Two groups of graduate students were given rats and instruct…

Two groups of graduate students were given rats and instructed to teach the rats how to run mazes. Group 1 was told that they had “very smart” rats that should learn quickly. Group 2 was told that they had “very stupid” rats that should learn slowly. In actuality, neither group was any different, and the rats were randomly assigned. In spite of that, when the experiment concluded, the rats taught by Group 1 had learned the maze much more quickly. How can that be explained?

Jake’s car broke down and smoke started rising from the engi…

Jake’s car broke down and smoke started rising from the engine. He felt lucky to have broken down while parked in the center of town during lunch hour, when many people were outside and could help. However, 30 minutes has passed and despite the heavily populated area, nobody has offered assistance. Jake’s experience is an example of the __________.