This Episode Brought to You by the Letter F

 

Damn you, focalism.

Focalism, as defined by three psychiatrists in the book Misdiagnosis of Cognitive Impairment in Forensic Neuropsychology, is more commonly known as the anchoring bias.

The bias, they explain, is “the tendency to rely too heavily, or ‘anchor,’ on one trait or piece of information when making decisions (usually the first piece of information acquired on that subject).”

Well, the first piece of information I heard on this subject is messing with me. Apparently, a parent was recently watching Sesame Street with his kid when he thought he heard Grover drop the F-bomb. The show’s creators claim that Grover, in discussing camera work with a puppet buddy, is saying “Yes, yes, that sounds like an excellent idea!”

But not daddy instigator. He posted the clip on Reddit. Now, thanks to my damn anchoring bias, I can’t help but hear what that parent heard. Here it is:

Next thing you know, they’ll be telling me that’s not Kermit in the big suit. Stop fudging with my head, man.