My psychiatrist usually asks me certain questions so he can evaluate how I think about things from my answers.

ProsaicHarlequinade

My psychiatrist usually asks me certain questions so he can evaluate how I think about things from my answers.

Today, he held up a rectangular plastic case with the name of a computer game on the front and asked me what I thought was inside it. I said the computer game was inside the case.

He opened the case, and there was not a computer game inside the case. He said “Nope, it’s a star.” And he said that because he had stuck a paper star onto the inside of the case, and the star had a smiling face drawn on it. And I liked the star because it was symmetrical.

And then he said, “If your sister came in the room now, and we asked her what was in the case, what would she say?” And I said she would say a paper star.

He said this was wrong but I never understood why it was wrong. A paper star was in the case. How is it wrong?

This open post was written 4 months ago | V/U/S: 157, 8, 4 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post

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2d20 4 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (2 minutes after post)

Was the case closed when he asked what your sister would say?

Help me with: How can I learn to speak French?

ProsaicHarlequinade 0 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (3 minutes after post)

Yes, but the star had not been taken away.

2d20 4 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (4 minutes after post)

So the star was inside the closed case?

Help me with: How can I learn to speak French?

ProsaicHarlequinade 0 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (6 minutes after post)

Yes. And the star would have been the correct answer because the star was still in the case.

Grim_Hardcastle 1 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (7 minutes after post)

Well. Your sister could never guess that it was a paper star in there.
Just like you she would have no idea. The most logic thing is the answer you gave.

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hughes.gra 1 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (8 minutes after post)

Her response would be either A. a computer game or B. I don’t know. It would have been A. if she simply believed the packaging and had no reason to doubt that a computer game was NOT inside the case. It would have been B. if she believed she was being tested in some way and was a natural skeptic.

HOw would she have know there was a star inside unless she was shown the inside of the package prior to making her guess.

2d20 4 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (8 minutes after post)

The case is opaque, right? Can your sister see through objects?

If the case is opaque your sister would have no way of knowing that the case contained a star and not a game (or a pencil or any other object that would fit within the case).

Help me with: How can I learn to speak French?

ProsaicHarlequinade 0 #
An Unknown Location | 4 months ago (9 minutes after post)

Oh.

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My psychiatrist usually asks me certain questions so he can evaluate how I think about things from my answers. - Help.com