[ale] [OT] Please Help me with my homework

[Geoffrey Myers]

Tom Freeman wrote:
> On 04/01/2011 10:20 AM, Chris Ness wrote:
>> On Mon, 2011-03-28 at 22:24 -0400, John Temple wrote:
>>> I have to do a project for my statistics class where I have been 
>>> asked to get a bunch of people to take a quiz where you identify the 
>>> states. Can you PLEASE take this quiz and let me know what your score 
>>> was. I played guinea pig and got a 144. 
>>>
>> 150 of 150. I guess it is age related, but I had trouble conceiving of 
>> anyone not getting a perfect score. At least no one who is on this 
>> list or college educated. The only exception I could see was maybe 
>> someone mis-clicking the mouse in some of the cramped states in New 
>> England. 
> Years and years ago (grad school) my wife and I had dinner at place that 
> was using placemats with a "name the states and capitals" game on them. 
> The waitress opined that most of her customers were getting about a 
> quarter or less of the possible responses.
> 
> This was in a university town.
> 
> Lots and lots of us do not find geography the least bit 
> useful/interesting/valuable.
> 
> I wonder how the advent of the map direction GPS is influencing spatial 
> ability? (And lets not guess, research only...)

Just like calculators have let my mental math skills get rusty, I find 
that although I used to be really good about remembering directions 
after one visit to a location, I now find I dig out the GPS for multiple 
trips to the same location.  I now, consciously note the directions the 
first time, and then don't use the GPS after that.
-- 
Until later, Geoffrey

"I predict future happiness for America if they can prevent
the government from wasting the labors of the people under
the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson