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

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

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

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

*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

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.

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

"oh Mr Darceratops!!"

Good luck for the scholarship!

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

'Why would you study about PEAS!?'

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).

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


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.

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


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 (highly influential visual attention researcher). I'm considering asking them to adopt me

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!!!

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!