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Assorted links
2. How the Chinese practice cheering; I liked best the field hockey chant in Spanish.
3. Is the entree headed for extinction? Let's hope so.
4. Is Iraqi progress fleeting? Let's hope not.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on December 5, 2007 at 11:50 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink
Comments
Of course, in France "entree" means "appetizer," as is logical from
its literal meaning of "entry."
Posted by: Barkley Rosser at Dec 5, 2007 12:20:18 PM
Oh please. You think you can infer anything useful from what chi-chi people in New York eat when they go to trendy restos? I think not.
Been to a resto where they serve what I call "hearty American fare" lately, like a TGIF? I thought not.
My own experience--eating as I do mostly in Asian places--is that all portions are becoming the same size, whether they're listed as "appetizers", "entrees", "soups", or "salads". But that's another story, and in any event, the portions are larger rather than smaller.
Posted by: David Hecht at Dec 5, 2007 12:36:28 PM
Professor Cowen, when you say that you hope progress in Iraq isn't fleeting, are you referring to the progress the surge is said to hail?
Posted by: John Goes at Dec 5, 2007 12:48:46 PM
I see the entree diminishing, but slowly, especially outside New York. Lots of people are still uncomfortable with family style eating, especially when with new crowds. It's safer to have your own plate. And when ordering family style, the group has to have a certain level of confidence in one person to order, or there is total chaos, in which case individual ordering makes much more sense. Waiters at the chains and even the local spots get pretty annoyed when you just order appetizers and side salads. And who actually has room for dessert anymore? Sharing a good dessert has become much less of a date thing and more regular behavior this decade. That's a good trend.
Posted by: Brad Hutchings at Dec 5, 2007 1:59:24 PM
I think I may have posted in this vein before, but good evidence shows that it's largely raw talent that determines outcomes, and I doubt the effects of the treatments Prof Dweck proposes will be shown to have an important, lasting impact.
Lubowski and Benbow's research, based long-term longitudinal studies, show that differentials in intelligence noted at age 12-14 are VERY highly predictive of success later in life. Downplaying talent, in this situation at least, is ignoring the elephant in the room, and in fact there is evidence that the highly intelligent benefit from special programs. (It is hard to believe that Prof Dweck's treatments would not be swamped by the prior condition of high intelligence - or not.)
See studies collected at:
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Peabody/SMPY/Top1in10000.pdf
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Peabody/SMPY/DoingPsychScience2006.pdf
Posted by: hwinva at Dec 5, 2007 2:15:48 PM
I second David Hecht. Call me when the 299 million Americans outside of Manhattan can't order an entree from a chain restaurant.
Posted by: eddie at Dec 5, 2007 7:39:35 PM
The 'smart kids' piece reads rather like an advert.
I would endorse hwinva's point about IQ - and add that temperament is also hereditary and predictive (as argued by Judith Rich Harris in The Nurture Assumption) - for example the trait of conscientiousness varies quite widely between people and is a lifetime disposition, and a high level of C. is predictive of success in school and work.
Posted by: Bruce G Charlton at Dec 6, 2007 5:49:22 AM
Great !!! Excellent site. :)
Thanks so much. Pleasant to me.
Posted by: Justin Whitney at Dec 6, 2007 6:03:44 AM
Po Bronson wrote a good article about Dweck's and similar research in New York Magazine:
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index.html
I don't have any specific knowledge about points raised by hwinva and Bruce Charlton, but would make a couple of points in response: (1) Making the starting point at age 12-14 may be rather late for considering development of attitudes formed in childhood... (2) Even if, hypothetically, 80 or 90 percent of children's future happiness and success were determined by fixed factors such as genes and parental socioeconomic status, parents may still be interested in affecting that last 10 or 20 percent...
Posted by: Alex R at Dec 6, 2007 11:09:44 AM
Couldn't all of our complaints about entrees be said, mutatis mutandis, about books?
Down with bigness!
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