Rap Song Inspired by Thinking and Deciding
By Deborah Frisch, Ph.D.
I woke up and had a revelation
Correlation does not imply causation.
The situation is quite terrible
When you've got a confounding variable.
Another reason to think carefully:
Does B cause A or does A cause B?
Popper said "I wonder why?
Einstein's theory lived but Freud's has died.
It seems to me the difference is
That Einstein's could be falsified."
Suppose one day I say to you,
"Hey listen up: 'If p, then q!'"
And then I tell you: "p is true."
Could you be sure that q's true too?
And what if I'd said: "q is true."
Could you conclude that p's true too?"
[Not you again!]
That's right! It's me!
Is it "not q" if it's "not p?"
[Please go away!]
One more to do!
Is it "not p" if it's "not q?"
Peter Wason is the name
Of a man who liked card games.
But unlike me and unlike you
He played with four, not fifty-two.
Letters on the front
Numbers on the back.
"A" and "B" and "2" and "3"
Are all that you can see.
A rule has been proposed.
You don't know if it's true.
"A card that has a vowel
Has an even number too."
Which cards must you inspect
To verify the rule?
[Why not check them all?]
No, that would not be cool!
You've got to check the A
(Don't bother with the B)
The 2 can't give you trouble
But watch out for the 3!
Doc Wason's back
He's got more tricks
Here's a game
Called 2-4-6.
Your job is to name sets of three
To test different hypotheses.
[3-6-9?]
Yes!
[1-2-3?]
Well that works too.
[I'm smart as you!]
[6-8-10?]
Way to go, my friend!
[3-2-1?]
No! Please try again.
[10-12-14?]
That's peachy keen!
[2-3-4?]
Oy, how many more?
[1-2-10?]
Yes! We're near the end!
[5-6-8?]
Right! You're doing great!
I'm ready, now. I can guess your rule.
I'm the one that you cannot fool.
The rule you use for sets of three:
Increasing numerosity! |
