Comments on: Writers’ Tricks and Anthropology http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/ A mutual support group for SF/F Novelists Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:39:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bill Weinberger http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6414 Bill Weinberger Sun, 17 May 2009 04:35:52 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6414 Interesting rule of thumb. I think I'll have to file that away with the one I learned about remembering and recognizing items in lists. It said that the optimum number is 7 (plus or minus 2). The particular context is for computer menus and such, but it seems to fit with the other rules listed here. Thanks for the tip! Interesting rule of thumb. I think I’ll have to file that away with the one I learned about remembering and recognizing items in lists. It said that the optimum number is 7 (plus or minus 2). The particular context is for computer menus and such, but it seems to fit with the other rules listed here. Thanks for the tip!

]]> By: S.C. Butler http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6413 S.C. Butler Sat, 16 May 2009 18:47:32 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6413 Daemon - Interesting. I've never heard of there being a limit on the number of other people we can recognize as individuals. Though lately I am losing my memory for faces. Lydia - And I have trouble remembering even seven digits. Cool way to make up a password system, though. Daemon – Interesting. I’ve never heard of there being a limit on the number of other people we can recognize as individuals. Though lately I am losing my memory for faces.

Lydia – And I have trouble remembering even seven digits. Cool way to make up a password system, though.

]]> By: Lydia Sharp http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6410 Lydia Sharp Sat, 16 May 2009 10:54:25 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6410 There are situations that require more, but as a general rule, I try not to include more than three to four people in any single conversation (in writing, that is) or else it gets confusing and frustrating. And usually, it's only two. The largest group conversation I've written had seven people seated at a dinner table. Only three people were fully engaged in the conversation, while the other four just popped in from time to time, or displayed an action worth noting. And even that was difficult...especially when someone said or did something that everyone else had to react to. Something I learned in a high school psychology course was that people can only remember a sequence of ten things before their brain kicks out the first thing to replace it with another. If you look at any of the ID codes that we use today, nothing is more than ten digits. Phone # (10), SS# (9), DL# (8), birthday (4-6), street address (3-5). And if you can relate it to something personal, it's even more memorable. I used this theory to create believable passwords in my first novel. There are situations that require more, but as a general rule, I try not to include more than three to four people in any single conversation (in writing, that is) or else it gets confusing and frustrating. And usually, it’s only two.

The largest group conversation I’ve written had seven people seated at a dinner table. Only three people were fully engaged in the conversation, while the other four just popped in from time to time, or displayed an action worth noting. And even that was difficult…especially when someone said or did something that everyone else had to react to.

Something I learned in a high school psychology course was that people can only remember a sequence of ten things before their brain kicks out the first thing to replace it with another. If you look at any of the ID codes that we use today, nothing is more than ten digits. Phone # (10), SS# (9), DL# (8), birthday (4-6), street address (3-5). And if you can relate it to something personal, it’s even more memorable. I used this theory to create believable passwords in my first novel.

]]> By: Daemon http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6406 Daemon Sat, 16 May 2009 07:49:32 +0000 http://www.sfnovelists.com/2009/05/15/writers%e2%80%99-tricks-and-anthropology/#comment-6406 I recall a very similar study that correlated brain size to the total number of individuals a given primate would recognize individually, and treat as "us"... that is to say the maximum size of their social group. As I recall it was suggested that this may be the reason that we don't even try to really interact with the vast majority of the people we meet, and deal with them as sort of abstractions, rather than dealing with every single person as an individual. I recall a very similar study that correlated brain size to the total number of individuals a given primate would recognize individually, and treat as “us”… that is to say the maximum size of their social group.

As I recall it was suggested that this may be the reason that we don’t even try to really interact with the vast majority of the people we meet, and deal with them as sort of abstractions, rather than dealing with every single person as an individual.

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