Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 580 Lucky Senior Brother: Yay! It's rare to get such a good set of data... Wait, what's going on?!
To be honest, sometimes even Nan Zhuren finds it difficult to judge the mental state of graduate students without using scales.

"A graduate student by day, a researcher to the point of death by night" is more than just a meme.

Faced with this quantum superposition of mental states, much like Schrödinger's cat, it seems impossible for graduate students to utter anything truly astonishing...

Wait, perhaps this kind of mental state is more suitable for scientific research and makes it easier to touch the boundaries of human knowledge?
Nan Zhuren was unaware of this, so when faced with his senior brother's praise of his "wave," he tentatively asked in a curious tone, "Senior brother, what does this mean?"

Nan Zhuren looked at her own wave, which was praised as "really beautiful" on the computer screen, and only saw a bunch of densely packed zigzag lines.

"Oh." Lucky Brother looked up suddenly, "It's probably because you have a special connection with me!"

Nan Zhuren blinked.

“Ah, what I mean is—” Good Luck Senior Brother snapped out of his lingering attachment to the good data, “Many subjects’ EEGs are very strange, but your brainwaves are different. Very stable, just like what I’ve seen in textbooks.”

Good luck senior brother added, "And the subjects we usually find take a long time to apply glue just to electrify them, and sometimes we even have to apply glue several times during the experiment to touch up the results, unlike you, junior brother, who electrifies immediately... Good, really good!"

The excitement on his face was undeniable.

Oh, so that's how "Bo is so pretty" and "You're so attractive" are explained.

Nan Zhuren blinked but did not comment.

The undergraduate student quickly cleaned Nan Zhuren's head and then injected gel into more than a dozen points on the mesh headgear one by one.

The brainwaves on the screen became more regular, which elicited another wave of amazement from Brother Good Luck.

"Okay, junior brother, your static potential has been recorded. Next, let's have a brief chat and record the brainwave shape of your next state."

Following the instructions, Senior Brother Good Luck said to Nan Zhuren, "Don't be nervous, it's just a normal chat. Of course, if anything I say next evokes any additional emotions in you, please remind me."

Nan Zhuren nodded.

"Junior brother, where are you from?"

"Jiang Province".

"Oh, it's quite far from here," Good Luck Senior Brother exclaimed. "It must be difficult for you to come and go like that."

Nan Zhuren thought for a moment and said, "Fortunately, my teacher paid for my plane ticket here."

Good Luck Senior choked, and as the chief examiner, he seemed to be experiencing emotional fluctuations. Fortunately, he didn't have an EEG on his head.

“Ah…ah, I’ve heard of it, after all, the teacher values ​​you very much.” Senior Brother Good Luck said, “Jiang Province…Jiang Province is also a good place, everyone says it’s a water town in Jiangnan, the climate is particularly good, unlike the dry north.”

"It's alright, the humidity is quite high." Nan Zhuren thought for a moment and said, "There's a typhoon or something every year, but it's still much better than the Yangtze River basin."

Good Luck Senior Brother said jokingly, "I heard you recently joined the psychological support group for the disaster area that our teacher is in. Maybe you'll be able to go back to the south to collect data in a while... Never mind, never mind. It's best not to."

I felt like I'd told a terrible joke, but my lucky senior brother stopped me in time, then asked, "Are you going home for winter break?"

Nan Zhuren replied, "It doesn't matter whether it's winter break or not, I probably won't go back anyway."

"What?"

"There's nothing to do back home," Nan Zhuren said calmly.

Good Luck glanced at the computer screen. The image on it was indeed different from the one when Nan Zhuren was silent, but overall it was still quite stable and beautiful.

While inwardly praising the effectiveness of the data, he asked, "Do you have many friends here?"

"Not many. The people I know are basically just a few from the professor's company and research group."

"Doesn't that mean you have no friends?" Lucky Senior asked quickly. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Nan Zhuren's expression remained unchanged: "No."

The junior female student listening nearby listened excitedly, carefully noting down all the information about Nan Zhuren mentioned in the conversation. Although the experimenter should respect the subjects' information, he was, after all, a senior student in the research group... It felt like there was a chance to exploit a loophole.

Good Luck Senior Brother looked at the computer screen and nodded again. At this point, Nan Zhuren's EEG baseline was considered established.

This process is very similar to when Nan Zhuren used the "Micro-expression Analysis - Beginner" method to establish an expression baseline in his early days; both involved asking a bunch of everyday questions first.

