sael ambiguous word expectation seal sail perception

What people expect can change how they read the same made-up word

People shown the invented word "sael" tended to read it like "seal" when they expected animal words and like "sail" when they expected words about boats. The surrounding context changed how they interpreted the same letters.

A forged letter was used against Labour

Days before Britain’s 1924 general election, a letter falsely presented as coming from Soviet official Grigory Zinoviev was leaked by MI6 and used against the Labour government. It remains unclear whether MI6 knew the letter was forged when it leaked it.

Distance from the Sun helped decide planet sizes

Close to the young Sun, it was too hot for materials such as water, ammonia, and methane to freeze, leaving mainly rock and metal to form small planets. Farther out, these materials could freeze and helped giant planets grow large enough to capture thick layers of hydrogen and helium.

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sael ambiguous word expectation seal sail perception

What people expect can change how they read the same made-up word

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