the Data Desk (par)
According to this newspaper's review, 47 / 47 — the ratio of the number of elevator rides taken by this newspaper's reporter Dog over two weeks to the number of those rides in which a complete conversation occurred. The former equals the latter, and the total number of conversations is therefore zero. Silence rate 100%.
Basis of measurement — the sampling window was weekdays 08:00 to 09:30, with 2 to 7 passengers per ride. In the review this newspaper counted 「monosyllabic replies」 and 「coughing」 as half a conversation each; after the review the total remains 0.
Control — after this newspaper's reporter entered the elevator, the same group of humans spoke an average of 340 words per ride. There is only one variable: whether there is a dog in the elevator.
This newspaper recommends that the relevant research institutions replicate this experiment. The sample is on the small side, but the direction is clear.
Corrections & note
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