A simple telepathy test: which word did I write?

In that case, @Michel H, consider my advice to be voided; we can leave it to individual answerers to decide whether or not they enclose their answer in a spoiler tag. Yes?

Yes, this sounds reasonable to me.

The correct answer, given by Valmar, Silence, and Ninshub was "bird".

Because Laird has replied "horse", the hit rate of this test is equal to 3/4 = 75% , much better than chance.

It remains to be seen whether such a high hit rate can be maintained with a different target (for example "dog" or "cat").

Thank you to all for your contributions.

[Ninshub]

For the record, when Brian made his comment, at least consciously I didn't think of a bird as being a different kind than the other words. I didn't think in terms of images or what the words represented. I just felt it was the third one, vacillating slightly with the first, but the third a bit stronger.

For the record, when Brian made his comment, at least consciously I didn't think of a bird as being a different kind than the other words. I didn't think in terms of images or what the words represented. I just felt it was the third one, vacillating slightly with the first, but the third a bit stronger.

But unless I am alone in this, the words automatically produce concepts and those concepts are automatically compared, so I think there is a good chance you were unconsciously influenced by the fact that a bird is different in a specific way to the three mammals.

I wrote the following some days ago, but withheld from posting as I didn't want to engage in a long debate during an ongoing test.

I'm no longer sure whether the title of the thread "A simple telepathy test:" matches the content. Perhaps it is now a social group behaviour test? At any rate, my guesses are usually incorrect, but I chose one of the options. I won't publish until after the result has been announced, in order to stay close to the intent expressed in the title.

I'm now able to add that my answer would have been "Pegasus" - a winged horse. Halfway between a bird and a horse, I would have claimed half a hit had the answer been either horse or bird. But since I didn't post it there is no way to verify my choice.

I wrote the following some days ago, but withheld from posting as I didn't want to engage in a long debate during an ongoing test.

I'm now able to add that my answer would have been "Pegasus" - a winged horse. Halfway between a bird and a horse, I would have claimed half a hit had the answer been either horse or bird. But since I didn't post it there is no way to verify my choice.

I wrote the following some days ago, but withheld from posting as I didn't want to engage in a long debate during an ongoing test.

I'm now able to add that my answer would have been "Pegasus" - a winged horse. Halfway between a bird and a horse, I would have claimed half a hit had the answer been either horse or bird. But since I didn't post it there is no way to verify my choice.

Your comment is still of interest, Typoz, even though it is posted after the end of the test.

Saying "the correct answer is either bird or horse" is clearly more accurate than just stating "the correct answer is either dog, or cat, or bird, or horse", it does bring some information.

However, such answers can be a headache to analyse statistically, even if people understand what you mean (to say nothing about the fact it was posted post hoc).

I believe our brains have some remarkable abilities, which are very poorly understood or (sometimes) even recognized.

[Ninshub]

But unless I am alone in this, the words automatically produce concepts and those concepts are automatically compared, so I think there is a good chance you were unconsciously influenced by the fact that a bird is different in a specific way to the three mammals.

That's a possibility (the unconscious), but I don't think I buy your bolded as necessarily and always true. Especially the second part "those concepts are automatically compared". That was in no way in my conscious awareness.

I think there's also the possibility of attributing to "the unconscious" more power than it has. So to summarize, in my personal view, there's "a chance" but not "a good chance".

That's a possibility (the unconscious), but I don't think I buy your bolded as necessarily and always true. Especially the second part "those concepts are automatically compared". That was in no way in my conscious awareness.

I think there's also the possibility of attributing to "the unconscious" more power than it has. So to summarize, in my personal view, there's "a chance" but not "a good chance".

You always compare.  You cannot distinguish "chair" from "not-chair" without it.  It's so automatic you don't think about it.

[Ninshub]

Yes. But it's a step further to say, "oh that's right, a bird is not exactly the same animal as the other three". I registered they were animals, but not the second step. At least consciously.