h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Art of Cold Reading - A14644262
Author: Serephina..Smells like honey apparently! - U191719

Bit stuck on this one, iknow it needs more but what?

True, bit abrupt on the ending. How do people get in touch with cold readers anywyay ? Do they advertise, do you find them in the Yellow Pages (and under which section)? I guess cold reading applies to all the horoscopes published in news papers and magazines ?

B'el

Indeed horrorscopes would count in a way as they say something broad enough to apply to most n order to seem accurate

I've been trying to find out a bit morre on the origins/history ofcold reading, places you can learn it etc, but not much luck yet.

I don't think horoscopes count as cold reading, because there is no communication back from the person reading the horoscope to the person writing it. The writer is not using the reaction of the reader to judge what to say next.

It's an interesting entry, Serephina, but it does end rather abruptly. I've never heard of the famous person you mention in the last sentence, so it seemed doubly abrupt.

I presume it will be difficult to find out the history of this technique, because it is used by people to trick the public, so they are not going to be very forthcoming about it.

I can easily add a bit more on Doris Stokes if necessary but I'm still not sure where to take it from there. Go back through and cover the various techniques more in depth perhaps?

I thought that cold reading was used for more than just pretending to be psychic. There was an epside of 'Hustle' (a TV drama about confidence tricksters) that had a section on cold reading with one charactere explaining to another how it worked. They had a man sitting at a table in the bar, and went through clues in his appearance - mark where wedding ring was meant he was recenty divorced etc.

I think Sherlock Holmes also used cold reading....

sales people etc can use similar tricks too. I can add some of this in, but I was looking at the entry from the fake psychic approach mainly.

Gnomon, are you saying you never heard of Harry Houdini? History's most famous escapologist, and scourge of spiritualism? Shirley not!

Zube

No it was Doris Stokes I hadn't heard of. But since I made that comment, Serephina has added an extra bit to the end.

Doris who?

Zube

I'd write an entry on her but would prolly get it trouble for it

I'm adding bits to this as they come to me or are suggested Zubenscamali

Still doesnt seem quite right somehow

?

You asked for it

percieved - perceived

yet successfully trick vulnerable people into believing they have such abilities daily. - ...people daily into believing...

bits we don't like or are 'wrong'. - ...like or which are ...

clues such a persons age range -1: such as a ...2: person's

one or the reader is truly psychic. -...or that the...

seek to decieve others - deceive

cold read without realiing it. - realising - I'm not sure what you mean by this

believed that famed international medium - ...that the famed...

be dated as back as far as the early 19th century. - dated as far back as...

american sptitualist mvement - 1:American 2: spiritualist 3: movement

renowed - renowned

reward to any one could show - anyone who...

Seraphina, you might like to mention the Forer Effect - also called the Barnum effect after the granddaddy of conmen, PT Barnum. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect for background info.

Yoo Hoo Anything happening here?

Shall I go and poke Serephina? From what I recall, this is quite a promising entry.

ooo, dont poke her, she likes that too much. Gently prod perhaps?

I'll see what I can do.