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RE: A new point about fonts to argue and speculate over
Subject:RE: A new point about fonts to argue and speculate over From:Kelley Walker <kelley -dot- walker -at- libtax -dot- com> To:TECHWR- L <TECHWR-L -at- LISTS -dot- TECHWR-L -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 5 Nov 2012 09:44:27 -0500
I wonder if there are any plans to study readability? If legibility matters in the sense that a more difficult to read font slows people down, then does readability of the content show similar patterns? If it's easy to get through material, and you don't have to slow down and think about what you are reading, does the same confirmation bias pattern emerge?
Are there aspects of technical writing that would take advantage of this finding? Are there times we want users to slow down, work harder (cognitively speaking), in order to encourage a more analytical response to the content?
IIRC, there's a similar pattern with sharp edges and corners versus rounded corners. People respond more warmly and are put at ease with rounded corners. But they are more on edge, more cautious and careful, and their analytic reasoning skills increase, when in environments with sharp edges and corners.
Kelley
> -----Original Message-----
> Behalf Of Keith Hood
> Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2012 8:49 PM
> Subject: A new point about fonts to argue and speculate over
>
> I just read an article that basically says you can make people change the
> intensity of their feelings on issues if you force them to read about the issues
> in a font that is difficult for them.
>
>
>
> Here's a couple of quotes from the article:
>
>
> "Liberals and conservatives who are polarized on certain politically charged
> subjects become more moderate when reading political arguments in a
> difficult-to-read font, researchers report in a new study. Likewise, people
> with induced bias for or against a defendant in a mock trial are less likely to
> act on that bias if they have to struggle to read the evidence against him."
>
> berals and conservatives
> who are polarized on certain politically charged subjects become more
> moderate when reading political arguments in a difficult-to-read font,
> researchers report in a new study. Likewise, people with induced bias
> for or against a defendant in a mock trial are less likely to act on
> that bias if they have to struggle to read the evidence against him.
>
> Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-11-difficult-to-read-font-political-
> polarity.html#jCp
>
> " 'We showed that if we can slow people down, if we can make them stop
> relying on their gut reaction â that feeling that they already know what
> something says â it can make them more moderate; it can have them start
> doubting their initial beliefs and start seeing the other side of the argument a
> little bit more,' Hernandez said."
>
>
> Here's a link to the article I saw:
>
>http://phys.org/news/2012-11-difficult-to-read-font-political-polarity.html
>
> Unfortunately, I could not find any links to the researchers' original
> papers. The links I followed all went in a circle. There was one that went to a
> site where a paid account is required for further access.
>
> "We showed that if we can
> slow people down, if we can make them stop relying on their gut reaction â
> that feeling that they already know what something says â it can make them
> more moderate; it can have them start doubting their initial
> beliefs and start seeing the other side of the argument a little bit
> more," Hernandez said.
>
> Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-11-difficult-to-read-font-political-
> polarity.html#jCp
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