50 great myths of popular psychology :
50 great myths of popular psychology : shattering widespread misconceptions about human behavior /
Fifty great myths of popular psychology : shattering widespread misconceptions about human behavior
Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, Barry L. Beyerstein.
- 1 online resource (303 pages)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction --
Ch. 1. BRAIN POWER --
Myth # 1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power --
Myth # 2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained --
Myth # 3 Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon --
Myth # 4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes --
Myth # 5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products --
Ch. 2. FROM WOMB TO TOMB --
Myth # 6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence --
Myth # 7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil --
Myth # 8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in Their 40s or Early 50s --
Myth # 9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility --
Myth # 10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages --
Ch. 3. A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST --
Myth # 11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events We’ve Experienced --
Myth # 12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events --
Myth # 13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences --
Myth # 14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives --
Ch. 4. TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS --
Myth # 15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People --
Myth # 16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch --
Myth # 17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters --
Myth # 18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles --
Ch. 5 ALTERED STATES --
Myth # 19 Hypnosis Is a Unique “Trance” State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness --
Myth # 20 Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning --
Myth # 21 People Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep --
Myth # 22 During “Out-of-Body” Experiences, People’s Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies --
Ch. 6 I’VE GOT A FEELING --
Myth # 23 The Polygraph (“Lie Detector”) Test Is an Accurate Means of Detecting Dishonesty --
Myth # 24 Happiness Is Determined Mostly by Our External Circumstances --
Myth # 25 Ulcers Are Caused Primarily or Entirely by Stress --
Myth # 26 A Positive Attitude Can Stave off Cancer --
7 THE SOCIAL ANIMAL --
Myth # 27 Opposites Attract: We Are Most Romantically Attracted to People Who Differ from Us --
Myth # 28 There’s Safety in Numbers: The More People Present at an Emergency, the Greater the Chance that Someone Will Intervene --
Myth # 29 Men and Women Communicate in Completely Different Ways --
Myth # 30 It’s Better to Express Anger to Others than to Hold It in --
8 KNOW THYSELF --
Myth # 31 Raising Children Similarly Leads to Similarities in Their Adult Personalities --
Myth # 32 The Fact that a Trait Is Heritable Means We Can’t Change It --
Myth # 33 Low Self-Esteem Is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems --
Myth # 34 Most People Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood Develop Severe Personality Disturbances in Adulthood --
Myth # 35 People’s Responses to Inkblots Tell Us a Great Deal about Their Personalities --
Myth # 36 Our Handwriting Reveals Our Personality Traits --
9 SAD, MAD, AND BAD --
Myth # 37 Psychiatric Labels Cause Harm by Stigmatizing People --
Myth # 38 Only Deeply Depressed People Commit Suicide --
Myth # 39 People with Schizophrenia Have Multiple Personalities --
Myth # 40 Adult Children of Alcoholics Display a Distinctive Profile of Symptoms --
Myth # 41 There’s Recently Been a Massive Epidemic of Infantile Autism --
Myth # 42 Psychiatric Hospital Admissions and Crimes Increase during Full Moons --
10 DISORDER IN THE COURT --
Myth # 43 Most Mentally Ill People Are Violent --
Myth # 44 Criminal Profiling Is Helpful in Solving Cases --
Myth # 45 A Large Proportion of Criminals Successfully Use the Insanity Defense --
Myth # 46 Virtually All People Who Confess to a Crime Are Guilty of It --
11 SKILLS AND PILLS --
Myth # 47 Expert Judgment and Intuition Are the Best Means of Making Clinical Decisions --
Myth # 48 Abstinence Is the Only Realistic Treatment Goal for Alcoholics Alcoholics --
Myth # 49 All Effective Psychotherapies Force People to Confront the “Root” Causes of Their Problems in Childhood --
Myth # 50 Electroconvulsive (“Shock”) Therapy Is a Physically Dangerous and Brutal Treatment.
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience.
- Uses common myths as a vehicle for exploring how to distinguish factual from fictional claims in popular psychology
- Explores topics that readers will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as 'opposites attract', 'people use only 10% of their brains', and 'handwriting reveals your personality'
- Provides a 'mythbusting kit' for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life
- Teaches essential critical thinking skills through detailed discussions of each myth
- Includes over 200 additional psychological myths for readers to explore
- Contains an Appendix of useful Web Sites for examining psychological myths
- Features a postscript of remarkable psychological findings that sound like myths but that are true
- Engaging and accessible writing style that appeals to students and lay readers alike
9781444360745 (ebook)
Psychology--Popular works
Human behavior
Electronic books.
