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Post by Antigone68104 on May 30, 2013 13:36:47 GMT
Throw Like A Girl -- I missed a chunk of the testing thanks to a flash flood warning for an adjacent county. What I saw looked well balanced.
I noticed that all the test subjects threw overhand. When I was in grade school and had (to show up for) gym class, the female students were required to throw underhand. I don't recall if there was any justification given for this; I know the boys threw overhand, so it wasn't from concern that the kids were going to break something with wild pitches. Was differences in how males and females are taught to throw addressed in the preempted-for-weather-alert section?
Multitasking -- One thing I noticed is that most of the chores the volunteers had to do are things that are traditionally female chores in the US. I would like to see a revisit in a gender-neutral setting, to see how much of the women's scores was due to prior experience with the tasks.
Ask For Directions -- Well, I'm not a good example either way, because if I'm headed to an unfamiliar area I check a map first.
Parallel Parking -- You know, I don't remember if they even covered this in driver's ed. (Not that the driver's ed course at my high school was all that great.) I think this one really comes down to where one lives and how much practice one gets parallel parking, not gender.
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Post by the light works on May 30, 2013 14:05:15 GMT
Throwing like a girl: I first heard of the science behind thin in Huckleberry Finn, when a spinster is coaching Tom on how to better disguise himself. I don't know what social era Antigone was in grade school during, but I am wondering if her lessons involved social prejudice against girls throwing things. - they did do an offhand throw test in the final bit of the show; whoch eliminated the results of training and muscle memory and came to the conclusion that "girl throwing" mechanics seem to be the default untrained throw.
multitasking: it did look to me like some of the men were not really even suited to singletasking those particular tasks. however, I don't challenge the results. I hate having to do multiple unrelated things at the same time.
ask for directions: I have to admit I would have probably gone off-route and tried to find the next street before I stopped for directions. - although to my credit, I had a service call last saturday and had to call the customer for better directions., because the street happened to be horseshoe shaped, with the same name for both ends of the horseshoe .
parallel parking: My wife immediately noticed that the space was smaller than a legal size parking space. I have to admit that when I was in college I once "nudged" my way into a space that was about 6 inches shorter than my pickup. - back when bumpers were steel and didn't show evidence.
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Post by Antigone68104 on May 30, 2013 14:32:47 GMT
Grade school would have been late 60s-very early 70s, Title IX wasn't passed until I was in junior high. There probably was a good helping of social prejudice stirred into how gym class was taught. (And math class, but that's offtopic.)
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Post by PK on May 30, 2013 15:05:18 GMT
My wife immediately spotted that same issue with multitasking: they are all tasks that most households raise women to do.
Personally, I would have deducten points from first woman tested for nearly scalding her "baby". Not once, but twice. It came within a few inches of both a boiling tea kettle and a hot iron while she had it tucked under her arm. Personally, I'd call that pretty poor multitasking. Of course for a more realistic test, most families with an infant have a high-chair in the kitchen to stow the baby in.
Throw like a girl: I was happy to see that they included the off-hand throw at the end. Something I've always noticed about myself is that when I thrown left-handed, I throw "like a girl". Obviously it's not just me.
Directions: Speaking for myself, even when someone gives me turn-by-turn directions I always check a map before heading out, just to make sure I know where I'm going. In the testing situation, I'd at least make an effort to try to find the missing street before asking. I also get asked for directions several times a year when I'm on my morning/afternoon walks, and if I had to guess I'd say I get asked more often by men than women.
Parallel Parking: Again, speaking for myself, if I came across a spot that small I'd move on and look for another. I'd rather walk a few extra blocks (or pay for parking) than bang into someone elses car.
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Post by ironhold on May 30, 2013 15:15:32 GMT
Throw Like A Girl - I agree that a follow-up could do underhand throws in order to see if there's a difference with that. From there, I would also suggest that perhaps they should test other thrown implements, like darts and basketballs.
Multi-Tasking - I also agree that the lack of a playpen or high chair for the child was a bit of an unnecessary complication. Additionally, why wasn't the clothing ironed *before* being hung up?
Directions - I'm a professional courier for a local newspaper, and occasionally do garage sales as I have the time and money. While I'm familiar with the vast majority of streets in my town, I *immediately* go for a map if there's a street name I don't know.
Parallel Parking - I just avoid it if at all possible. My depth perception isn't what it should be, and the car I drive has odd dimensions.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on May 30, 2013 15:50:46 GMT
Throw Like A Girl: It was interesting to see how even the results were. I did like the motion tracking tech that was used at ILM, which showed that differences in throwing are due to anatomy & evolution of the genders.
