[comp.society] Trusting Computers

ruffwork@orstcs.cs.orst.edu (Ritchey Ruff) (09/23/88)

Dermot Tynan writes:

>	b) teaching people to trust computers as much as
>	   they'd trust the people who enter the data.

This reminds me of the psych study done several years ago where people
of all ages were given a math quiz using hand calculators (Casio or some
such) that had been modified to give slightly wrong answers.  They were
told it was to test their skill at using calculators vs.  doing math "by
hand".  There was a coralation between the age of the user and the
amount that the person trusted the calculator result.  The children (I
seem to remember the age spread as being from 12 years old to 40's or
50') were much more willing to say, "This calculator is WRONG!  I *know*
what 1,235 * 35.6 is and it's not 43,978 !!!"  where the older people
tended to scratch their heads and mumble, "Damn!  Must have made a
mistake..."  and use the calculator answer...

I think a VERY real plus of the "programming" craze we are seeing in the
grade schools is that people are growing up realizing that the computer
is not magic.  What you get out is only as good as what is put in (IF 
you're lucky!!! ;-).

sigh

Ritchey Ruff