150
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction --
Ch. 1. BRAIN POWER --
Myth # 1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power --
Myth # 2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained --
Myth # 3 Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon --
Myth # 4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes --
Myth # 5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products --
Ch. 2. FROM WOMB TO TOMB --
Myth # 6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence --
Myth # 7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil --
Myth # 8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in Their 40s or Early 50s --
Myth # 9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility --
Myth # 10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages --
Ch. 3. A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST --
Myth # 11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurately Records the Events We’ve Experienced --
Myth # 12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events --
Myth # 13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences --
Myth # 14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives --
Ch. 4. TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS --
Myth # 15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People --
Myth # 16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch --
Myth # 17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters --
Myth # 18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles --
Ch. 5 ALTERED STATES --
Myth # 19 Hypnosis Is a Unique “Trance” State that Differs in Kind from Wakefulness --
Myth # 20 Researchers Have Demonstrated that Dreams Possess Symbolic Meaning --
Myth # 21 People Can Learn Information, like New Languages, while Asleep --
Myth # 22 During “Out-of-Body” Experiences, People’s Consciousness Leaves Their Bodies --
Ch. 6 I’VE GOT A FEELING --
Myth # 23 The Polygraph (“Lie Detector”) Test Is an Accurate Means of Detecting Dishonesty --
Myth # 24 Happiness Is Determined Mostly by Our External Circumstances --
Myth # 25 Ulcers Are Caused Primarily or Entirely by Stress --
Myth # 26 A Positive Attitude Can Stave off Cancer --
7 THE SOCIAL ANIMAL --
Myth # 27 Opposites Attract: We Are Most Romantically Attracted to People Who Differ from Us --
Myth # 28 There’s Safety in Numbers: The More People Present at an Emergency, the Greater the Chance that Someone Will Intervene --
Myth # 29 Men and Women Communicate in Completely Different Ways --
Myth # 30 It’s Better to Express Anger to Others than to Hold It in --
8 KNOW THYSELF --
Myth # 31 Raising Children Similarly Leads to Similarities in Their Adult Personalities --
Myth # 32 The Fact that a Trait Is Heritable Means We Can’t Change It --
Myth # 33 Low Self-Esteem Is a Major Cause of Psychological Problems --
Myth # 34 Most People Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood Develop Severe Personality Disturbances in Adulthood --
Myth # 35 People’s Responses to Inkblots Tell Us a Great Deal about Their Personalities --
Myth # 36 Our Handwriting Reveals Our Personality Traits --
9 SAD, MAD, AND BAD --
Myth # 37 Psychiatric Labels Cause Harm by Stigmatizing People --
Myth # 38 Only Deeply Depressed People Commit Suicide --
Myth # 39 People with Schizophrenia Have Multiple Personalities --
Myth # 40 Adult Children of Alcoholics Display a Distinctive Profile of Symptoms --
Myth # 41 There’s Recently Been a Massive Epidemic of Infantile Autism --
Myth # 42 Psychiatric Hospital Admissions and Crimes Increase during Full Moons --
10 DISORDER IN THE COURT --
Myth # 43 Most Mentally Ill People Are Violent --
Myth # 44 Criminal Profiling Is Helpful in Solving Cases --
Myth # 45 A Large Proportion of Criminals Successfully Use the Insanity Defense --
Myth # 46 Virtually All People Who Confess to a Crime Are Guilty of It --
11 SKILLS AND PILLS --
Myth # 47 Expert Judgment and Intuition Are the Best Means of Making Clinical Decisions --
Myth # 48 Abstinence Is the Only Realistic Treatment Goal for Alcoholics Alcoholics --
Myth # 49 All Effective Psychotherapies Force People to Confront the “Root” Causes of Their Problems in Childhood --
Myth # 50 Electroconvulsive (“Shock”) Therapy Is a Physically Dangerous and Brutal Treatment.
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience.
- Uses common myths as a vehicle for exploring how to distinguish factual from fictional claims in popular psychology
- Explores topics that readers will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as 'opposites attract', 'people use only 10% of their brains', and 'handwriting reveals your personality'
- Provides a 'mythbusting kit' for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life
- Teaches essential critical thinking skills through detailed discussions of each myth
- Includes over 200 additional psychological myths for readers to explore
- Contains an Appendix of useful Web Sites for examining psychological myths
- Features a postscript of remarkable psychological findings that sound like myths but that are true
- Engaging and accessible writing style that appeals to students and lay readers alike
9781444360745 (ebook)
Psychology--Popular works
Human behavior
Electronic books.
150