Science News - April 23, 2011

Science not in the zone It makes no sense to analyze basketball shooting streaks (“In the zone,” SN: 2/12/11, p. 26) as though they were similar to slot machines or video games, which are supposed to be random. Basketball shooting, and other sports activities, are definitely not random events. Walt Gray, Richland, Wash.

I was very surprised to hear the model
that statisticians use to try to mea-
sure “streaks” in basketball. I would
say that it is clearly wrong, and throws
away very important information
about time. Humans do not see streaks
as mere repetition. They see them as
rapid repetition. Throwing away the
time information loses half the ball
game, as it were.
Bruce Ewing, Eugene, Ore.

I have played competitive basketball for most of my 50-plus adult years, so I read Bruce Bower’s piece on the “hot hand” with great interest. I believe the problem with the research into performance streaks is that they have been done from the outside looking in. As an athlete who has been “in the zone” occasionally, I can testify that the phenomenon does indeed exist. This state can continue for part or all of a single game, but in my experience, it does not, unfortunately, stay around for subsequent games. John Dee German, via e-mail

Based on my participation in sports
(many decades ago), I believe there is
a mind-body symbiosis that temporarily
allows the player to concentrate on the
play at hand and blot out distractions
that often adversely influence the out-
come. This has nothing to do with sta-
tistical clumps or patterns. It is peculiar
to the human brain and its effectiveness
in controlling the muscles involved.
Quite often it is characterized by play-
ers as being “loose” or “dialed in” — their
actions become instinctive and they no
longer have to think as much about the
moves involved. They are in a “zone.”
This is the same phenomenon
involved when a field goal kicker, for
example, can make every kick in prac-
tice but may miss in a game due to
becoming “tight” when the kick has
great importance. The 3-point shot con-
test associated with the NBA All-Star
game is another example where one
often sees shooters becoming dialed in
(or not). A similar effect may be present
when sports teams manage to develop
extraordinary winning streaks. Success
breeds success, as they say, and the col-
lective team spirit becomes focused on
the next game and thereby achieves
better performance.

Strong placebo

The study described in “Possible relief for an irritable bowel” (SN: 1/29/11, p. 9) found that 41 percent of those receiving rifaximin for irritable bowel syndrome improved, while 32 percent of those on a placebo improved. The article then discusses pros and cons of the drug and possible FDA licensing. It seems to me that the real story here is that the placebo is 78 percent as effective as the drug being tested, not a ringing endorsement for the drug. Either the psychological effect of taking any pill is very significant for this condition, or there is some ingredient in the placebo that is unexpectedly effective against IBS. Clark Waite, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

that most science experiments done in classrooms are vastly simpler than those done in “real world” labs; most classroom computer programming is far less complex than that of most busi-ness/industrial software; and most literature read by our grammar and high school students is more structured and works on far fewer levels than modern award-winning fiction (works by David Mitchell and William Gibson, for example). “Dumbed-down” artificial problems and models can help reinforce key math concepts without overwhelming students with complexity. Calculations are used as a way to learn how to manipulate more abstract expressions. Overreliance on software to perform math operations in class can impede the learning of abstraction skills. Jerry Malczewski, Lancaster, N. Y.

Send communications to: Editor, Science News, 1719 N Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 or editors@sciencenews.org. Letters subject to editing.

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The study authors offered no explanation for the placebo effect in this trial.

They did note that adverse effects were roughly equal in the two groups. Placebo effects are common in medical trials; this one was just greater than usual.

— Nathan Seppa

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Dumbing down vs. easier learning As quoted, Conrad Wolfram (“Scientific Observations,” SN: 1/29/11, p. 4) stated that math problems used in educational classes are “dumbed-down” and involve lots of calculations, and therefore are not “real world” mathematics. As an educator of mathematics I frequently hear this criticism. While true to some degree, we should remember