One moose, two moose. Here are 13 counterintuitive business truths I've come to know, even if I can't exactly explain why they make sense. how we should evaluate counterintuitive claims. There have been mass extinctions in the past, and were probably in one now. The universe is made of stuff we can barely begin to imagine. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Can you handle the (barometric) pressure? Self-knowledge / self-deception is probably another one of those areas where the relationship between research findings and peoples intuitions has deeper, substantive significance. 5y. One thing I have to explain is why, if my idea is so great, people didnt consider it earlier. So its counterintuitive to me to observe that we dont call the results of the double slit experiment counterintuitive.. A look at a few examples of counter-intuitive conclusions will illustrate these problems. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". . As Simine points out, many people in psychology say that counterintuitive findings are more valuable so clearly there is an incentive to frame things that way. The English actor found the good side of being bad, Theres a little bit of The Dude in a lot of Jeff Bridges performances. And new diseases keep jumping from animals to humansebola from apes, SARS from masked palm civets, hantavirus from rodents, bird flu from birds, swine flu from swine. But they have not been informed of a long path of logical inference that tells us much more about the wall then our macroscopic senses do on a daily basis. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Explanations may be beyond most at age 1114, but the experiments can still be fun. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, citizens are understandably confused about the benefit of face masks. Part of the problem is the mismatch between scientific terms and their common use. A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Making Complex Decisions. How can I stop being frustrated while reading? Theyre also likely to suggest a liquids temperature drops while it solidifies. MiigPT 7 yr. ago. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. Don't ever get too comfortable with the status quo, always be willing to blow it up and start . I know what I'd choose. The temperature drops as expected, but the water unexpectedly boils again for a while. Source: Clari Massimiliano / Shutterstock.com. Part of the problem is the mismatch between scientific terms and their common use. Pouring over further portions of cold water causes repeated re-boiling while the temperature gradually drops to around 30oC, or even lower. Contrary to most students expectations, the temperature will drop. The first truth actually relates to that very subject: the how and why of . Half fill a funnel with small ice cubes or crushed ice. But other human foiblesthe desire to be accepted, time pressure, conflicts of interest (e.g., expectations of funding sources), interfere and can compromise that ideal. I think there is a logic to wanting to call just about anything counterintuitive. The logic goes as follows. Without parachutes the sport of skydiving would consist entirely of people sitting around on the ground and deciding that jumping out a perfectly good aeroplane would kill them all and therefore changing the subject. Re: What are the most surprising and counterintuitive findings in science? To reach their conclusions, the team carried out a life cycle analysis of five types of bags to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with their production, distribution, transportation, waste collection, treatment, and end-of-life disposal. A graphical representation of the unified trust distribution mechanism is shown in Fig. Removing energy from the surroundings causes cooling, so the temperature drops. Freud might have been wrong in the details, but one of his main ideasthat a lot of our behaviors and beliefs and emotions are driven by factors we are unaware ofturns out to be correct. The interaction of salt and ice involves breaking the bonds that hold water molecules together in ice crystals, and separating the Na+ and Cl- ions in salt crystals. Perhaps the best example is quantum physics where many scientists believe that some quantum processes do not have any cause whatsoever. To freeze a liquid you must cool it down, but what happens to the temperature when the liquid solidifies? Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection can be inspiring: perhaps youre awed by the vastness of geologic time or marvel at the variety of Earths creatures. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". What prevents the temperature dropping further until the liquid is completely frozen? (Very long termthe study is now enrolling the grandchildren of the original volunteers.) Cookie Settings, Kids Start Forgetting Early Childhood Around Age 7, Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar, Artificial Sweetener Tied to Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds, 5,000-Year-Old Tavern With Food Still Inside Discovered in Iraq, The Surprisingly Scientific Roots of Monkey Bars. