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Topic: Lake Wobegon effect

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	The Lake Wobegon Effect \| DarrenBarefoot.com
		There was a strong Lake Wobegon effect in the data, with only 1 percent of the population admitting to having “less than average” looks.
		The Lake Wobegon effect, also called the Lake Wobegon fallacy and the better-than-average effect, is a term used by psychologists to refer to the human tendency to report flattering beliefs about oneself and believe that one is above average.
		Lake Wobegon by Garrison Keillor was and is great - I grew up listening to the radio shows, very witty and intelligent humor.
	www.darrenbarefoot.com /archives/2005/06/the-lake-wobegon-effect.html (840 words)

	Lake Wobegon effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate one's achievements and capabilities in relation to others.
		In contrast, the worse-than-average effect refers to a tendency to underestimate oneself in certain conditions, which may include self-handicapping behavior.
		It is possible that all the children in Lake Wobegon are above the average of a larger population pool (i.e., a town with good dietary and healthcare systems might have children which tended to be above the regional or national average).
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Lake_Wobegon_effect (574 words)

	Source of Lake Wobegon
		The phenomenon was dubbed the “Lake Wobegon Effect,” in tribute to the mythical radio comedy community of Lake Wobegon, where “all the children are above average.” The Cannell report implied that half the school superintendents in the country were lying about their schools’ academic achievement.
		The Lake Wobegon Effect continued to receive considerable attention and study from mainstream education researchers, especially those at CRESST, but Cannell’s main points—that educator cheating was rampant and test security inadequate—were dismissed out of hand, and persistently ignored thereafter.
		The backwash effect on 13-year olds appeared to be stronger in both reading and mathematics than it was on 9-year olds, much stronger in the case of mathematics.
	www.thirdeducationgroup.org /Review/Articles/v1n2.htm (5705 words)

	Science -- Stein and Stein 275 (5306): 1613
		Although sea-floor topography is complicated, three primary effects were identified after the recognition of plate tectonics in the late 1960s.
		The approach taken is to develop reference models predicting depth and heat flow for normal oceanic lithosphere as functions of age, and then identify anomalous areas where predictions misfit data, presumably because processes not depending on age (such as plumes) operate.
		Hence, the weakening seems likely to be mechanical, with the plate acting as though it were broken (10).
	www.earth.northwestern.edu /people/seth/Texts/depthsci.html (1331 words)

	TAP: Vol 9, Iss. 37. New Page, Old Lesson. Peter Schrag. (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		No more Lake Wobegon effect; no more false optimism from local school administrators trying to look good.
		And while the larger menu of serious academic courses gradually imposed in many states in the 1980s has almost certainly had an effect in raising academic achievement, those reforms were mild compared with what's being proposed now.
		While the political push in the K-12 schools is toward more conservative "tough" standards, with the tests to back them up, public universities are moving away from test-based criteria in their admissions process, or have already done so.
	www.prospect.org /print/V9/37/schrag-p.html (3080 words)

	Grasping Reality with Every Limb: Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal: Jared Bernstein Writes in on Alan Reynolds
		The left assumes that the laws of economics and of real life are in general effect, and it is our aim to do our best, sometimes in their face.
		Re the "Lake Wobegon effect": in another reported survey, 19% of Americans thought that they were in the top 1% of income distribution.
		These declines ranged from 12.7 percent for those on the 96th to 99th rungs on the income ladder to 57 percent for the poorest fifth of Americans, who made less than $16,300 and together owned 0.6 percent of corporate wealth in 2003, down from 1.4 percent in 1991....
	delong.typepad.com /sdj/2006/12/jared_bernstein.html (3541 words)

	Baseball Prospectus \| Unfiltered
		The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others.
		It is named for the fictional town of Lake Wobegon from the radio series A Prairie Home Companion, where, according to Garrison Keillor, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average”.
		It’s important to emphasize that avoiding the Lake Wobegon effect is a necessary but not sufficient condition of a good projection system.
	www.baseballprospectus.com /unfiltered/?p=171 (651 words)

	Word Spy - Lake Wobegon effect
		In 1987, John Cannell completed a study later popularized as the Lake Woebegone effect.
		The public is getting an overly rosy picture of American schools from standardized achievement tests that allow most districts to claim their pupils are above average, a top Education Department official said Tuesday.
		This effect is most often seen in educational test scores, where some teachers, schools, or school districts claim that all of their students score above average, a mathematical impossibility.
	www.wordspy.com /words/LakeWobegoneffect.asp (447 words)

	Hat Effect (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Principle of double effect - The principle of double effect (PDE) or doctrine of double effect (DDE), sometimes simply called double effect for short, is a thesis in ethics, usually attributed to Aquinas.
		The doctrine of double effect seeks to explain under what circumstances one may act in a way that has both good and bad consequences (a "double effect").
		With candy colored sets that pop off the screen and zany special effects that give the story is read, or click on the type of hat, they may be either placed on the head, or secured with hat-pins which are pushed through the hat and more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
	www.talctrain.com /Hat-Effect.jsp (1582 words)

