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How do scientists measure the faintest sound you can hear?

A barely audible sound may be heard on one attempt and missed on the next. A hearing threshold therefore depends on a task and a chosen level of performance, not a single universal border between sound and silence.

3–5 min

Questions you could explore

  • What changes when a listener must choose which of two intervals contained the sound?
  • How many repeated answers would make a threshold convincing?

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Can an option nobody wants change what people choose?

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How can you miss something that is right in front of you?

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When a question reshapes a memory

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3–7 min

When a question reshapes a memory

Psychology3–7 minAfter a car crash or a crime, the way an investigator phrases a single question can change what a witness remembers seeing. Research on eyewitness reports separates what someone originally observed from information introduced afterward, making question wording a crucial part of the evidence problem.

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