Theme
Trust, but verify
Materials List
- Blindfold
- plates, fork, 3 spoons
- Jicama (豆薯) slices
- Pear slices
- 2 pinches of salt
- 2 pinches of sugar
Principles
- Observational Perspective
- Iterative Feedback Loop (Trial and Error)
- Intellectual Humility
- Scientific Method
- Conditioning
- Socratic Method
- Sensory Skepticism
- Emotional Intelligence
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Quality Control
- Emotional Regulation
- Scientific Literacy
Part 1: Taste Without Smell
Set Up
This test has selected the jicama and the pear. Substitute items for this test could be any of the following foods. However, keep in mind that one food item should be unknown to the student to better illustrate the test. If the student is too familiar with the food item, the test will not demonstrate the purpose of the lesson.
Substitute Pairs 1, wax apple and water chestnut 2. potato and parsnip 3. Feel free to choose your own
Instructions
- Place a blindfold over the student’s eyes
- Prepare a few slices of jicama and another few of pear.
- Place these on a paper plate in front of the mostly-whole jicama and pear.
- After the test is over, the student will be able to see these, but not yet!
- Instruct the student to pinch their nose while performing this test.
- Important: The student must keep their nose pinched while chewing and for a few seconds after they swallow the item. The sense of smell aids the sense of taste quite a lot. We want to only test the sense of taste here. Ask them to breathe through their mouth for this part.
- Place the pear bite inside the student’s mouth with a utensil (chopsticks, fork, etc.), and instruct them to eat while paying special attention to the taste.
- Important: The student must not touch the food items. Again, we want them to only use their sense of taste to identify the food.
- Ask the student to identify the food item.
- The taste of pear is fairly common, so the student may guess correctly here.
- Inform the student whether or not they are correct.
- Repeat step 4 with the jicama bite.
- Jicama is less common, and it may be an unknown taste like several other food items.
- Remove the blindfold to reveal the food items, and deliver the purpose of the lesson provided below.
The Moral of the Lesson
Senses sometimes work in teams, and this is true with taste and smell. When one of the team members is missing, the other member can get confused. When all of the senses are used together, we get more information from different perspectives.
However, with all our senses working together, we still might not get the whole truth of what is really happening. That’s because our senses are sensitive to a small range, to our past experiences, and even to our beliefs. It’s always good to have a little doubt. Trust your senses a little, but verify! Leave a little room for doubt.
Mnemonic
If the nose takes a break, you won’t taste the cake!
Part 2: How Expectations Can Affect Emotions
Set Up
- Prepare three small paper cups: salt, sugar, and salt with sugar.
- On the bottom of the cups, write
- “1” on the salt cup,
- “2” on the sugar cup, and
- “3” on the salt/sugar mix.
You can substitute this for lemon or orange slices.
Instructions
- Ask the student to wash their hands and wear the blindfold while the test items are prepared.
- Place the cups in front of the student, and ask the student to remove the blindfold.
- Inform the student that cup 1 contains sugar, but do not reveal that it actually contains salt.
- Ask the student to eat the contents of cup 1.
- The student may touch the “sugar” if they like.
- Allow the student to react naturally.
- Instruct the student to drink some water.
- Inform the student that cup 2 really does contain sugar this time, which is true.
- Ask the student to eat the contents of cup 2.
- Allow the student to touch, react, and drink.
- Inform the student that cup 3 contains salt, but do not reveal that it contains salt and sugar.
- Allow the student to touch, react, and drink.
- Important: Remember the Socratic Agreement
- If the student does argue, praise them for doing so, and discuss this point. If the student does not argue, ask them if they tasted any other flavors to give them a second chance. Then, tell them the truth of cup three, and ask why they didn’t argue.
- Inform the student of the moral of the lesson.
The Moral of the Lesson
What we expect to happen sets our hopes high. We imagine reality reflecting what we want, and it makes us happy. Before we see the results, we are already imagining happiness.
We should manage our expectations. Most people have great imaginations, and their happy emotions go very high. You can have expectations, but try to bring them down closer to reality. Remember to trust, but verify.
Mnemonic
Don’t let your “before picture” ruin your “right now”!
2026-05-04 16:52