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Today, according to many biologists, were in the midst of a sixth great extinction. Cultures throughout history and around the world have engaged in ritual human sacrifice. Similar misconceptions occur with freezing. Thomas Jefferson saw mastodon bones from Kentucky, for example, and concluded that the giant animals must still be living somewhere in the interior of the continent. In the liquid the atoms (or molecules) are all moving about, while in the solid, they are in nice neat rows. Advertising Notice This article and paper from the USDA Forest Service argues that wildfires and droughts have always been a part of California ecology, and that prescribed burns and forest thinning are best for preventing bark beetle damage that contributes to out-of-control fires. Testing hypotheses by experiment is supposed to be the hallmark of science. Boyer originally did not precisely specify the number of expectation-violations that would render an idea maximally counterintuitive. The meaning of COUNTERINTUITIVE is contrary to what one would intuitively expect. Learn a new word every day. This is experimentally shown. show them that the results went the other way. The paper in the Journal of Dairy Science says that Research was supported by Dairy Management Inc. (Rosemont, IL) and asserts that The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest. What does that mean? What is the life expectancy of a tea cup pig? Our universe's spacetime is flat, not the universe itself. What to take? So it seems like things should become more closely packed and thus contract. the opposite of what makes sense. You don't say who you're target audience is, so it's hard to tell. Mastodons may have been some of the earliest victims. All the good ones! Testing hypotheses by experiment is supposed to be the hallmark of science. An example that comes to mind is deviancy training, as it seems like we would want to encourage youth becoming closer to each other and maintaining close relationships, but if these relationships are with youths engaged in delinquency, maintaining connectedness may entail the youth engaging in more of these behaviors. In the stock market, if you buy and stock for $50 and it goes up to $75 you make 50%. This is a "necessary evil" that is not considered controversial in the . Is this theoretical or can one make an experiment to show this effect? In everyday language freezing or melting involves cooling or heating, but in science the term refers only to the changing physical state. "3 out of 2 Americans do not understand statistics." When treating someone badly makes him like you more instead of less, this is an example of something that is counterintuitive. Trigger freezing by stirring, or seeding with a small ice fragment. This can push students into a seeking explanation mode, setting the stage for discovery. But in social and personality psychology we studyphenomena that regular peoplereflect on and speculate about too. Both processes require energy, which comes from the immediate surroundings. Paleontologists have identified five points in Earths history when, for whatever reason (asteroid impact, volcanic eruptions and atmospheric changes are the main suspects), mass extinctions eliminated many or most species. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Some flowers, maybe, or mementos of your loved ones? Single-use plastic and reusable cotton bags (reused 50 times) were calculated to have over ten times the global warming potential of reusable plastic bags (reused 50 times). The gauge shift comes from the particle looping around a topological defect (the magnetic field threading the plane, effectively making the space into a punctured plane), in effect changes the topological quantum number (electric/magnetic charge) of the particle, since the punctured plane is not homotopically trivial. Stir gently, recording the temperature at known intervals until the temperature drops to near zero. Counterintuitive means contrary to what seems intuitively right or correct. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Honestly, take a moment to consider what the natural environment and current technologies are capable of. As the liquid freezes, the temperature will rise. Which includes ourselves, since social and personality psychologists are all human beings too. Antibiotics and vaccines have saved millions of lives; without these wonders of modern medicine, many of us would have died in childhood of polio, mumps or smallpox. Here are ten of the biggest threats to our . Then you are doing classical field theory and are trying to find a first order equation and out pops spinors and the clifford algebra in a completely classical scenario. So let me get this straight: you're writing a report in which you are breaking the news to your clients that their goals have been wrong, and you wish to soften this news with some examples of how other people have been wrong? When a liquid solidifies, bonds form between the particles (in this case, cyclohexane molecules). Patients who received tirzepatide in a recent clinical study lost more than 20% of their body weight (52 pounds, or 23.6 kg). Are some things just better left unknown? What is the most surprising and counterintuitive finding in science that you can think of? By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. But on balance, human taste preferences evolved during times of scarcity, when it made sense for our hunter-gatherer ancestors to gorge on as much salt and fat and sugar as possible. Of course, it does not have to be thatway. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We loved learning new things and expanding our horizons. Definition of Counterintuitive. The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical model for the use of counterintuitive examples in the introductory non-calculus-based statistics course at the college level. Cool to well below 0oC, being careful to avoid disturbing it. Like hot water freezing faster than cold. Why do you get my tax dollars to be stupid?". In 1948, the Framingham Heart Study enrolled more than 5,000 residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, to participate in a long-term study of risk factors for heart disease. 