Are there any social scientists in the house?

BurtWorm

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Mon Jul-07-03 10:25 AM
Original message

Are there any social scientists in the house?

This new board would be perfect for conducting experiments on people's viewing habits. You could find the header type most likely to get views. See if a thread's rating has any effect on views. Just a thought.

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liberalhistorian

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Mon Jul-07-03 10:42 AM
Response to Original message

1. That would, indeed, be a good idea.

I was a history and sociology major with a lot of psych, political science, and anthropology thrown in, so maybe it's something I could work on.

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BurtWorm

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Mon Jul-07-03 10:48 AM
Response to Reply #1

4. I'm sure there are a lot more experiments

to construct. It would only be fair to report on them afterward.

One thing I've been curious about is to what degree people's knowledge about a "norm" of behavior discussed in social science affects their own behavior. Say, for instance, it's learned that sexy subject lines increase the number of views (big news there). I have a theory that most people like to think of themselves as outside the norm. So if it were reported in this forum that sexy subjects increase views, would that make people try to resist looking at threads with sexy subjects?

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liberalhistorian

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Mon Jul-07-03 12:28 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. I think that norms are so deeply engrained in all of us that

even if we know about them and try, ourselves, to step outside the box and avoid giving in to them, it's still very hard not to do so. There really is no such thing as a totally objective social scientist, it's just not possible.

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Maddy McCall

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Mon Jul-07-03 12:36 PM
Response to Reply #6

8. There's no such thing as objectivity=="The Noble Dream"

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Maddy McCall

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Mon Jul-07-03 10:46 AM
Response to Original message

2. I hate stats...

don't like to run statistical tests, so this historian will stay away from that challenge! :-)

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The Backlash Cometh

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Mon Jul-07-03 10:47 AM
Response to Original message

3. The integrity of the thread ratings will eventually degrade

They'll be used in the same way that freepers freep polls.

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LoneStarLiberal

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Mon Jul-07-03 12:01 PM
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5. Mmmm...spatial model...

The new setup should lend itself to categorical and item analysis. Some form of spatial model might also be possible, though I think we'd need the buy-in of sysadmin for that kind of data and structure.

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talkinghand

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Mon Jul-07-03 12:34 PM
Response to Original message

7. I'm a lay person...

degree in Poli Sci...

but I do find Sociology fascinating! And Social Psychology.

Any thread mentioning Greens or Nader will get a lot of views. Now it seems to be the Dean-bashers that draw the flames.

The ratings aren't scientific but I must admit they're fascinating!

I'm really really glad the views are back... it's great to know people are at least looking even if they're not responding...

And yes, it's fun to see which subject lines have the most effect.

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