Multi-Tasking: How many of us want a 'Baby Buster' for home?! I will agree that the task picked are usually seen as gender-specific to females. Though, what might have been a better battery of morning tasks to test?
Asking Directions: Very disappointed that the men lost this one! I am stubborn when it comes to asking for directions, which means that I have to have deemed myself to be hopelessly lost (like the first male tested)
Parallel Parking: Again, the men let me down! I am absolutely better than my wife at parallel parking (she will circle the block at least five times before even attempting to parallel park...)
Jeez...the women wiped the floor with the men this time! I guess this means that we'll need to design 'Battle of the Sexes - Part 3'! ;D
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Post by ironhold on May 30, 2013 16:14:02 GMT
Actually, for "asking directions" they gave the win to the men.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on May 30, 2013 16:29:41 GMT
But, didn't the women wait a minute longer on average?
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Post by blindleader on May 30, 2013 20:59:06 GMT
Now this is tangential to the episode, but:
How many people here (we're all geeks, right?), like to start up Google Earth or Maps and find the locations where MBs shoot?
The driving directions location was pretty easy to find, yet the MBs disguised it by showing a custom drawn map with the compass rose rotated about 45° to the West. I can't imagine they thought it would be much of an obstacle.
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Post by PK on May 30, 2013 21:09:37 GMT
How many people here (we're all geeks, right?), like to start up Google Earth or Maps and find the locations where MBs shoot? Usually. Although I didn't last night (though I did for the first Battle of the Sexes driving test). Where was it? More often I'm interested in finding the regional locations instead of the SF ones: the racetrack they used last week, the vacant resort in the Halloween special, the old weapons depot, the various quarries/reservoirs, etc. That's more of a personal thing, though, since I grew up in and around the region and it's fun to spot places I know (for example: more than once they used the pool at Campolino High School which was my HS's "big rival" back in the day). |
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Post by ironhold on May 30, 2013 21:44:01 GMT
But, didn't the women wait a minute longer on average? That was the point. The myth holds that men are proud and stubborn, and so would rather meander around lost than ask for help. Instead, it turned out to be the women who were prouder and/or more stubborn, in that it took them longer to give up. |
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Post by breesfan on May 31, 2013 0:56:13 GMT
Throwing: I thought it was interesting test and didn't think about who threw better or not. Do kids really say, 'You throw like a girl' still?
Directions: I don't know about this one, I wonder if the subjects knew or suspected it was a test or something. Plus, yes, I would check out the maps first even though I don't drive.
Parallel parking: I thought the cars were positioned to where the test subjects would fail.
Multitasking: Who irons their shirt in the morning? I would think you would have that done and ready the night before or days before. Would have been better if they didn't have baby buster even if it was cute.
They need to redo this one again but maybe at an office job or something like that.
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Post by the light works on May 31, 2013 2:29:12 GMT
When I worked in the gas station, equall numbers of men as women asked for directions. I think it was also equal proportions asking (observationsal skills lacking) questions. most common: "where's a liquor store?" see that big yellow sign that says "LIQUOR" on it? "how do I get to the ocean?" go south until you get to the bottom of the hill, make a right and listen for the splash.
and #1 was "how do I get to highway 101 from here?" (the station was ON highway 101)
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Post by blazerrose on May 31, 2013 2:47:16 GMT
On the multi-tasking thing, one thing I noticed, regardless of the tasks, was that the women answered the phones *while* doing something else. The men seemingly couldn't do that. Not sure that the actual tasks made that much difference. I also thought of a story that ran on the news recently that most secretarial/admin assistant positions are still dominated by women. Could it have something to do with the multi-tasking aspect? I want a baby Buster - too cute! I loved the science and analysis that went on during "throw like a girl". Very well done, and very interesting, to boot. Anyone who ever threw that insult at me got, "Well, duh, I am a girl!" as a response.  |
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on May 31, 2013 12:50:53 GMT
Just rewatched the episode and caught the preview for next week: Jamie trying to ride a dirtbike on the surface of a lake...
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Post by OziRiS on May 31, 2013 21:33:44 GMT
Throw like a girl: Extremely well done! You really had a sense that the sentence: "We've done extensive research into this" wasn't just something they were saying for the cameras. It seemed like they'd thought of every angle on this myth. If they put the same amount of thought into every test they did, there'd never be a reason to revisit anything.
