Big Secrets by William Poundstone

Author:William Poundstone [Poundstone, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 1983-01-14T16:00:00+00:00

Plate III

Black and red ink. Two obvious figures (black ink) facing each other. Butterfly-shaped red blot between the figures; an elongated red blot behind each figure’s head. Naughty bits: penises and breasts (at anatomically appropriate positions for each figure).

This is the blot that supposedly can determine sexual preference. Most people see the two human figures. Both figures have prominent “breasts” and an equally prominent “penis.” If you don’t volunteer the gender of the figures, you’ll be asked to specify it. By the traditional interpretation, seeing the figures as male is a heterosexual response (for test subjects of both sexes). Describing the figures as female or acknowledging the androgynous nature of the blot is supposed to be a homosexual response. Does it work? Not really—many straights describe the figures as women, and not all gays give a gay response. A 1971 study at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York showed the traditionally heterosexual response (two male figures) to be declining in popularity.

The splotches of red ink are usually perceived separately. Common responses are bow tie or ribbon (inner red area) and a stomach and esophagus (outer red areas).

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