I have it!
Jim From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: FW: [PSYTEACH] persistent psychological myths? Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:04:12 -0600 > Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 14:51:48 -0700 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [PSYTEACH] persistent psychological myths? > To: [email protected] > > Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy. Of course, part of the problem is that > many of things we state as myths do have more than one side to the story. But > these here are pretty one-sided when it comes to getting actual evidence. > > Just don't ask me for it now; I'm buried. Disbusing people of their > misconceptions. > > BTW would there be a formal difference between a myth and a misconception. I > thought there should be but my own research suggests not. What do others > think? > > 1. Most people use only 10% of their brains. > 2. There are striking stylistic differences between the two hemispheres of > the brain, with the left being “analytic” and the right “creative.” > 3. Most “crack babies” end up with serious neurological deficits. > 4. People with one eye cannot see in three dimensions. > 5. Subliminal messages can be used to persuade others to purchase > products. > 6. Brain activity almost stops during sleep. > 7. Playing classical music (e.g., Mozart) to infants and children > increases their intelligence. > 8. Extra simulation will markedly increase the intelligence of most > infants. > 9. Immediate contact between a mother and infant after birth is critical > for bonding. > 10. You can “spoil a baby if you respond to its demands too quickly. > 11. Hyperactivity seems to be rooted in an inborn biological dysfunction. > 12. Sugar causes hyperactivity in children. > 13. The suicide rate is higher among adolescents than any other age group. > 14. Adolescence is almost always a period of intense emotional distress and > turmoil. > 15. Most people experience a mid-life crisis in their 40s or early 50s. > 16. Old age is typically associated with increased dissatisfaction. > 17. Human memory works like a tape recorder or video camera, and accurately > records the events we have witnessed. > 18. In criminal eyewitnesses, confidence is closely related to accuracy. > 19. Hypnosis is useful for retrieving memories of forgotten events. > 20. Individuals commonly repress the memories of painful or traumatic > experiences. > 21. Intelligence (IQ) tests are biased against certain groups of > individuals (e.g., women, minorities). > 22. Most creative accomplishments occur in sudden flashes of insight. > 23. Punishment is typically an effective means of changing long-term > behavior. > 24. If you’re unsure of your answer while taking a test, it’s best to stick > with your initial hunch. > 25. The defining feature of dyslexia is seeing words backwards (e.g., “pal” > instead of “lap”). > 26. Hypnosis is a unique “trance” state that differs physiologically from > wakefulness. > 27. Under hypnosis you can perform feats that are otherwise impossible. > 28. Researchers have demonstrated that dreams possess an underlying > symbolic meaning. > 29. Individuals can learn information (e.g., new languages) while asleep. > 30. During “out of body” experiences, individuals can observe themselves > from above. > 31. The polygraph (“lie detector”) test is a highly accurate means of > detecting dishonesty. > 32. Happy people experience more positive events in their lives than do > unhappy people. > 33. Large, multi-year contracts motivate athletes to improve their > performance. > 34. It is generally better to express anger openly than to hold it in. > 35. Ulcers are caused primarily or entirely by stress. > 36. Familiarity breeds contempt: The more times we are exposed to > something, the less we tend to like it > 37. Most women experience a marked worsening of their moods during the > premenstrual period. > 38. Opposites attract: People tend to be romantically attracted to > individuals who differ from them in their personality, interests, and > attitudes. > 39. When it comes to communication styles, women talk more than men. (“Men > are from Mars, Women are from Venus”). > 40. People’s attitudes are highly predictive of their actual behaviors. > 41. Raising children similarly leads to similarities in their adult > personalities. > 42. Children raised in gay or lesbian families grow up gay or lesbian. > 43. Low self-esteem is associated with aggression and violence. > 44. Most people with a history of child sexual abuse develop severe > personality disturbances in adulthood. > 45. People’s responses to inkblots tells us a great deal about their > personalities and propensities toward mental disorders. > 46. Character traits are encoded in our handwriting. > 47. Psychiatric labels tend to cause harm by stigmatizing people. > 48. People with schizophrenia possess more than one personality. > 49. Most depressed people distort reality. > 50. Suicides are most likely when individuals are most severely depressed. > 51. Most people who use heroin become addicted to it. > 52. Psychiatric hospital admissions and crimes tend to increase during full > moons. > 53. The characteristic feature of Tourette’s Syndrome is swearing and > cursing. > 54. Most severely mentally ill individuals have histories of violence. > 55. “Psychological profiling” has been shown to be an effective means of > identifying criminals. > 56. A large proportion of criminals are acquitted on the basis of the > insanity defense. > 57. Essentially all people who confess to a crime are guilty of it. > 58. Clinical judgment and intuition are the best means of combining > information to reach a diagnosis for a patient. > 59. A