Whats that effect called?

thescreensavers

Diamond Member
Aug 3, 2005
9,916
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When you make cars safer people drive faster.

But if you put a knife on the steering wheel people will drive at 5mph

 

Regs

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
16,666
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It's a good thing my Mazda did not come with a knife installed on the steering wheel.

I think the OP is trying to make a point on how humans react to certain fear or stimuli. We're more in control with a car, than a car with a life threating instrument aimed at our heads.
 

AnnonUSA

Senior member
Nov 18, 2007
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So cars should be inherently more unsafe to keep people from speeding?
Great Idea...
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
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Not to hijack the thread but check out this effect from the wiki link:

Name letter effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_effects

The name letter effect is the hypothesis that the probability of certain actions can be influenced by the first letter of the name of the person performing the action. For example, that Bill is more likely to move to Buffalo than a city that does not begin with a "B". The effect reported in various psychological studies is small but according to the authors not explained by random chance. The statistical validity of some studies of the phenomenon is disputed.
 

SonnyDaze

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2004
6,867
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Originally posted by: techs
The name letter effect is the hypothesis that the probability of certain actions can be influenced by the first letter of the name of the person performing the action. For example, that Bill is more likely to move to Buffalo than a city that does not begin with a "B". The effect reported in various psychological studies is small but according to the authors not explained by random chance. The statistical validity of some studies of the phenomenon is disputed.

Xavier would be fucked.
:confused:

 

Krynj

Platinum Member
Jun 21, 2006
2,816
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Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Are you talking about that voice effect that is on every pop song these days?

Jesus fucking Christ, that shit annoys me so much. I don't like hip hop or pop to begin with, and that voice effect is so goddamn overdone and annoying. It just makes it worse. I seriously cannot stand it. I was just talking to somebody about it the other day, I didn't know other people had noticed it.
 

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
25,074
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Originally posted by: FetusCakeMix
Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Are you talking about that voice effect that is on every pop song these days?

Jesus fucking Christ, that shit annoys me so much. I don't like hip hop or pop to begin with, and that voice effect is so goddamn overdone and annoying. It just makes it worse. I seriously cannot stand it. I was just talking to somebody about it the other day, I didn't know other people had noticed it.

It does suck. It's like hearing a robot sing / rap and I can't wait until it's dated and no longer trendy.
 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
44
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It seems as though it would be a subset of the pseudocertainty effect. A knife or spike mounted on the steering wheel would be perceived as a definite effect (and thereby avoided), while the probabilistic risk of injury in an accident when there is an airbag is effectively a conditional outcome that is more easily traded off against.

There would also seem to be some of the availability heuristic involved as well. An accident would be perceived as "more likely" with a spike mounted on the steering wheel because the mental image of someone being impaled is more vivid and therefore more likely to remain in memory. (This is also why many people mistakenly believe that airplanes are more dangerous than automobiles.)

ZV
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,559
4
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Originally posted by: SonnyDaze
Originally posted by: techs
The name letter effect is the hypothesis that the probability of certain actions can be influenced by the first letter of the name of the person performing the action. For example, that Bill is more likely to move to Buffalo than a city that does not begin with a "B". The effect reported in various psychological studies is small but according to the authors not explained by random chance. The statistical validity of some studies of the phenomenon is disputed.

Xavier would be fucked.
:confused:
I happen to live in a town whose name begins with the first letter of my last name.