I was disappointed to find that it had shrunk from its size earlier in the evening.  Did the moon actually shrink?

Of course, the moon didn’t actually change size.  I was experiencing an example of size constancy and apparent-distance hypothesis (Ross).  There is a similar effect when you try to take a picture of the moon; you end up being extremely disheartened to find that you just end up with a black photo with a small white dot. 

This is because you don’t have anything else in the picture to relate the size of the moon to.  The reason objects near the horizon seem bigger is similar.  When the moon is near the horizon, you have other depth cues to relate the moon to.  When it is in the middle of the night sky, there is nothing surrounding to compare (Ross). 

To further exam depth cues, let’s look at George Seurat’s famous painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.  There is a park full of people in the foreground and the background and we perceive all the people to be the same size.  There are no abnormally large or small people.  If you look more closely at this painting, the people are all different sizes, depending on their apparent distance.  The people in the foreground are larger and the people in the background are smaller.  If all the people were brought to the foreground, we would expect them to be the same size.  Our brain calculates the distances and adjusts the size of the apparent objects to fit what we expect them to be based on depth cues (Robinson).

Coming back to the moon example, we can further examine the apparent-distance hypothesis.  When the moon is in the middle of the sky, we calculate it to be closer and see it as a certain size.  When the moon is on the horizon, that is our sort of background and because we perceive this as farther away, we calculate it to be larger (Robinson).   If two objects of the same size are put in a plane, one in the foreground and one in the background, we will perceive the one in the background to be larger.

Next time there’s a full moon; don’t let your perception fool you.  Believe it or not, the moon actually stays the same size.

References:

Robinson, Richard.  Why the Toast Always Lands Butter Side Down. New York:  Barnes & Noble, 2005.

Ross, Helen. (2004).  “Moon Illusion.”  Retrieved from http://www.answers.com /topic/moon-illusion

Setting an Example

Have you ever been annoyed by a younger brother or sister who is trying to dress like you, talk like you, and even act like you?  You may think that they are intentionally doing these things to bug you, but actually they are trying to act like you out of admiration.  They are observing everything you do to learn how to be just like you.

We often see this with children watching their parents, siblings, teachers, and the media.  Although dressing and talking the same way seems rather innocent, this observational learning can have a negative affect as well.  What happens when you start partying and drinking?  What kind of affect will that have on your younger sibling?

Observational learning can be defined as acquiring behaviors by watching the actions of others (Social cognitive theory).  Many instances involve a role model who displays a distinctive behavior.

For example, let’s look at a parent/child situation.  If a parent participates in excessive drinking and risky behavior and fails to hide this behavior from the child they are raising, the child is more likely to participate in the same behavior, as he or she gets older.  A parent is a role model for the children they are raising and anything they participate in sets an example, whether it be positive or negative, for the child.  Studies show that children who grow up in a house with an alcoholic parent are four times more likely than other children to become alcoholics when they grow up (Facts for families).

Likewise, racism can be explained by observational learning.  For instance, my father grew up in a home where his father was against other cultures and the United States becoming a diverse place to live with the increase in immigration.  Although my father thinks that he is accepting of others and their views, I can see that he is extremely similar to my grandfather in the way he views other cultures around him.  These ideas are passed on generation to generation through observational learning.

It is important to note that if we don’t consciously make an effort to avoid these negative observational learning experiences, then ideas of racism and alcoholism, along with other negative behaviors, will be carried through our generation and generations to come.  A greater awareness of how our actions affect people around us, especially young people around us who are impressionable, can help to improve their future tendencies.

Next time you are drinking or going out to party, think of the example you are setting for young people around you.  The phrase “do as I say, not as I do” doesn’t really work here because it’s the actions that are being encoded and replicated.  In other words, you have to practice what you preach.