1. NTU Singapore scientists report that plastic bags could be eco-friendlier than paper and cotton bags in cities like Singapore, Removal of dairy cows may reduce essential nutrient supply with little effect on greenhouse gas emissions, Thinning and prescribed fire treatments reduce tree mortality, Protective effect of mandatory face masks in the publicrelevant variables with likely impact on outcome were not considered, Ground-breaking discovery finally proves rain really can move mountains, The Bible gives a good general principle: Test all things; hold fast what is good (. Hospitals are infested with antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus bacteria that can turn a small cut into a limb- or life-threatening infection. Cognitive science. Our feeble minds can barely scratch the surface of existence, the cosmos, and everything. Here's a 1974 example from the American Philosophical Quarterly in which "counterintuitive" describes a dubious situation: "The formulas offered by Day lead to results so counter-intuitive that they had best be called simply false.". Why dont we ask our colleaguesto back up their claims of being counterintuitive with data? But being counterintuitive for counterintuitives sake? But when the stock goes back down to $50, you only lose 33%. And just generally weird stuff that you know of. Something that is counter-intuitive does not happen in the way you would expect it to: 2. You should sit in meditation every day unless you are too busy. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Whereas the exceptions tend to have a narrower list of plausible explanations. Science itself is counterintuitive. We should also revisit why we think counterintuitive is valuable. The definition of counterintuitive is something that goes against what you believe would be logical, or something that goes against common sense. I guess I never really thought about the first one, but it is really weird. The second and third are a given. For the past 151 years, sinceOn the Origin of Specieswas published, people have been arguing over evolution. It's just something that's easy to observe in a real experiment because the enthalpy of fusion is much greater than the enthalpy of heating (for a lack of a better term). King Solomon, who could be considered an early scientist because of his powers of observation and analysis of natural phenomena like plants, beasts, birds, reptiles and fish (I Kings 4:33) and of geophysical cycles (Ecclesiastes 1:5-7), urged youth to gain knowledge, but to build it on the foundation of wisdom. Thats what scientists (both professional and citizen scientists) ought to be doing. 1. 5 Are counterintuitive findings more valuable? 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Science can be glorious; it can bring clarity to a chaotic world. The definition of counterintuitive is something that goes against what you believe would be logical or something that goes against common sense. There's a whole lot about water we are still just learning now, and a lot of (fairly important) properties it has that are shared by only a few other substances in special circumstances. In this Letter, we report a counterintuitive example of relations between ZT and thermoelectric efficiency. Intuitively you would expect that the electrical resistance of a material would decrease as you decrease the temperature. What is the most surprising and counterintuitive finding in science that you can think of? These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. I guess as the material increases in temperature there will be some point where the conducting electrons will begin colliding in such a manner as to increase the resistance of the material. But if, after the experiment, you go back and erase the information about which slit each photon went through, then the interference pattern magically appears on the screen. Listed below are several particularly surprising findings from the field of psychology. IE throughout learning undergraduate quantum mechanics you hear "spin is a completely quantum mechanical phenomenon that doesn't exist outside of quantum mechanics." Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Scientists, like other people, are tempted to fall into the trap of assumption and conformity to expectations. This is technically false though. (But its true in other sciences too, probably more than we appreciate .) Even as an adult, I am constantly confronted with new scientific advancements and discoveries that don't always line up with my preconceived notions. This is your Brain on Psychology This is your Psychology on Brain (a guest post by RobChavez), Data analysis is thinking, data analysis istheorizing. Milgram famously did that with his obedience experiments. 4) When you don't have time to exercise or meditate, is when you need to exercise and meditate the most. Maybe; maybe not. 5. This re-boiling produces more steam, increasing the pressure, and thus raising the boiling point above the current water temperature, so boiling ceases. . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. An oldie but a goodie: the fact that a pendulum's period of oscillation is independent of the mass hanging from it. Common sense does not always follow this route, and may include social biases, assumptions, and even a lack of facts. Why does salt cause the ice to melt? Beyond the reach of formal theory, scientists develop educated guesses, hunches, and speculations based on their knowledge and experience. The more familiar I get with special relativity the less strange it seems; I'm not sure if quantum intuition is attainable, but grasping why relativity is true is, I think, possible. 3. One can win or lose for the wrong reason. Counterintuitive claim: Prices are determined by supply and demand. The research team found that the global warming potential of a single-use kraft paper bag was the highest, over 80 times that of reusable plastic bags. 10. It is now salt water, which has a lower freezing point than fresh water. Also. This is the so-called Simpson's . This counterintuitive approach applies also to minimalism. After all, we are the field that specializes in measuring and explaining peoples intuitions. It wouldn't be a popular sport. I want to know how we imagine things . Bell's theorem and general quantum weirdness. The concept of extinction took a while to sink in. The Earth is not the center of the universe. Advanced students should also realise that solvation of the ions releases energy, but less than the input needed to break down the ice and salt lattices. Clamp the funnel above a beaker. A couple of coins for the ferryman? Frequency: The definition of counterintuitive is something that goes against what you believe would be logical, or something that goes against common sense. In this article, the author explores how tackling concepts from an . Viscosity of gases increases with increasing temperature. