[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'252841\' date=\'Dec 19 2010, 09:35 PM\']Not if you're smart enough to think "hm, maybe I shouldn't look at these answers." I think everyone who's posted is smart enough to have done that.[/quote]
I think you're wrong.
Further, it has nothing to do with smart/dumb, and everything to do with it occurring to them to think "OMG I totally should make sure not to look at any answers before I respond so my own aren't influenced." I'd be *shocked* if everyone took that much care, and not because I think people here are stupid or thoughtless, but simply because it wouldn't occur to them. Hell, the first time I read the post and scanned the list of questions, I saw Holland's answer to the first one. So right there, if I responded, I'd be tainted.
And if anybody scrolled to the bottom of the thread before responding, whether they realize it or not? They're tainted too. Data was flashing in front of their eyes. Maybe they weren't assimilating it, but their subconscious mind saw it.
Now, is that
level of taint (huh-huh) enough to make the poll results unusable? Probably not. But I'd bet you a pan of my family recipe English Toffee (last week was my annual Holiday Baking) that the results would be different from what we're seeing here if the replies were emailed privately. Maybe not MUCH different, but different.