References

Facts for families. (Novermber 2002).  Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org /cs/root/facts_for_families/children_of_alcoholics

Social cognitive theory. (7 Septemeber 2010).  Retrieved from http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Health%20Communication/Social_cognitive_theory.doc/

Framing Bias—Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Have you ever been asked, “Is the glass half empty or half full?”   Even though this might seem silly, wouldn’t you rather have a glass that was half full than half empty?  The phrase “half full” is processed as a positive expression, similar to “someone gave me half of something.”  On the other hand, “half empty” implies that something negative has happened, basically, “someone took half away from me.”

This technique of phrasing questions or other information to influence the response is referred to as framing bias, or the framing effect (Kernochan).  If you take a minute to look around, this practice is used everywhere. From advertising to politics to surveys, we encounter framing bias everyday.

If you’re deciding on which professor to take a certain class with next semester, you might look up statistics on their pass rate.  You find that one teacher has a 70% pass rate.  You look up another professor to find that three out of ten students fail the class.  Holding all other factors constant, which professor do you choose?  If we take a closer look at these statistics, they actually tell us the same information. 

Naturally, when we are given information we approach it with a sort of tunnel vision.  When the information or question is worded in such a way that leans towards one side or idea, this tunnel vision is magnified (Behavioral).  This clouds our reasoning and can affect our decisions.  Wouldn’t you rather take a class that 70% pass than one where three out of ten fail?  The words “pass” and “fail” may affect your decision but when it comes down to it, it is the same raw information.

Framing bias can be seen on a larger scale as well.  According to Professor Scott Smith, the tourism industry had to make a big move years back to keep timeshare a successful venture.  It got to a point where people were turned off by the idea of timeshare because of the long presentations and fees.  This resulted in a negative association with the term timeshare.  People in the industry figured this out and created a new thing called vacation club.  Essentially, timeshare and vacation club are the same, the only difference: the name.

This use of intentional language is also a form of framing bias.  Here, the tourism industry realized continuing on the path using the term timeshare would not work, so they simply changed the name of the business practice.  Vacation club became a new thing to be a part of that many people wanted to participate in (Smith).

Even though framing bias surrounds us, there are ways to avoid it.  The best way to evade it is to just be aware.  If you are conscious of the wording of questions and information, it will be easier to make an objective decision.  Moreover, asking questions and probing for more information can allow you to make a more knowledgeable decision.

References:

Behavioral finance—framing. (9 January 2011). Retrieved from http://pgreen finch.pagesperso-orange.fr/bfglo/bfglo.framing.htm

Kernochan, R. (8 August 2004).  Framing and framing theory.  Retrieved from http:// www.csun.edu/~rk33883/Framing%20Theory%20Lecture%20Ubertopic.htm

Smith, S. (6 September 2011).  Tourism—Hotels and Lodging.  Introduction to hospitality. Lecture conducted from University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.

Influences in Advertising

Have you ever seen little kids in the grocery store begging their parents for a certain cereal?  I was one of those little kids several years ago.  How did I know that I wanted that cereal if I had never tried it before?

When I was younger, The Flintstones was a popular cartoon that was loved by me, my friends, and even my dad.  Of course, when I first saw a Cocoa Pebbles box with the familiar Fred Flintstone, I wanted to try them immediately.  There I was, in the middle of the cereal aisle, begging my mom to buy me this new sugary cereal that I still eat and enjoy today.

If we take a closer look at the advertising strategy of Cocoa Pebbles we can find that I experienced classical conditioning, a type of learning (Classical).  The Flintstones cartoon is the unconditioned stimulus.  The unconditioned response is a happy feeling, due to watching this cartoon.  Therefore if I relate the cartoon and the cereal then the cereal itself will at some point cause the happy feeling.  This makes the cereal a conditioned stimulus and eventually happiness becomes a conditioned response.  I learned to associate Cocoa Pebbles with the feeling of happiness.

This doesn’t just affect young kids; it affects everyone.  If we look at commercials for Publix supermarket we see a common theme of smiling families having a good time together.  If people want this feeling with their family, they might specifically shop at Publix.  In this situation you have: Family (Unconditioned Stimulus) à Positive Atmosphere (Unconditioned Response).  Seeing the commercials, people will convey Publix with this relationship and eventually the result will be: Shopping at Publix (Conditioned Stimulus) à Positive Atmosphere (Conditioned Response).

