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In Reply to: RE: Blind-tested soloists unable to tell Stradivarius violins from modern instruments posted by newdreams on April 07, 2014 at 10:43:24
I may be reading this out of context, but the following paragraph makes absolutely no sense to me:
"In one test the participants were asked to reject instruments they didn’t like and rank their four favourites in order, with the researchers awarding four points to each player’s top instrument."
Surely, this doesn't mean that they couldn't tell the difference between a Stradivari and a.n. other violin, merely that they had a preference for some violins over others...
Also:
"The players were told to judge each violin as if they were looking for an instrument that could best replace their own for an upcoming concert tour."
So, they weren't trying to judge which was a stradivari and which was brand x, they were asked to select an instrument to "replace their own for an upcoming concert tour." This is not the same thing...
Cheers
Welly
He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
- Douglas Adams
Follow Ups:
I fail to see the difference. Since it is universally accepted that the Strad is the best, what difference does it make how they worded it?
Ferrari is supposedly superior to Chevy. If 8 race drivers out of 10 prefered the new Vette over the latest Ferrari, without knowing which was which, does that invalidate their opinions?
Big difference in my opinion.If a person was asked "identify the Strad" (which my quoted questions did not), they will look for what they believe to be the key characteristics of a Strad while forming their opinion and choose based solely on that factor.
If they are asked to choose the one they "like", they will evaluate the sound of all instruments and choose what they "consider" to be the best. If they are a fan of Sttads then they will (probably) pick the Strad. However, if they are not a fan of Strads, they will not pick the Strad.
This is why, in many walks of life people have, for example, different cars, Hi-Fis or Boats. They choose based on what they "Like" not necessarily what is the "Best".
Similarly, if they were asked to evaluate the violin that they would take on their next tour (Which was one the questions), It is possible that they could identify the strad via the blind test and make a conscious decision to choose another one that sounds similar but would be more suitable for the rigours of life on the road (i.e. if it ain't a Strad, it's probably cheaper).
If the point of the test was to identify which one of a batch of violins is a Strad, then ask the question "which one is the strad". The questions I highlighted did not not do that. They asked "Which one do you like ?" and "which one is suitable to take on tour?"
Phrasing the questions in that manner could conceivably weight the answers, as the player could subconsciously use other factors in making his final choices.
Just because a strad is universally accepted as the best, it does not mean that a particular individual will:
A.) Like the Strad or
B.) Consider suitable for their next tour.At the end of the day, my point is that you can affect the results of any test by phrasing the questions to suit your own ends.
Cheers
Welly
He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
- Douglas Adams
Edits: 04/07/14
Yeah I like the different "Boats" argument the best...
There is a saying that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit...but frequently the funniest.
Unfortunately, only the first half of this saying is correct in the case of your reply.
The original respondent to my post used cars as an example,so I figured boats wasn't too much of a stretch as an EXAMPLE.
Cheers
Welly
He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
- Douglas Adams
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