However, Nan Zhuren's efficiency is higher than the machine that Brother Haoyun currently has.

……

Good luck senior brother is already rubbing his hands together in anticipation. It's rare to encounter such a beautiful wave. Once the experiment begins, the data obtained will definitely be extraordinary!
With that in mind, Senior Brother Good Luck opened a program on the computer in front of Nan Zhuren and said, "Just follow the instructions in the program from now on."

Nan Zhuren nodded.

The experimental instructions are essentially a way of translating psychological terminology into language that ordinary people can understand, and informing the participants of the rules of the experiment.

Having the computer display the instructions can prevent the experimenter from interfering with the subject due to their own language skills or abnormal emotions.

Then a line of text appeared on the computer screen: "Hello, welcome to this experiment."

This experiment is a complex experiment, consisting of two different experiments, and takes approximately two hours in total.

The first experiment lasts about an hour, followed by a ten-minute break before the second experiment begins.

[You will receive a reward of 200 yuan upon completion of the experiment.]

Nan Zhuren did not react. This was all information that had been given in advance, but it was being presented again now.

If you are ready to participate in the experiment, please press the space bar on your keyboard.

Nan Zhuren did as instructed.

Another line of instructions appeared on the computer screen—

The first experiment tests your logical reasoning and numerical calculation abilities.

Each time, a calculation will first appear on the screen, and you need to estimate the result; then a number will appear on the screen again, and you need to compare this number with the result of the calculation.

If the number is less than your estimated result, press the A key; if the number is greater than your estimated result, press the J key.

If you make the correct judgment, consider it a "success"; if you make the wrong judgment, consider it a "failure".

[Note: Please make your judgment before the numbers disappear. Failure to press the A or J key after the numbers disappear is also considered a "failure".]

It sounds a bit convoluted, but that's okay.

There will be a preliminary experiment next to help you familiarize yourself with the experimental rules.

"Preliminary experiments" are a step in almost all psychology experiments, which further helps participants become familiar with the rules.

Please estimate the answer to the following equation.

The text remained on the computer screen for about 5 seconds before disappearing.

4 × 4 = ?

The equation remained on the computer screen for about 5 seconds before disappearing.

【9】

OK，小学级别的计算题。4×4等于16，9小于16。

Therefore, Nan Zhuren needs to press the A key.

With a soft "click," Nan Zhuren moved his left hand.

The numbers remained on the computer screen for about 5 seconds. After disappearing, another 2 seconds passed before the next equation appeared.

3 × 4 = ?

The equation remained on the computer screen for 5 seconds before disappearing.

【15】

3 × 4 equals 12, 15 is greater than 12. Nan Zhuren moved his right hand and pressed the J key.

[The preliminary experiment was successful; you have understood the experimental rules.]

If you are ready to proceed to the formal experiment, please press the spacebar; if you would like to conduct a pre-experiment, please press Enter.

Nan Zhuren stared intently at the screen, without turning around. An experimental subject should act like an experimental subject; they must be serious.

However, judging from the approach of the preliminary experiment, this experiment seems to be very simple, consisting of elementary school level calculation problems?
Because Nan Zhuren didn't turn around, he didn't see—his lucky senior and undergraduate junior standing behind him, for some reason, wearing meaningful smiles. ...

Without hesitation, Nan Zhuren pressed the space bar with a "click".

[The experiment has officially begun.]

The following is the first set of experiments; you will need to make 10 judgments.

After each experiment, your correct judgment rate will be automatically calculated. If the correct rate is too low, the experiment reward you receive may be reduced accordingly.

Nan Zhuren nodded in agreement. It made sense; this was to filter out those who were simply there to collect the participation fees. It would be truly infuriating if the experiment's principal investigator wasted money and received useless data that contaminated the database.

From this perspective, the designer of this experiment seems quite clever?

[Experiment begins]

Nan Zhuren was completely focused.

The equation 【2×2=?】 will disappear after 5 seconds.

[3] The numbers disappear after 5 seconds.

Nan Zhuren pressed A before the numbers disappeared.

The equation 【4×6=?】 will disappear after 5 seconds.

[25] The numbers disappear after 5 seconds.

Nan Zhuren pressed J several hours in advance.

【…】

The first set of 10 equations and numbers was presented quickly, seemingly very easy.

Your group's correct judgment rate in this experiment was 100%.

