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I knew right off the bat they were messing with colorization in photos to try and prove that as a cause of date interpretation. However, I tried really hard to

I knew right off the bat they were messing with colorization in photos to try and prove that as a cause of date interpretation. However, I tried really hard to guess the context of the photos and map those to dates rather than mess with colors and clothing, which can be poor indicators given how cyclical style is. Biggest takeaway: it's really hard to accurately guess when a photo was taken unless you know what historical event it captured or there's a dead giveaway (like a piece of tech) in the photo.

marcus_holmes 6y ago
particularly in the photo with the two "hippy" women - the only clue is how they dress, and that could be anywhere between 1965 and now, because retro fashion is a thing. I think the experiment would be better if it accepted a range instead of a single date.
- cgriswald 6y ago
  I saw that photo in color and missed it by +2 years. In color, at least, it's very obviously 'retro' and the phrase on the sign is not particularly 60's. I got two others within a year or two, but it was because I recognized the events. One I really flubbed was the two little boys on the junk pile (mine was color), which I guessed was related to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Since the color average was '87 and the black-and-white '85, I'm guessing that's what most people thought regardless of color. The most difficult one for me was the 'street parade', which could have been many, many moments. In all cases, regardless of color or black-and-white I wasn't using whether the photo was color or black-and-white to determine the date. I was first trying to guess the possible events, and then trying to rule them out based on clothing, style of cars, architecture, etc. etc. I think a bigger problem is where to initially put the selection knob. The knob on the picture of the two 'hippy' women was placed around '64 (if I remember correctly), confirming the bias in my brain "60s == hippy". I suspect most people link the selection knob mentally as a sort of 'caption' of the photo, even though they know consciously it's the selection tool.People are also probably slightly less likely to move a slider further than closer.
- Miraste 6y ago
  I was within two years of the right date on the hippy photo because of the design of the museum direction signs behind them. That clear acrylic and minimal font stuck to a wall style of signage is quite recent.

marcus_holmes 6y ago

particularly in the photo with the two "hippy" women - the only clue is how they dress, and that could be anywhere between 1965 and now, because retro fashion is a thing. I think the experiment would be better if it accepted a range instead of a single date.

cgriswald 6y ago
I saw that photo in color and missed it by +2 years. In color, at least, it's very obviously 'retro' and the phrase on the sign is not particularly 60's. I got two others within a year or two, but it was because I recognized the events. One I really flubbed was the two little boys on the junk pile (mine was color), which I guessed was related to the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Since the color average was '87 and the black-and-white '85, I'm guessing that's what most people thought regardless of color. The most difficult one for me was the 'street parade', which could have been many, many moments. In all cases, regardless of color or black-and-white I wasn't using whether the photo was color or black-and-white to determine the date. I was first trying to guess the possible events, and then trying to rule them out based on clothing, style of cars, architecture, etc. etc. I think a bigger problem is where to initially put the selection knob. The knob on the picture of the two 'hippy' women was placed around '64 (if I remember correctly), confirming the bias in my brain "60s == hippy". I suspect most people link the selection knob mentally as a sort of 'caption' of the photo, even though they know consciously it's the selection tool.People are also probably slightly less likely to move a slider further than closer.
Miraste 6y ago
I was within two years of the right date on the hippy photo because of the design of the museum direction signs behind them. That clear acrylic and minimal font stuck to a wall style of signage is quite recent.