	The Irascible Professor-commentary of the day-01-31-03. The Lake Wobegon effect - all our high school graduates are ...
		According to the recently released "American Freshman Survey" compiled by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, high school seniors are spending less time studying for classes and reading and more time using the Internet.
		Those of us who teach at the university level are left to cope with the effects of this system of illusory accomplishment.
		The majority of our incoming freshmen are ill prepared to cope with the intellectual demands of college courses -- not because they lack intelligence, but because they have not developed the study and time management skills that are needed to succeed in an environment where most learning takes place outside the classroom.
	irascibleprofessor.com /comments-01-31-03.htm (855 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The phenomenon was quickly dubbed the “Lake Wobegon Effect,” in tribute to the mythical radio comedy community of Lake Wobegon, where “all the children are above average.”
		It hardly needs to be said, however, that most education insiders, then and now, prefer the old internally-administered no-stakes tests, over which they maintain complete control, and dislike external high-stakes testing, over which they do not.
		The solution to the Lake Wobegon problem, for education insiders, was to frame the innocent and keep the guilty free.
	richardphelps.net /Wobegon.htm (1573 words)

	Word Spy - CSI effect
		The unrealistically high expectations some jurors have for the prosecution's case in a criminal court proceeding, particularly when those expectations are created by exposure to forensic-oriented TV shows.
		To legal analysts, his case seemed an example of how shows such as CSI are affecting action in courthouses across the USA by, among other things, raising jurors' expectations of what prosecutors should produce at trial.
		Prosecutors, defense lawyers and judges call it "the CSI effect," after the crime-scene shows that are among the hottest attractions on television.
	wordspy.com /words/CSIeffect.asp (299 words)

	Businesspundit: CEO Pay - Is It Lake Wobegon Run Amok? (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		A new research paper suggests that high CEO pay is a result of the Lake Wobegon effect.
		The researchers say that their article was inspired by--inspired by--the claim of the Lake Wobegon effect.
		Here is their ringing conclusion: "The three key assumptions of the Lake Wobegon effect are not sufficient to guarantee upward distortions in pay." Doesn't sound like a "case proven" endorsemeent to me. They go on to talk about "short-termism" as a factor affecting high CEO pay, and suggest it may be a particularly American disease.
	www.businesspundit.com /50226711/ceo_pay_is_it_lake_wobegon_run_amok.php (1655 words)

	State polishes vo-tech’s image (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		“We call it the Lake Wobegon effect,” said Jim Thorp, who worked on a Ferris State University survey that probed why kids don’t opt for technical degrees in spite of the high salaries and abundant jobs.
		In Lake Wobegon, the make-believe home of humorist Garrison Keillor, all the women are strong, the men good-looking, and the children above average.
		Lake Orion guidance counselor Alicia Conner said some guidance counselors can make things worse by not being aware of opportunities in tech fields.
	www.detnews.com /specialreports/2001/reportcard/votech/votech.htm (1452 words)

	Lake Wobegon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Lake Wobegon represents many small farm towns in the upper Midwest and northeastern Montana, especially western Minnesota, North Dakota, and, to some extent, eastern South Dakota; these are rural, sparsely populated areas that were settled only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely by homesteading immigrants from Scandinavia, especially Norway.
		Keillor, documents images which could have in fact come from there.
		The Mall of America has a "Lake Wobegon, U.S.A." store which sells products connected with Keillor's program, and also with selected NPR and PBS programs.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Lake_Wobegon (553 words)

	Executive Compensation: It's Hot and About to Get Hotter
		Too many boards have apparently operated on the principle that compensation must be in the top half or even the top quartile of some benchmark group (the basis of selection of which is often not disclosed) for the company to be competitive in attracting talent.
		Who appears in the summary compensation table will now be based upon "total" compensation (rather than salary and bonus as it is today) that is proposed to include the value of stock options and other stock awards using FAS 123R criteria.
		Adopt a "tally sheet" approach to compensation if for no other reason than to avoid the "Dick Grasso effect" and the criticisms leveled at the Disney directors that they were out of touch with the Company's compensation policies and practices.
	www.law.com /jsp/ihc/PubArticleIHC.jsp?id=1151571922387 (1484 words)

	[No title] (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		John Cannel, a physician, coined the term "Wobegon effect" during this study of the quality of schools in West Virginia.
		True to the effect, he found that education officials in all schools in that district thought that their students were above average.
		This effect is true in all walks of life.
	www.hinduonnet.com /thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2006082001861300.htm&date=2006/08/20/&prd=iw& (273 words)

	Math Trek: Lake Wobegon Averages, Science News Online, Aug. 12, 2006 (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The tendency to treat all members of a group as above average, especially with respect to numerical values such as test scores, is now often called the Lake Wobegon effect (Word Spy).
		The average class size reported in a college's brochures may be a far cry from what a freshman would actually experience at that college.
		Schwenk, A. Distortion of average class size: The Lake Wobegon effect.
	www.sciencenews.org /articles/20060812/mathtrek.asp (580 words)

