On 3/22/2017 8:38 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 08:51:58 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Wed, 22 Mar 2017 14:56:40 +0700, John B.
wrote:

There is some information available, although not much. Reelight
apparently donated some 2,000 fore and aft flashing permanently
mounted and, essentially, always on lights for the study. The study
was in Denmark where I would guess that all, or nearly all, bicycles
are equipped with conventional lights as I have read that if one is
caught riding after dark the fine is a rather substantial amount -
perhaps a week's pay if my figures were correct, and in fact in one of
the reports it was stated that the test was between bicycles with a
permanently mounted and always on flashing light and bicycles equipped
with "conventional bicycle lights"

So, the participants were expected to REMOVE their conventional
lighting system and replace it with a Reelight model? Or did they
leave both of them connected?

Nope. the Reelight SL-100's mount on the axle or skewer end and are
powered by two magnets attached to the spokes. If there were
conventional lights installed there is no need to remove them. The SL
100 is stated to: emit 29,000 mcd (microcandela's ( a unit for
measuring light) from the front light and 10,000 from the rear light.

Note: the SL100's can be bought as a set with a white front light and
a red rear

See:
https://www.reelight.com/en/products...t-front-light/
https://www.reelight.com/en/faq/

The results of the study was stated to be that the law covering
bicycle lighting was changed to allow flashing lights to be used.

That's probably true, as it provides a sales incentive. It also
explains why they ran the test in Denmark, where bicycles are very
common. I doubt that the Danish rule makers would accept a similar
study performed in another country as the basis for changing their
rules.

As an aside I might also mention that a good friend (now deceased)
owned a company that did financial analysis and the majority of the
studies he did were for companies that were investigating the
possibility of entering a specific market.

Surveys were a major factor in many, maybe most, of his market studies
and I remember him once stating he "could design a survey to prove
anything that the client required".

Agreed. I used to work in the advertising and market research sector.
I've also been involved in writing "customer satisfaction" surveys.
Most such surveys have nothing to do with the alleged topic. It's not
unusual to ask questions about unrelated products, buying habits,
driving habits, spending habits, mileage traveled, discretionary cash
available, etc. For example, the survey could be structured asking
indirectly if you bicycle commute, would you consider buying an
ADDITIONAL tail light for your machine(s). Here's one way how it's
done:

[Q] If this daytime flashing light saved your life, would you
consider purchasing one for all your bicycles?

Notice that the question assumes that the flashing light works and
will save lives. That would be followed by a few similar questions,
all assuming that the device works and saves lives. The last question
would be:

[Q] Do you believe the world would be a better place if everyone used
daytime flashing lights on their bicycles?

Most participants will automatically say yes because that's the
expected and "correct" answer. Then, the marketing people can say
"Almost everyone who took the survey would probably purchase a daytime
flashing bicycle light and will recommend it to all their friends".
Never mind that there's a big difference between "used" and "buy" and
that the entire survey assumes that the device works as expected.

Hint: Such survey questions are invariably answered by participants
in top down order. The first few questions involve the greatest
amount of considered thought by the participant. By the time they get
down to the last few questions, they are tired, bored, in a hurry, and
not really thinking clearly. Their resistance to suggestion is then
at its lowest. So, the really important questions are asked last.

Years ago I found a book in a used book shop that purported to be a
study on Thai social customs. It was quite obviously someone's
dissertation, although hopefully not for a PhD degree.

The author had never visited Thailand prior to the survey. He could
not speak the language and depended on a translator. He knew nothing
about the Buddhist religion as practiced in Thailand and the village
he surveyed had been used in a number of previous surveys.

He asked questions such as "If someone steals your water buffalo what
would you do?" The answer he used in his analysis was, "Nothing. The
thief probably needs it more that I do."

Another question was, "If you discovered that your wife was sleeping
with another man what would you do?" The answer, "I would forgive
her."

Now based on Buddhist morality these are nearly perfect answers but
based on the years I have lived in the country the real answers would
have been:

"I would get my shotgun and shoot that thieving SOB" and "I'd beat her
until she couldn't walk and take her back to her mother and get the
Sin Sod (bride price) back."

As the dissertation was published it is probable that it was
acceptable to the school but I've always wondered what sort of a grade
it resulted in?

(As an aside, I also wonder how much of U.S. foreign policy is based
on similar information :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.


Easy question. All of it, of course.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971