[You may choose to rest. The experimenter will determine when the rest period is over and begin the next experiment.]

[Or, if you feel you are ready, press the spacebar to begin the second set of experiments.]

It wasn't difficult at all, just a primary school level question. Nan Zhuren felt that he didn't need any rest at all.

2.4 × 2.4 = ?

【5】

There's an extra decimal point? But it's not that difficult; the value of the integer part is easy to estimate.

Nan Zhuren pressed A.

3.4 × 3.6 = ?

【13】

Nan Zhuren pressed J.

【…】

The difficulty has increased slightly, but it's nothing for Nan Zhuren.

He even had the leisure to think, so is the Nan Zhuren of this experiment a series of progressively increasing groups, and will there be more decimal calculations afterward?

It shouldn't be too difficult...

Your group's correct judgment rate in this experiment was 68%.

[Your accuracy rate is below average. We apologize, but your experimental reward will be reduced accordingly.]

"Hiss..." Nan Zhuren narrowed his eyes.

That can't be right, can you really only get this low accuracy on arithmetic problems of this level?

Although it's said that you'll forget everything you learned after the college entrance exam... it shouldn't be to the point where you can't even do a middle school level problem, right?

In an instant, he felt he had been provoked.

……

The nature of Nan Zhuren's experiments has changed. Whether or not he receives experimental fees is no longer important; what matters is the accuracy of his work.

A man, a grown man, a man who has completed his undergraduate studies and is about to pursue a master's degree, will not allow himself to be stumped by this level of arithmetic.

Nan Zhuren's expression turned truly serious.

He still didn't turn around, so he didn't see the lucky senior and undergraduate junior behind him exchanging glances, both of them unable to suppress their laughter.

Then, Brother Good Luck glanced at the monitor connected to the EEG device and nodded in satisfaction at the suddenly changing ripples on it.

The data quality is really good!
"Click," Nan Zhuren pressed the space bar, no need to rest, to begin the next experiment.

2.33 × 4.78 = ?

【10】

Nan Zhuren's eyes widened, and his pupils went out of focus.

[Flow state]!
Getting serious! Just like a family member pressing nitrous oxide during a race, Nan Zhuren felt his thinking speed suddenly increase!

The numbers have become a bit more complex, and even the time it takes to present the equations and numbers seems to have shortened—no, not just "seems," it really has!

In the first group of experiments, the time for presenting the equations and numbers was 5 seconds. In the second group, it should have been a little shorter, 4 seconds, but I didn't notice it at the time.

Now it's even faster, down to 3 seconds. Does this not only increase the difficulty of the calculation, but also reduce the time available for the subjects to calculate?
After all, once the numbers disappear, even if you calculate the correct answer and press the button, it's still considered a "failure".

But this was no challenge for Nan Zhuren. Even if the difficulty of the calculations increased and the reaction time slowed down, it still wouldn't stump Nan Zhuren!
Without even needing to estimate the integer digits, Nan Zhuren directly calculated the answer to the entire equation! 2.33 × 4.78 equals 11.1374, and 10 is less than this answer!

"Den!"

Nan Zhuren slammed the A key down hard!
3.33 × 3.33 = ?

【11】

"Thump!" Nan Zhuren slammed down the A key. The answer was 11.0889—small!

4.44 × 4.44 = ?

【20】

"Thump!" Nan Zhuren slammed the J key down. The answer was 19.7136—big!

The rising momentum almost made the lucky senior brother behind Nan Zhuren lose his composure.

However, he had undergone rigorous training and could not allow his reactions to interfere with the subjects; his current inability to suppress his laughter was simply because Nan Zhuren was one of the research team members, making it particularly interesting to watch.

Thinking this, Brother Good Luck habitually glanced at the computer next to him...

"hiss--!"

The sound of gasping for air rose uncontrollably.

The undergraduate student gave the lucky senior a strange look. This was so unprofessional! What's wrong with this senior today...?

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss—" She involuntarily looked at the computer screen following Lucky Senior Brother's gaze.

What is this whole bunch of stuff that's enough to trigger trypophobia?!

On the other hand, Nan Zhuren, in a state of "flow," completed this set of computational experiments without any major upheavals, yet with a magnificent and uneventful experience.

Your group's correct judgment rate in this experiment was 62.4%.

[Your accuracy rate is below average. We apologize, but your experimental reward will be reduced accordingly.]

Ok?
Nan Zhuren fell into thought.

(End of this chapter)