My first reaction to this is "that's dumb." But then, I remember a few studies I've heard of. Basically, if people are made to write an essay in favor of a posi

My first reaction to this is "that's dumb." But then, I remember a few studies I've heard of. Basically, if people are made to write an essay in favor of a position (like for or against abortion), even if it's one they initially disagree with, their opinions will be measurably more sympathetic to that position afterwards. So maybe this isn't entirely dumb after all. Obviously, there's a big gap between writing an essay and typing a single word. Supposedly, the trigger was having to consider the reasoning behind a position, which you don't have to do to type just one word. But who knows, maybe the cumulative effect could actually do something. Note also that this isn't a real captcha, in the traditional sense. It doesn't work by keeping the trolls out. It works by making them slightly less troll-ish, through repeated exposure. While outwardly similar, it's a very different model, and you would not expect any immediate effect.