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! Read the temperature; a little below 100oC, so the water has stopped boiling. For example, you probably wouldnt say that the double-slit experiment was counterintuitive; youd say it falsified classical mechanics. Here are ten of the biggest threats to our peace of mind. In front of your students, half fill the flask with tap water. The consequences are already apparent:glaciers are meltingfaster than ever, flowers are blooming earlier (just askHenry David Thoreau), and plants and animals are moving to more extreme latitudes and altitudes to keep cool. If so, perhaps general physics would be a place to go. The most common example of Bernoulli's principle is that of a fluid flowing through a horizontal pipe, which narrows in the middle and then opens up again. ( kantrntjutv) adj. For example, you probably wouldntsay that the double-slit experiment was counterintuitive; youdsay it falsified classical mechanics. The more often you see a person or an object, the more youll like it. But in social and personality psychology we study phenomena that regular people reflect on and speculate about too. If you detect which slit the photons go through, you dont get any interference pattern. The Big Bang was a quantum event and the universe at one time was as tiny as a quantum particle. I hate it and will tell you why in 5 minutes. As humans moved from continent to continent, large animals that had thrived for millions of years began to disappearmastodons in North America, giant kangaroos in Australia, dwarf elephants in Europe. Lead author Dr Byron Adams, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow at the universitys Cabot Institute for the Environment, said: It may seem intuitive that more rain can shape mountains by making rivers cut down into rocks faster. And the hot water freezing faster than cold water isn't a real effect. Somehow, gum made out of tree bark is still softer than Bazooka. In any science, though, you have areas of inquiry where there is not an existing theory that makes precise predictions. There are no "machine values.". Fire individual photons through a double slit at a screen and put a detector at each slit. Like everything you do just doesn't seem to work out? Describe the procedure fully and neutrally to a group of people (experts or nonexperts, depending whose intuitions you want to claim to be counter to) and askwhat they think will happen. Suppose Im promoting a research idea. And here's an example from the April 1979 issue of Scientific American that describes a factual . We have just begun to see the effects of human-induced climate change, and the predictions for whats to come range from dire to catastrophic. The reality is not so simple. Newtonian mechanics implies that causal relationships are unconstrained by distance - at first glance this seems uncontroversial, but upon reflection its clear that this contradicts our folk notions of causality. Einsteins famous equation is certainly one of the most brilliant and beautiful scientific discoveriesbut its also one of the most disturbing. Privacy Statement But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. counter-intuitive definition: 1. Quote from: thelatinist on September 28, 2011, 10:31:22 AM, Quote from: Chew on September 28, 2011, 09:49:10 AM, Quote from: Turbonegro on September 28, 2011, 07:45:31 AM, Quote from: Will Nitschke on September 28, 2011, 06:34:28 PM, Member: League of Extraordinarily Evil Gentlemen, Sci Fi Geek, fencer, free thinker, dog friendly. For example, a delay between the time a discrepancy is observed and a corrective action is taken will result in an oscillation in room temperature (see Figure 6.6). 2 What is another word for counterintuitive? Are you able to include anything visual? Somehow, gum made out of tree bark is still softer than Bazooka. What are the most surprising and counterintuitive findings in science? Special relativity, then, is a perfectly reasonable and elegent way to formalize this notion. It has long been believed by the medical and scientific community that the gender identity of . Yet many psychological studies have reported findings that are absolutely counterintuitive and that seem illogical. Even though the photos are already detected by the screen. (Counterintuitive framing is also a great way to sell a lot of books .) Ultimately, everything in the universe will drift farther and farther apart until the universe is uniformly cold and desolate. Third year of physics, and the first time I heard that, it boggled my mind, still kinda does, but I'm more used to it now. For example, with 1,000 variables, there are almost half a million (1,000x999/2) potential pairs of variables that might appear correlated by pure chance alone. Protective effect of mandatory face masks in the publicrelevant variables with likely impact on outcome were not considered (PNAS). counter-intuitive meaning: 1. A red light for go and a green light for stop would be highly counterintuitive, for example. :). You have to act in the short amount of time after crossing the slit and before impacting the screen. I can't remember the source, but paraphrasing it was something like "The Greeks couldn't have discovered special relativity, but I couldve convinced them it was true." And the water and land use required for beef contributes significantly to global warming, we are told.