The Web Behaviour Test

First, Pliny had to supply some personal information. His gender and his age and job type. That was no problem. He chose 'retired'. Then, to estimate how many hours he spent each week on various online tasks.

What is multi tasking? he asked me crossly.

It's when you do more than one thing at once, I answered. Don't they explain?

But look at all these different kinds of multi tasking, he grumbled. I'm sure I don't do any of them. I shall just answer 'Never' to them all.

Next, Pliny had to demonstrate his research techniques. 'What words would you enter if you wanted to find out how much caffeine there was in an expresso?'

Do you think it's a trick question? asked Pliny.

Don't ask me, I said.

He entered the words 'caffeine' and 'expresso'.

Next he had to choose which site to go to for the answer.

Normally, he said, I would go straight to Wikipedia. But perhaps they would prefer me to go to BBC information.

That's definitely a trick question. I said. What are you going to do?

Be true to myself, said Pliny. And go to Wikipedia. Oh! Now they want me to rate the information out of ten. Let me see. Yes. It tells me here how much caffeine is in an expresso. I wonder if I should give it ten out of ten?

Why not? I asked.

Because they might think I am too easily satisfied, he said.

Stop worrying, and get on with it, Pliny, I said. It's meant to take you twenty minutes and you've taken quarter of an hour already.

But I made a cup of tea, protested Pliny.

They don't know that, I said. Hurry up.

Next Pliny had to do some simple memory puzzles, followed by some that involved multi tasking.

In the first one, there were four chocolate bars, two red and two blue. You had to press 'Y' if you thought the red chocolate bars had moved in the second frame, and 'N' if you thought that they hadn't. You could practice as many times as you liked.

Curses! said Pliny. Should I practice until I can do it perfectly, or would that be wasting time?

Practice, I advised, until you can do it adequately.

Pliny practiced a few times, but he wasn't improving. He was getting a consistent six out of ten.

I would probably get six out of ten if I just pressed 'Y' all the time, he said. So that's what I'll do. But I feel like a chocolate biscuit. What time is it now?