Science is the Belief in the Ignorance of the Experts.
Feynman
The article by Orne (1962) is well-worth reading for the problems when studying human behavior. But it also comes with this gem:
A number of casual acquaintances were asked whether they would do the experimenter a favor; on their acquiescence, they were asked to perform five push-ups. Their response tended to be amazement, incredulity and the question “Why?” Another similar group of individuals were asked whether they would take part in an experiment of brief duration. When they agreed to do so, they too were asked to perform five push-ups. Their typical response was “Where?”
Orne (1962)
smbc had a similar idea, and yeah, science had (and hopefully still has) something going for it.
Literature: Orne, M. T. (1962). On the Social Psychology of the Psychological Experiment: With Particular Reference to Demand Characteristcs and Their Implications. American Psychologist, 17(11), 776–783.
