Hey there! Today, we’re diving into some fun psychology tests with Elliot Morgan, Steve Zaragoza, and Bree Essrig. These tests are all about understanding how we think and perceive things. Let’s get started!
Imagine you have two glasses of water. One is tall and narrow, and the other is short and wide. Which one has more water? It’s a tricky question because they actually have the same amount! This test is part of something called Piaget’s conservation tasks. Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who studied how children develop their thinking skills. Kids often think the taller glass has more water because it looks fuller, but they learn over time that the amount of water doesn’t change just because the shape of the glass does.
Next up, we have two rows of coins. One row is spread out, and the other is bunched up. Which row has more coins? Just like the water glasses, both rows have the same number of coins. This test helps us understand how kids perceive quantity and space. Younger children might think the longer row has more coins, but as they grow, they realize the number of coins hasn’t changed.
This test is all about memory and pattern recognition. Imagine tapping a sequence on four cubes and then trying to repeat it. It’s similar to a game called Simon, where you have to remember and repeat patterns. This test measures intelligence and memory skills. It’s interesting to see how well people can remember sequences, especially when they’re presented quickly!
Now for some fun and quirky questions! Is the color red heavier than yellow? Or is a sweater angrier than a tree? These questions don’t have real answers, but they’re designed to make us think. They show how we often try to come up with answers even when there aren’t any. It’s a reminder that sometimes it’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”
These tests and questions help psychologists understand how we think and learn. They show how our perceptions change as we grow and how we often try to make sense of the world around us. It’s fascinating to see how our minds work and how we develop our understanding of different concepts.
So, next time you face a tricky question or puzzle, remember that it’s all part of learning and growing. And don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know”—it’s a great way to keep exploring and discovering new things!
Try the Water Glass Challenge yourself! Gather two glasses, one tall and narrow, and the other short and wide. Fill them with the same amount of water and observe. Discuss with your classmates why the taller glass might seem to have more water and how this relates to Piaget’s conservation tasks.
Recreate the Coin Row Puzzle by arranging two rows of coins, one spread out and the other bunched up. Count the coins in each row and discuss with your peers why the spread-out row might appear to have more coins. Reflect on how this activity helps us understand perception of quantity and space.
Play a memory game similar to the Knox Cube Test. Use four different colored objects and create a sequence by tapping them. Challenge your classmates to repeat the sequence. Gradually increase the difficulty by adding more taps. Discuss how this activity helps improve memory and pattern recognition skills.
Engage in a fun discussion about the quirky questions from the article. Ask your classmates if they think a color can be heavier or if an object can have emotions. Explore how these questions challenge our thinking and why it’s sometimes okay to not have a definite answer.
Write a short reflection on how your perceptions have changed over time. Think about a time when you realized something wasn’t as it seemed. Share your reflections with the class and discuss how these experiences relate to the psychology tests discussed in the article.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hey, everyone. I’m here today with Elliot Morgan from the channel “Elliot Morgan” and previously of “SourceFed” and “Mental Floss.” Yes, that is accurate. This is Steve Zaragoza from Comic-Con HQ’s “Mostly Homeless” and “SourceFed.” Yes, that’s correct. And this is Bree Essrig from “Nuclear Family” and “SourceFed.” Mhm. Hi.
So, your first question, Steve. OK. Which of these glasses has more water in it? I think this one. OK. Just because it’s wider. You know, that’s probably an obvious answer. I could test this. Yes, using what’s called the scientific method. But I’m going to say that one does. My temptation is to say that they’re both the same. Obviously, this is higher because it’s narrower. This is lower, but it’s wider. So I would say that it’s the same.
Good to know. Oh, the way you say OK is interesting. It’s neutral enough that it makes me feel uncertain, and you second-guessed yourself? Yep, oh, yeah. I’m going to say it’s the same. And I’m wrong, aren’t I?
Yeah, see there it is again. You should name your show just “OK.” I’m going to give you the answers after the next question.
All right, second question— which of these rows has more coins? I believe it has the same amount of coins. Really? I believe it does. Uh-huh. They’re the same. They are the same. Yeah, yeah. As far as worth? Just the number. I think it’s the exact same.
Well, they both have the same amount. So are the glasses? Yeah, the glasses are the same! It might comfort you to know that these two tests are for children. Oh, yes, it would. So these two tests are from a series of tasks called Piaget’s conservation tasks. They’re for children.
How’d I do? You did great. So Jean Piaget was this Swiss developmental psychologist. And these are tests that are actually for children. [LAUGHTER] So I phrased the questions a little bit unfairly, also a little bit differently than how they’re asked with kids. What is interesting about these is that kids who are three to four years old get them wrong. The test will start like this, right? And then the researcher will get this cup and do that and be like, is the amount of liquid the same? Or does one have more? They would say that the taller glass has the most water in it. And they say that the longer row of coins has more coins.
Well, they’re also three. The coins test they master by five or six years old. But they don’t get the volume test until nine or ten years old usually. So it’s the same kind of concept, except they—once they learn this, they can’t apply it to something different.
I see. So Piaget made up a word for it, which is called decalage. It’s based on the idea that some physical quantities are unchanged or conserved during spatial changes.
So in this test, you have to repeat after me. I’m going to tap a sequence on my four cubes, and you have to repeat the sequence on your four cubes. Is this like Simon? You know, I have no idea what Simon is. I think this is a cultural difference.
Wow! Yeah, because that’s what Elliot said. Is it called something different? You know, I was always really bad at that Simon game. I haven’t even heard of it.