well-trained psychotherapist can establish a person’s true thoughts > and problems by analyzing dreams. > 60. Abstinence is the only realistic treatment goal for alcoholics. > 61. All effective psychotherapies force individuals to confront the “root” > causes of their problems in childhood. > 62. Electroconvulsive (“shock”) therapy is a physically dangerous treatment. > 63. Eyewitness testimony is usually reliable. > 64. Hypnosis cannot help people remember things from the first six months > of life. > 65. High self-esteem is not necessary for high achievement. > 66. Many adults were abused as children but do not remember the abuse. > 67. Schizophrenia is more common than multiple personality disorder > (dissociative disorder). > 68. People with schizophrenia have more than one personality. > 69. Human intuition is often accurate and free from error. > 70. A baby’s attachment for its mother is not based on mom’s filling the > physiological need for food. > 71. People who threaten to commit suicide will not carry out the act. > 72. The insanity defense is seldom used in criminal cases. > 73. Drug education programs (i.e., DARE) are effective in deterring drug > use among teenagers. > 74. Students have a good sense of how well they know class material. > 75. Taste areas for sweet, sour, salty and bitter are well defined on the > tongue. > 76. Astrologers can predict your personality from the arrangement of stars > and planets at your birth. > 77. ESP (extrasensory perception) has been documented. > 78. Babies who learned sign language as infants have a higher overall IQ. > 79. Memory works like a tape recorder or video camera, accurately recording > the events we experience. > 80. If you life long enough, you will eventually develop dementia. > 81. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. > 82. There is good evidence that people have different learning styles. > 83. Abstinence-only pledge programs are highly effective in preventing STDs > and teen pregnancies. > 84. Psychology is a science. > 85. We pretty much stop developing after about age 20. > 86. The bigger the brain the smarter you are. > 87. Although one could study hard and do better in school, “intelligence” > is mostly the result of heredity and genes. > 88. Strong people don't suffer from depression. > 89. There are tests to prove a person is mentally ill. > 90. A psychologist and a psychiatrist follow the same course of study. > 91. Learning to read is hardwired into the human brain, just as talking is. > 92. Most psychologists are statisticians. > 93. Males have an inborn advantage in math. > 94. The large majority of psychologists are therapists. > 95. A person’s intelligence is partially determined by brain size. > 96. Instinct determines many of our behaviors. > 97. A correlation between two variables means that one of those variables > causes the other. > 98. Most of us would not follow instructions from an authority figure to > hurt another person. > 99. People who rape do so because they have a strong craving for “sex.” > 100. Most homeless people are lazy, don’t want to work and don’t mind living > on the streets. > 101. Mentally ill people are “dangerous.” > 102. People who commit suicide do it for “attention” getting. > 103. Dual parents are always better for children. > 104. If you are “tough,” you won’t get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). > 105. Vision depends on light waves that exit the eyes and hit objects in the > environment. > > > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. > Professor of Psychology > University of San Diego > 5998 Alcala Park > San Diego, CA 92110 > 619-260-4006 > [email protected] > > > ---- Original message ---- > >Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 11:42:08 -0700 > >From: Bob Johnson <[email protected]> > >Subject: [PSYTEACH] persistent psychological myths? > >To: [email protected] > > > >It seems to me that a big part of our job as teachers of psychology is > >disabusing students of persistent myths they have about mind and behavior. > >With everyone's help, I'd like to develop a list of the most common and > >pernicious of these misunderstandings. Please share your favorites. > > > >Thanks! > > > >Bob > > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >- > >Robert L. Johnson, PhD > >106 Impala Drive > >Roseburg, OR 97470 > >H: 541-672-5301 > >[email protected] > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >- > > > >************************************************************************ > >PsychTeacher is a moderated discussion list for teachers of psychology > >owned by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and hosted by > >Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw GA > > > >All messages for the list should be emailed to [email protected] > > > >LIST OPERATOR: Bill Hill <[email protected]> > >LIST MODERATORS: Rick Froman, Ted Bosack, > >Tom Pusateri, Bryan Saville, and Tracy Zinn > >************************************************************************ > > ************************************************************************ > PsychTeacher is a moderated discussion list for teachers of psychology > owned by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and hosted by > Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw GA > > All messages for the list should be emailed to [email protected] > > LIST OPERATOR: Bill Hill <[email protected]> > LIST MODERATORS: Rick Froman, Ted Bosack, > Tom Pusateri, Bryan Saville, and Tracy Zinn > ************************************************************************ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=16166 or send a blank email to leave-16166-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
