First of all, the Deflector Shield Survey Commission would like to thank everyone who has participated in the Deflector Shield Survey so far.* We have some intriguing preliminary results to share, which we have broken down into three key insights.

1

The majority of respondents (61.4%) felt that the deflector shield would be either “highly operational” or “somewhat operational” when their friends arrived, even before checking any external information. This appears to indicate that deflector shields are typically highly regarded in terms of their base operational level. Factors contributing this may include: positive perceptions of deflector shield reliability and uptime, the ease of operation of deflector shields, and/or the culture of maintenance surrounding deflector shields.

2

Once directly informed that the deflector shield would be operational when their friends arrived, a significant number of respondents revised their expectations of deflector shield operational level upward. After watching the video, the number of respondents indicating that the deflector shield was expected to be “highly operational” when their friends arrived rose dramatically, from 32.3% to 60.6%.

Additionally, a majority of respondents (64.3%) indicated that the statement that the deflector shield would be operational when their friends arrived was the most important factor in setting expectations around the fact that the deflector shield would be operational when their friends arrived.

Together, these findings appear to lend weight to the hypothesis that words can encode various meanings, and, when conveyed via a medium, can be employed for the purpose of communication.

3

As promising as these results are, one area of complexity surfaced by the survey was the use of the word “quite” in “quite operational” as stated in the video. Multiple respondents correctly pointed out that, while “quite” usually means “fully” or “thoroughly,” it can also be used to mean “somewhat” or “rather,” which leaves open the possibility that the operational level of the deflector shield when their friends arrived had not yet been specified beyond the possibility of doubt.

This result suggests a key consideration with particular applications to those involved in communication: the avoidance of potential ambiguities with careful diction that clearly describes the relationship between object and property. Rephrasing statements with clearly delineated parameters may help. For example: “The operational level of the deflector shield when your friends arrive is expected to be completely operational.”

Conclusion (Provisional)

We have shown that deflector shields are highly regarded (1), words can be used to communicate (2), and that ambiguities can arise when this is done (3). Additional studies are needed in order to paint a fuller picture of the dynamics affecting the public perception of deflector shields, as well as the relationship between words and meaning.

*I bought 4 weeks on the artist alley for this. I wasn’t sure if anyone would do it