Are you ready? Mhm. You’re good at this. This one’s not going to go well. I can tell already. Here we go. Right. OK. Oh, no. You went fast. Oh, no! Did I mess up already? So that is called the Knox cube test. [GROAN] One, two, three, four. I can’t even remember.
What it was. And it’s an intelligence test, as you might have guessed. It’s for children. Do you go that fast when you’re teaching children, you think? I’ve never done it with kids before.
So maybe I’m not the best person to administer this test. I think you were going very fast. The last one, I just made up. It wasn’t even part of the test. I don’t know. It just went from A to Z so fast. Like, it was so simple. And then it just was like, da-da-da-da-da.
It’s hard to administer intelligence tests to kids sometimes if they don’t have verbal abilities yet. But despite what you say, kids can be very smart. I know you don’t believe that. I believe it now. Today is a good developmental psychology day. I’m learning a lot about myself.
So when kids are about five, they tend to get the first one. And then by the time that they’re 11, they can do all of them. Like perfectly? Yep. But it’s interesting because with kids, their performance on these tests early in life is positively correlated with how well they do on IQ tests later in life.
Wow, that science is so important. I just, I’m realizing that now, more than ever.
Next question— is red heavier than yellow? Heavier? Mhm. Uh, yes? Maybe? Huh? Yeah. I would have to say yes. No. I think they’re both the same. I was going off based on ROYGBIV.
Red, orange, yellow— and I figured that, you know, red would be the extreme end of it. And now, I feel like I’ve just said all of the wrong things. I would say— I would only say yes because it feels like a brighter, more intense color.
I guess the idea would be that, well, colors don’t have weight that I know of, unless they do. They do, don’t they? I can tell by— she’s looking at me like they definitely do. So maybe not. I don’t think they— I don’t think colors weigh anything.
Are they items, or are they colors? No, they’re colors— like, is the color red heavier than the color yellow? Maybe like a rust red. I don’t know. Getting very specific. I have no idea. I think they’re the same.
I feel like I have become so wrong that I’m going to start questioning very basic things. It’s such a weird question.
OK, one more question— is a sweater or a jumper, as I would say, angrier than a tree? What? I’m going to be thinking about these all day today and tomorrow. For the rest of time. Is a sweater angrier than a tree?
Do they ask children these questions, too? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because when you cross your arms, it’s angry. Oh, that’s interesting. If you’re wearing a sweater and you cross your arms, yeah, that could be angry.
But is the sweater angry, or are you angry and you’re forcing the sweater to also be angry? Well, yes, I think trees are very happy. You think trees are happy? Maybe.
Do you think happiness is something that we’ve imposed on trees, though? Yes. How do we know that they’re really happy? It’s like the eco-movement has made them a symbol of happiness.
You’re right. We impose our feelings and what we know on everything. I don’t like when people anthropomorphize dogs to the point where it’s like— Excuse me. I think a tree might be angrier. Why is that? Because a tree is an actual life form.
But I guess a sweater is also made from nature. I don’t know. I think maybe they’re both inanimate objects that can’t feel. A tree has been allowed to just live its life the way it wanted to live its life. A sweater used to be all sorts of things. It used to be a plant.
Anyway, the last two questions that I asked you, there’s no answer to them. Is a sweater angrier than a tree? Who knows? Is one color heavier than another? That’s absurd.
But people try and come up with answers. They have been asked in studies before to see how many people will say, “I don’t know,” which you actually said a couple of times. There’s been studies done where, like, 3/4 of kids will make up an answer to something where researchers know there is not an answer to the question.
But kids will just try and answer it. And it’s a habit that we continue into adulthood, where we don’t like to say, “I don’t know.” The guys who run “Freakonomics” think that “I don’t know” are the hardest three words in the English language for someone to say.
Because people won’t admit when they don’t know something. True, yeah. I certainly don’t.
So the research looks at how you ask questions and how that causes people to speculate when the questions are unanswerable. So they maybe think, like, something, like they’re being tricked or something, or?
Yeah, yeah. Or, like, I think just— it looks at the way that you ask questions in research and how that affects people’s responses. Steve and Elliot never said, “I don’t know.” They tried to make up answers.
That does not surprise me. Anyway, that’s it. That was wonderful. Oh. I love it. I like that stuff.
Yeah, yeah. These are fun. Thank you. You’re welcome. Yes. Awkward hug from the couch— couch hugs!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. – Example sentence: In psychology class, we learned how emotions can influence decision-making.
Tests – Assessments or evaluations used to measure knowledge, abilities, or psychological traits. – Example sentence: The students took several tests to determine their understanding of the psychological theories discussed in class.
Perception – The process by which individuals interpret and organize sensory information to understand their environment. – Example sentence: Our perception of color can change depending on the lighting conditions.
Memory – The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information. – Example sentence: Techniques like visualization can help improve memory retention for studying.
Intelligence – The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. – Example sentence: Intelligence tests are often used to assess cognitive abilities in various fields of study.
Quantity – The amount or number of a material or immaterial thing. – Example sentence: In experiments, scientists often measure the quantity of a substance to understand its effects on behavior.
Space – The physical universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere, or the area in which objects exist and events occur. – Example sentence: Psychologists study how the perception of space can affect human behavior and interaction.
Thinking – The process of using one’s mind to consider or reason about something. – Example sentence: Critical thinking is an essential skill for analyzing psychological studies and theories.
Development – The process of growth or progress, especially in terms of psychological or physical maturation. – Example sentence: The development of language skills is a key focus in child psychology.
Learning – The acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or being taught. – Example sentence: Learning new study techniques can enhance students’ academic performance.