Still don’t believe me?  While watching commercials, you’re actually learning without even realizing it.  It’s not the type of classroom learning you’re used to but it’s still considered learning. 

Many alcohol companies target men by putting girls wearing minimal clothing in their commercials and other ads, hoping to teach them which brand of alcohol to buy.  Guys are stimulated by this image, resulting in a positive feeling.  By relating alcohol with this image, guys will learn to associate the two.  Consequently, the brand of alcohol will create a “feel good” response.

How can we avoid this influence?  It seems that companies use images that are completely unrelated to their product, so if you just focus strictly on the product itself then you won’t be persuaded as easily (Fang).  Imagine trying to tell a six year old that it doesn’t matter what is on the front of a cereal box.  The response won’t be a pleasant one.  Avoiding advertising images is easier said than done but the best way to achieve this is to concentrate your efforts solely on the product to make an informed decision.

References:

Fang, L. (21 Dec. 2010). Upcycled love.  Retrieved from http://lynnfang.com/2010/12/seven-ways-to-break-free-from-corporate-influence/

Classical conditioning. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/explanations /theories/classical_conditioning.htm

Fallacy of Positive Instances

Have you ever read your horoscope in the newspaper and said, “That is SO me! How do they do it?”  If you read that exact horoscope to a group of people of all different zodiacs, chances are most of them would believe that was their horoscope too.  How about conspiracy theories?  Are you easily swayed or unsure of what people claim to be the truth?

Why is that?

Let’s take a closer look at a zodiac description.  If you follow this link, http://www.gotohoroscope.com/leo-meanings.html you’ll find the description of the Leo zodiac.  Even if you’re not a Leo, you might find it applies to you.  Its says that Leos take revenge or “strike back quickly…” But later is says, “They also forgive easily and never hold a grudge” (Leo).  Additionally, the Leo is described as “ambitious” but also “lazy” (Leo).  You can tell that these descriptions cover both ends of the spectrum so people tend to accept the information that relates to them and forget the rest.

This can be explained by fallacy of positive instances.  People tend to remember the things they want to remember to formulate their own beliefs.  In this situation, people only pick out the information that matches their personality and forget about the rest.  Which brings us to conspiracy theories.

Have you ever been convinced of a conspiracy theory?

One of the most controversial conspiracy theories is the United States government being involved with the September 11^th attacks.  There are theories that bombs destroyed the twin towers, not planes, flight 93 was a staged crash, and the hijackers are still alive (Aleshinloye). 

Even with evidence against these allegations, people still strongly believe them to be true.  Some of the people who have bought into these claims do so just because they accept information that confirms previous opinions and ignore the rest of the information given to them.  If people have prior opinions that are negative towards the government, or even the president at the time, George W. Bush, then they are more likely to just accept ideas that endorse this opinion and block out other evidence.  Once again, this is referred to as fallacy of positive instances.

Similarly, the moon landing conspiracy theory confirms this phenomenon.  People believe that the moon landing was all staged in a studio because the flag appears to wave in a non-existent breeze, no stars are visible in the dark sky, and lighting and shadows seem to be strange (Than).  Of course, there are scientific explanations for all of these assertions but once an idea is planted in someone’s mind, evidence supporting it is taken in and accepted. 

Have your parents ever complained that you only hear what you want to hear?  They are correct; you only really pay attention to the information that is agreeable with past experiences and beliefs, also called “positive instances.”

References:

Aleshinloye, S. (1 Sept. 2011). The 11 most compelling 9/11 conspiracy theories.  Retrieved from http://newsone.com/newsone-original/samalesh/the-11-most-compelling-911-conspiracy-theories/

Leo zodiacal characteristics. (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://www.gotohoroscope .com/leo-meanings.html

Than, K. (16 July 2009).  8 moon-landing hoax myths—busted.  Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/photogalleries/apollo-moon-landing-hoax-pictures/#/flag-waving-moon-landing_9803_600x450. jpg