15 + 10 points
Produce Fear In Another Person. by Augustus deCorbeau
December 14th, 2007 9:41 PM
So, I was thinking about how to go about producing fear. Maybe do the old "shimmy up a narrow hallway and surprise someone walking by underneath" trick. But I figured my arms would get tired after a while if nobody came by.
Then I realized that I had the perfect opportunity to produce fear in not merely one person, but three hundred and three people, simultaneously.
Behold, the freshman introductory psychology final exam!
*points at picture*
Now, a word of explanation: This was a comprehensive exam, covering material from August through last week. The first half of the term had been taught by one of my fellow grad students, who really went out of her way to get the class excited about the material. As a result, they all did really well on the first two tests.
Then, after mid-terms, the instructors switched, and the class was taught by a full professor who, well... let's just say that he has tenure. Also, he felt that the grade distribution from the first half of the semester was too positively skewed, so he made his two tests much, much harder.
And the last test -- was only four days ago.
So, people who were doing really well in the class were suddenly doing... not so well. Their fate in this course (and the entirety of their subsequent college career!!!) could all come down to their score on this final exam!
Today was also the first day of the final exam period -- so this is probably the very first college final these guys have ever had. So, you know... no pressure or anything.
And so...
I volunteered to come and pass out the exams at the start of the test, and then had someone snap my picture as I did it. I also briefly considering doing something extra -- saying something like, "Oh and by the way, we decided to add another 100 questions" or "It's all going to be short answer now, instead of multiple choice" -- but the task was to produce "fear", not irreparable mental trauma. (Plus I felt bad enough for these guys already.)
But this is not a total tale of doom and gloom. Even though the crowd looked pretty anxious as I was passing out the test, I think they did OK in the end. Most people seemed pretty confident as they were turning in their completed answer sheets.
Okay. Now to go check on my dissolving thing task...
Then I realized that I had the perfect opportunity to produce fear in not merely one person, but three hundred and three people, simultaneously.
Behold, the freshman introductory psychology final exam!
*points at picture*
Now, a word of explanation: This was a comprehensive exam, covering material from August through last week. The first half of the term had been taught by one of my fellow grad students, who really went out of her way to get the class excited about the material. As a result, they all did really well on the first two tests.
Then, after mid-terms, the instructors switched, and the class was taught by a full professor who, well... let's just say that he has tenure. Also, he felt that the grade distribution from the first half of the semester was too positively skewed, so he made his two tests much, much harder.
And the last test -- was only four days ago.
So, people who were doing really well in the class were suddenly doing... not so well. Their fate in this course (and the entirety of their subsequent college career!!!) could all come down to their score on this final exam!
Today was also the first day of the final exam period -- so this is probably the very first college final these guys have ever had. So, you know... no pressure or anything.
And so...
I volunteered to come and pass out the exams at the start of the test, and then had someone snap my picture as I did it. I also briefly considering doing something extra -- saying something like, "Oh and by the way, we decided to add another 100 questions" or "It's all going to be short answer now, instead of multiple choice" -- but the task was to produce "fear", not irreparable mental trauma. (Plus I felt bad enough for these guys already.)
But this is not a total tale of doom and gloom. Even though the crowd looked pretty anxious as I was passing out the test, I think they did OK in the end. Most people seemed pretty confident as they were turning in their completed answer sheets.
Okay. Now to go check on my dissolving thing task...
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posted by Augustus deCorbeau on December 16th, 2007 7:31 PM
Yeah -- admittedly, there wasn't a whole lot of forethought behind this, but I figured it would be a good way to get started.
aww i thought the story was leading up to you using legerdemain to switch out the real exams with ones from graduate level courses or something.
still cool, though!