Microblog #47, "Why We Make Mistakes, Chapters 8 and 9"

8
Summary
This chapter deals with the internal organization of information, using misremembered facts to advocate the notion that we store information in orderly constellations, even when the information is disorderly.

Discussion
The results of the Star Spangled Banner experiment, for me. Didn't look up anything.

Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there
Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave 


On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foes haughty host in dread silence reposes
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep
As it fitfully blows half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream
'Tis the star spangled banner O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave


And where is the foe who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country would leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution
And no refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave
And the star spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave


Thus shall it be ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the wars desolation
Blessed with vict'ry and peace may the Heaven rescued land
Praise the Power which hath made and preserved it a nation
And conquer we must for our cause it is just
Let this be our cry "In God is our trust"
And the star spangled banner forever shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave


Making allowances for 'and' vs '&' and 'watched' vs 'watch'd', etc I got all 82 words. For the record, the book has an error on line 5 of the lyrics - "bomb" should be the plural "bombs".

I don't think this is the best example they could have picked. The Anthem is an old enough song that there are multiple correct versions (cry vs motto, verse 4 line 6), so there are some cases were it isn't really wrong to get lyrics different from the standard being used as a control here.


9

Summary

This chapter discusses the differences in the performances of men and women in various studies and statistics, then relates it to memory.

Discussion

After getting off to a good start the book comes crashing back to earth in this chapter. The two initial examples (Traffic Tickets & Saddam WMDs) are both blatantly flawed (They didn't even bring up the obvious first explanation to the male-female ticket disconnect, namely that cops will be less likely to give a ticket to a woman than a man they pulled over for doing the same thing, for example). Still, some of their point may have merit.