7-1-I-Search-Alexandra

= Judgements in the Blink of an Eye = by Alexandra

**Introduction**
For my I-Search, I picked the topic of snap judgements. Snap judgements are decisions, choices, or judgements you make without really thinking about it. For example, when you first see someone, you make a judgement about him or her that will probably be stuck permanently in your mind. What got me interested in this subject was the fact that I can connect this to what happens to some kids my age. Instead of actually getting to know someone, people are judged by how they look, and that judgement stays. I realized that my topic does have a close relationship to socializing at school, especially when you're new. I'm pretty sure that everyone makes these kinds of judgements, and I want to find out what these judgements can be, and whether or not they can be classified as accurate.

**Search**
Snap judgements are made every time you meet or see someone. Everyone makes them, sometimes, unaware completely of the fact that they did. The first time you set eyes on someone, or shake their hand, you get an idea of who they are and what they're like. Research shows that people base their future relationships and trust on people according to what they thought of that person the moment they met them. In other words, snap judgements can affect many things that may happen in the future. After doing some research on this subject, I learned that snap judgements aren't just what you may think of a person. Snap judgements are choices you make, or "how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant--in the blink of an eye--that actually aren't as simple as they seem." This is how Malcolm Gladwell describes snap judgements in his book centered on this subject, titled Blink. Some experts believe that these decisions that we make are actually correct, and are considered to be good choices. It's like the gut feeling you get about something, it could save you.

The first thing I did to research my subject was hit the books. I researched online, and found a book called //Blink//, which was a book about the topic I chose. The main point of the book was snap judgements. The book explains how we are able to jump to conclusions in our minds, and also how amazingly accurate these conclusions can be. One look at something and one judgement about it can be more correct than a process of examination and analyzing that takes years. From personal experiences, I couldn't really tell whether this was true or not, but according to professionals who had done experiments with this kind of thing, it works. People can get a very accurate answer in two seconds. For example, according to Harvard magazine, Nalini Ambady, a psychologist, conducted an experiment to see if snap judgements can really work. Ambady showed some students three videotapes of a teacher, each tape ten seconds long. There was no sound in the video either, but the students managed to rate the teacher's efficiency without difficulty. Ambady then split the videos to five seconds, and then two seconds. Despite the length of the video, the results were the same. When Ambady compared the ratings to ratings of the same teacher, but made by students who had been taught by the teacher for a semester, the ratings were still the same. In conclusion, a person who watched two seconds of a teacher can tell how good the teacher is as well as someone who had known the teacher for a semester. I learned a lot of valuable information from the book //Blink//. For example, I learned that snap judgements can affect a lot of things. They can affect your life, your job, your reputation. Snap judgements can also mean life or death. It's not unheard of that police officers mistake completely innocent people for criminals and end up killing them.

I chose this subject because I felt that I could connect it to social life at school. It's also this reason that made me want to do an interview from a student perspective. I interviewed one of my classmates, Amanda, to find out what she thinks about snap judgements and how they affect you at school. Me: So Amanda, based on what you know about snap judgements, what impact do you think snap judgements have in school today? Amanda: I think that it makes people feel bad, because people are judged on appearances. People say, "Ew, that person's a nerd," or "That person's so popular". Me: I see your point. What do you think of snap judgements? Are they good or bad? Amanda: I think it's bad because you should get to know someone before you really make any judgements about them. Me: Okay. What's your definition of a snap judgement? Amanda: I think a snap judgement is like a decision or judgement that you make about someone that's really fast and you don't really know the person yet. Me: So, say, if you saw someone who didn't really look like they fit in with others, would you try to make friends with them? Amanda: I would try to be friends with them because I would want to know more about them, and I wouldn't try to judge them based on just what I saw.

**Conclusion**
Overall, I can say that I learned a lot about snap judgements, and why people may make them. It's very interesting to find out more about these decisions that people make in the blink of an eye. I never knew that snap judgements could have such a big impact on life, in good and bad ways. I can connect it even more to school now. If there's one thing I've learned during the process f creating my I-Search, it's that we shouldn't judge others based on appearance. Sometimes snap judgements are good, but it's probably better if you get to know someone before you judge them.

**Works Cited**
Ambady, Nalini. "Snap Judgements Work!" 13 Apr. 2008 <[|http://harvardmagazine.com/2001/07/snap-judgments-work.html>.]

Gladwell, Malcolm. Blink. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005.