On 7 Aug 2003, J L Edwards wrote: > Hi again: > > Please don't forget about my earlier request. I'd like to pose > students with a question about human behavior; something commonplace > but odd; something most of us do but we give little thought to; > something they might answer one way, though research findings are the > exact opposite. > > I really thought Stephen would come through...where are you Stephen > Black? >
Well, I'm glad to hear that Mark Kunkel isn't me, because if he was, who would I be? But I'd like to endorse his citing of the "crack baby" misconception. We've periodically discussed it on TIPS, and there should be lots of references in the archives. I didn't respond because most of what I have to offer are old standards, and many of them have been discussed on TIPS. Also, although I think I know what the appropriate evidence-based conclusion is in each case, most are controversial, and not likely to be resolved as readily as the kinds of examples I'd guess Jean is hoping for. Here's a list, unreferenced, in no particular order. In re-reading it before sending off, I see that very few actually conform to what Jean is looking for: "something commonplace...something most of us do". The ones I've phrased as "you" or "we" or "our" might do. All of them, though, satisfy the other criterion "something they [students] might answer one way, though research findings are the exact opposite". -Do power blackouts cause babies? [no] -Are there more admissions to mental institutions during a full moon? [no] -Should we drink 8 glasses of water a day? [no] (and that belief has led to the deaths by hyponatremia of a number of individuals taking part in marathons] -Does our brain record memories like a tape recorder? [no] -Is treating the symptom of a behavioural problem instead of its underlying cause harmful? [no] -Are memories of childhood sexual abuse repressed so that the individual has no knowledge of them until they are recalled years later with the help of a skilled therapist? [no] -Do children who were abused always grow up to be child abusers themselves? [no] -Is multiple personality (sigh! dissociative identity) disorder caused by child abuse? [no] -Is sexual contact between child and adult of any kind always harmful to the child's later development? [no] -Are your parents the primary cause of how you turn out later in life [no] -Is childhood immunization the cause of autism? [no] -Is secretin an effective treatment for autism?[no] -Is psychoanalysis an effective treatment? [no] -Do highly-qualified and experienced therapists provide more effective therapy than paraprofessionals with limited or no training [no] -Are you more likely to sink baskets after a success than a failure (the "hot hand" phenomenon)? [no] That's from Gilovich's "How we know what isn't so", a great title for a great book which must have more of these kind of examples in it. Whew! Didn't know there were so many. Stephen ______________________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Dept web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy TIPS discussion list for psychology teachers at http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips _________________________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