Multitasking: Glad to see I'm not the only one who thought that test was pretty much set up for the women to win from the beginning. The setting was more or less something that most guys aren't used to, which was pretty apparant when some of them failed to realize from the beginning that an iron needs to heat up before you can use it. I will agree that there seemed to be something to it anyway, as most of the guys were stopped dead in their tracks as soon as the phone rang. Still, it needs a do-over in a gender neutral setting.
Asking for directions: In my experience, females are more likely to follow rules and guidelines to the letter than men are, at times even imposing non existing rules upon themselves because they feel like they're implied. That leads me to believe that some of the reason for the results they got may have been that the women were more likely than the men to see asking for directions as a form of cheating. Either way, almost all the men did stop and ask, leaving the myth thoroughly busted.
Parallel parking: That spot would have never been a potential parking space for me. It was WAY too small and I just would never have taken the chance. Maybe if I'd been driving a Smart or a Peugeot 107 or something, but not in a sedan like that.
Does it jump out at anyone else that the two most poorly tested myths were both the ones the build team did? Adam and Jamie's were both done extremely well in comparison. Is it just me, or is that a developing trend?
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Post by Cybermortis on May 31, 2013 22:34:00 GMT
Question; What sort of multi-tasking test would you consider to be 'gender neutral'?
Question 2; Was the asking for directions test done with one or two people in the car? The reason is that I've always been given the impression that men are less likely to ask for directions if someone else (especially a woman) is in the car with them. Basically male pride makes it less likely that a man will admit to being lost by stopping and asking for directions in front of others.
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Post by breesfan on May 31, 2013 22:57:38 GMT
Question; What sort of multi-tasking test would you consider to be 'gender neutral'? Question 2; Was the asking for directions test done with one or two people in the car? The reason is that I've always been given the impression that men are less likely to ask for directions if someone else (especially a woman) is in the car with them. Basically male pride makes it less likely that a man will admit to being lost by stopping and asking for directions in front of others. One person in the car. But that is an interesting case as to what if maybe there is two men in the car or two women or man/woman in the car, would it be different. |
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Post by OziRiS on Jun 1, 2013 0:57:50 GMT
Question; What sort of multi-tasking test would you consider to be 'gender neutral'? Well, you could still include getting dressed and talking on the phone. Other things I'd consider gender neutral: - Searching the web - Typing on a computer - Walking a dog - Feeding a pet - Heating food in the microwave (possibly also serving it) - Reading (either out loud to someone or instructions that then have to be carried out) - Solving small puzzles - Filling some sort of container with something (could be a large bucket and a slow running tap, making you have to keep an eye on it so it doesn't spill over) - Toasting bread - Making tea or instant coffee - Collecting or sorting objects (possibly as per instructions either read or given over the phone) - Talking to a person physically there with you (maybe even relaying instructions to that person while you do something else) - Finding a specific channel on a TV There are lots of things. The key point has to be to select tasks that women don't typically do more often than men and vice verca. Of course you can't be completely sure that all contestants make tea or instant coffee on a regular basis. There are also still some men who don't know how to work a microwave because they generally stay out of the kitchen altogether and some women who are mortified by the thought of even touching a computer and the other way around, but I'd consider those statistical anomalies these days. The best way to ensure that there's no gender bias would actually be to present both parties with tasks that are brand new to them, but that would also make multi tasking that much harder. |
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Post by ironhold on Jun 1, 2013 1:03:58 GMT
Question; What sort of multi-tasking test would you consider to be 'gender neutral'? First off, Baby Buster should have been handled a lot better; as noted by other posters here, in a more realistic setting there should have been a playpen or a booster seat that the child could have been secured in. Secondly, I can't think of anybody who irons a shirt or a pair of pants *after* they've been hung up. This one's also bad. That being said, here are some possibilities for neutral items, but ones that may require a greater amount of time on the clock: *Weather report: the person must turn on the radio or an analog, whereupon they must listen a canned (fake) weather report. Based on the weather, the person must grab either a hat, sunglasses, an umbrella, and/or a coat on their way out the door. *Car Key Treasure Hunt: the person must locate a set of car keys that have been misplaced. The keys are located in a place that is both obvious and reasonable (such as the kitchen counter), but which might not immediately occur to the person. *Dental Care: the person must measure out an amount of mouthwash and rinse their mouth out for a token period of time. *Morning Newspaper: a newspaper is on the front door step; it has been rolled and tied with a rubber band. They must retrieve the paper, put the rubber band out of Baby Buster's reach (if he's still being used in the testing), and skim the front page. Once the person leaves the house, Grant - playing the part of the neighbor - will go "Did you hear about_____?" in reference to one of the articles. |
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