	Hugo Schwyzer: Letters of rec and the "Lake Wobegon" effect (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		The assorted musings of Hugo Schwyzer: a progressive Anabaptist/Episcopalian Democrat (but with a sense of humor), a community college history and gender studies professor, animal rights activist, ENFP Gemini, avid marathoner, aspiring ultra-runner, die-hard political junkie, and (still) the proud father of the most amazing chinchilla on God's green earth.
		His template announces that every student is "unique", "remarkable", and (I love this), "well-positioned to become an exceptional scholar at X college." I haven't stooped that low yet, but with the demand being what it is, it sure is tempting.
		I've heard this tendency to inflate called the "Lake Wobegon" effect, after Garrison Keillor's famous fictional Wisconsin town where "all the men are good-looking and all the children are above average."
	hugoboy.typepad.com /hugo_schwyzer/2004/11/letters_of_rec_.html (1700 words)

	The Starbucks Experience: Creating the best client experience can be simple. It could be inexpensive. It's definitely ...
		The people who are living in that fictional Lake Wobegon are not doing that well.
		If the experience is only a mediocre Lake Wobegon five, six, or seven, it will be that much harder for you to close the sale and even more difficult to generate referrals.
		If your clients are experiencing a two, three, or four, you could be looking at extremely unhappy investors who in the best case will leave you and in the worst case will be looking for an attorney to make them feel better.
	www.financial-planning.com /pubs/fp/20040501020.html (1939 words)

	Infothought: Blog power law and big fish / small ponds
		Consider the simple concept "everyone can't be above average" (the "Lake Wobegon effect").
		A Lake Wobegon evangelist might object, along similar lines: "There's not just one average in the universe!
		It's not much of a comfort to say the oligarchies differ between topics, or that a person could try to find a topic where he or she might have a higher chance to become one of the favored few.
	sethf.com /infothought/blog/archives/000745.html (975 words)

	Startup Reality Distortion #2: The Lake Wobegon Effect
		The tendency to treat all members of a group as above average, particularly with respect to numerical values such as test scores or executive salaries; in a survey, the tendency for most people to describe themselves or their abilities as above average.
		So, what does the Lake Wobegon Effect have to do with startups? Most startup founders I’ve met (including me) manifest this effect to some degree. It’s a subtle form of reality distortion that causes most software entrepreneurs to believe that they and their companies are better than most others.
		Though this may be true, I think there are ways to make this effect (and people’s awareness of it) work in your favor.
	onstartups.com /Home/tabid/3339/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/503/Default.aspx (863 words)

	[No title]
		Time, teams, and task performance: A longitudinal study of the changing effects of diversity on group functioning.
		Spouse adjustment to international assignments: Direct determinants and the moderating effects of coping strategies.
		The Lake Wobegon effect in self and peer reports of absenteeism: A seven-study investigation.
	www.personal.psu.edu /staff/d/a/dah35 (4096 words)

	Chapter Excerpt: Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		They call it the Lake Wobegon Effect, after Garrison Keillor's famous radio show sign-off from his fictional hometown, Lake Wobegon, "where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and all of the children are above average."
		Lorenz's postulation of what is now called the Butterfly Effect was one of several findings in the last twenty years that reflect the unpredictability of everything: weather, the likely outcome of direct marketing programs, and the distant but often enormous effects of tiny causes.
		They were careful observers of service companies—a world where tiny efforts often produce enormous, though sometimes distant, effects.
	www.twbookmark.com /books/25/0446520942/chapter_excerpt9774.html (1549 words)

	USNews.com: CEOs keep pocketing fat raises, but it may be about time to pay the piper
		The "Lake Wobegon effect." An honest accounting of executive pay "will put pressure on the whole system to get it right," SEC Chairman Christopher Cox told Congress this month.
		She estimates that perhaps 60 percent of her corporate clients want to give their executives pay packages that rank in the top 25 percent of their competitors'.
		This "Lake Wobegon effect" (named after author Garrison Keillor's mythical town where all the children are above average) has been blamed for much of the recent run-up in pay, since it forces companies to leapfrog one another's pay packages to stay in the top 25 percent.
	www.usnews.com /usnews/biztech/articles/060522/22eeexecpay.htm (775 words)

	[Psychology] Lake Wobegon effect - All childen are above average - North Shore Mountain Biking Forums
		[Psychology] Lake Wobegon effect - All childen are above average - North Shore Mountain Biking Forums
		North Shore Mountain Biking Forums :: NBR - Not Biking Related :: [Psychology] Lake Wobegon effect - All childen are above average
		You might have come across this before but I find it quite interesting so I thought I would post it for those that haven't heard of it.
	bb.nsmb.com /showthread.php?p=1551696#post1551696 (776 words)

	The Continuous Improvement Conundrum - 12/1/2005 - Giants (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-20)
		Beckwith takes the backdoor, pointing to recent research that suggests the average American believes he is smarter, better looking and better at his job than he really is.
		This belief is so prevalent psychologists have come up with a name for it: the Lake Wobegon Effect.
		The name comes from Garrison Keillor's famous radio show sign-off from his fictional hometown, Lake Wobegon, "Where the women are strong, the men are good-looking and all of the children are above average."
	www.housingzone.com /giants/article/CA6291834.html (1140 words)

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