Word: simpson
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...Records of automobiles struck by lightning are rare. Says an international authority on thunderstorms, Sir George Clarke Simpson, Director of the British Meteorological Office, people riding in an automobile with an all-steel top are practically immune from lightning, even though the automobile itself may be struck. The movement of the car does not affect its chances of being hit. Safe rule in a thunderstorm: drive slowly...
Influencing people is an art, but even art is measured by scientists' yardsticks nowadays. Last week a psychologist reduced to statistics some surprising facts about the subtle art of changing people's minds through discussion. Dr. Ray H. Simpson, an instructor in Barnard College, made a study of Those Who Influence and Those Who Are Influenced in Discussions.* His guinea pigs were 185 college girls (Dr. Simpson says his findings would probably have been similar if the subjects had been men.) He determined their opinions on many issues, then formed groups of four students each, with differing opinions...
...Simpson was unable to discover many traits that consistently mark people who are easily influenced. Influential people, his studies proved, are themselves least influenced. People who do not change their opinions easily usually are rated as desirable friends by their fellows after a discussion. A surprising discovery was that extremists are as apt to be influenced by discussion as middle-of-the-roaders...
...Simpson's tests were intended to show not only how much but how good an influence discussion has. He concluded that a properly conducted "bull session'' has a good effect, for after his students had discussed works of art, their ratings of those works agreed more closely with experts' opinions. Few subjects realized their opinions had been changed by discussion. One girl told Dr. Simpson she was still of the same mind as before. Yet on her second test she unconsciously swung 17 points toward a consensus of experts...
Lecturing at Oxford on Jews who have been forced to flee from Germany, Sir John Simpson announced that thus far in Britain these refugees have done so well that they have given jobs to 25,000 Englishmen. Sir John blandly concluded a warm plea for more refugees saying, "Thus far the number of jobs they have given our people exceeds the number of refugees...