GOGSoc Episode VI: The GoG, the Bad and the Ugly

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Not that I have an awful lot of research* to discuss at the moment but the worst thing about my job is that everyone has an (often dogmatic) opinion as an armchair economist too. Should Cambridge ever get back to me with an offer, I'll no doubt face a similar situation with M #2. I sometimes wish I'd chosen some arcane branch of pure maths ...well, actually no I don't, but I think a response of "oh......" and a change of subject would be nice for a change! And I don't think you get conspiracy theories in maths :biggrin:

*edit: actually I do, but it's not academic, so not sure if it "counts" here!!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 61

The Lyceum

Could be worse guys "I study Homer" "you study the Simpsons?"

Reply 62

Bluth.

Original post by sj27

*edit: actually I do, but it's not academic, so not sure if it "counts" here!!

I have been told that it is unlikely that many of the people on the committee for a scholarship I am applying for will have much (if any) experience with experimental psychology. So, in my short proposal I have to not only 'sell' myself and my research, but the subject as a whole. The fact that my research has (tentative) links with economics will probably make it more accessible, seeing as everyone is an armchair economist :tongue:

Reply 63

Craghyrax

Original post by sj27

*edit: actually I do, but it's not academic, so not sure if it "counts" here!!

I'm pretty sure that we had a discussion in here months ago about how it was an occupational hazard of the social sciences (more than other subjects) to attract that whole armchair expert thing. Everyone feels like they have a qualified opinion on politics/economics/society just because they watch tv :banghead:

Then again, being a social scientist, I couldn't possibly generalise in this way without gathering a decent sample from the humanities, social sciences and sciences, and recording frequency of layperson expertise encounters :p:

Reply 64

sj27

Original post by Bluth.

Good luck for the scholarship!

When you say tentative links with economics - are you referring to behavioural economics?

Reply 65

hobnob

Original post by The Lyceum

Hm mine tends to be divided thusly

"I study the Classics"
"Oh like Jane Austen?"

or

"I study the ancient world"
"like Dinosaurs"?

I bet that would make an entertaining thesis topic, though: Jane Austen and Dinosaurs.

Reply 66

The Lyceum

Original post by hobnob

I bet that would make an entertaining thesis topic, though: Jane Austen and Dinosaurs.

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

Reply 67

hobnob

Original post by The Lyceum

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

PRSOM

Reply 68

sj27

Original post by The Lyceum

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

On top form today, Mr Lyceum!

(And also PRSOM)

Reply 69

Aeschylus

Original post by The Lyceum

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

hahah

(thirdly PRSOM)

I just get an 'oh' when I mention my subject or 'that seems pointless'.

Reply 70

evantej

Lol, my family think reading is a waste of time so you can imagine that I never get the chance to even explain my research...

Reply 71

aeterno

Not necessarily about my research (because I'm not doing any :tongue:

) but I do get A LOT of comments when people find out I'm in the War Studies dept.

'Girls shouldn't study such topics'
'Oh. So you support wars then?!' (they then proceed to go on a rant about why war is wrong)
'Ugh, I always hated history at school'
'HAHA! What do you do?! Repeatedly learn about WWI and WWII?! They are the only wars that have mattered, right?!'

Or if I tell them my course name, it's all:
'What's that?'
'Oh. So you're a naive pacifist then?!' (cue rant about how ridiculous I'm being in 'my views' and that wars are inevitable etc. etc.)
'Why would you study about PEAS!?' (alright, they most likely misheard me but still :colonhash:

)
'You going to work for MI5/MI6 then?'
'So...you're going to bomb violent people?'

I've taken to telling people that I work at McDonald's now and watch them struggle to swiftly change the subject :colonhash:

Reply 72

Bluth.

Original post by sj27

Good luck for the scholarship!

When you say tentative links with economics - are you referring to behavioural economics?

Thanks

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 73

sj27

Original post by aeterno

'Why would you study about PEAS!?'

When I learnt "Silent Night" in kindergarten, I thought it was "sleep in heavenly peas". For the longest time the carol gave me images of happy cherubs blissfully asleep in their big green spheres floating in the sky :biggrin:

Original post by Bluth.

Thanks

Yes, I'm primarily a visual attention researcher but my PhD will bridge cognitive psychology with behavioural economics. I'm hoping to investigate the decision making processes involved in assigning value to previously ignored items (one example could be a product that appears in a distracting pop-up ad, when you are busy concentrating on reading an article).

Sounds interesting! I'm no expert in the field by a long shot, but have taken a keener interest since having the privilege of attending a lecture by Dan Ariely a couple of years ago.

Reply 74

Bluth.

Original post by sj27

Sounds interesting! I'm no expert in the field by a long shot, but have taken a keener interest since having the privilege of attending a lecture by Dan Ariely a couple of years ago.

Oh wow, jealous! Although the people I would really like to see talk are Daniel Kahneman (nobel prize winner for his work on behavioural economics) and his wife Anne Treisman. I'm considering asking them to adopt me :tongue:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 75

aeterno

Original post by sj27

Sounds interesting! I'm no expert in the field by a long shot, but have taken a keener interest since having the privilege of attending a lecture by Dan Ariely a couple of years ago.

That is actually so adorable! :biggrin:

Reply 76

sj27

Original post by Bluth.

Oh wow, jealous! Although the people I would really like to see talk are Daniel Kahneman (nobel prize winner for his work on behavioural economics) and his wife Anne Treisman (highly influential visual attention researcher). I'm considering asking them to adopt me :tongue:

Kahneman was talking at a conference I nearly went to this year...but there was really only him and Fama that I really wanted to listen to, and Chicago is an awful long way away for me!!!

Reply 77

apotoftea

Mine tends to get the response of 'so you're looking at stamps?' Or LOTS of questions about Antony Trollope. Who I barely know anything about and have never read of his work.

I've had a few weeks of meeting a lot of people and I've found it's 100x easier to say 'I'm a researcher' than to say 'I'm doing a PhD' when I get the 'so what do you do?' question.

Bluth - your research sounds fascinating!

Reply 78

Bluth.

Original post by sj27

Kahneman was talking at a conference I nearly went to this year...but there was really only him and Fama that I really wanted to listen to, and Chicago is an awful long way away for me!!!

Oooh I think I would have been very tempted, but I'm not sure how the whole travelling/conference thing works yet.

Original post by apotoftea

I've had a few weeks of meeting a lot of people and I've found it's 100x easier to say 'I'm a researcher' than to say 'I'm doing a PhD' when I get the 'so what do you do?' question.

good tactic! Probably also stops the 'eternal student' stereotypes.

Original post by apotoftea

Bluth - your research sounds fascinating!

I like you :ahee:

Reply 79

ice_cube

I get a similar reaction when I say where I work. People either look deathly bored, or say 'oh so the crisis is all your fault then'. Then when I explain exactly what I do people either get bored and wander off, or say 'they let YOU do that?!'