Pseudoscience and Psychology
The more you know of the known realm of possibilities, the realm of the unknown and mysterious shrinks.
Spring 2008 South Dakota State University
Brady J. Phelps Ph.D. Instructor
MWF 9:00-9:50 NFA rm.127
Office: Scobey Hall 352
Office Hours MW 11:30-12:45, Tu 11-12, Fr 11-12 or by appt.Phone: 688-6105
E-mail: Brady.Phelps@sdstate.edu \Text:
Schick, T., & Vaughn, L. (2004). How to think about weird things: Critical thinking for a new age. 4th Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill.See links below for PowerPoint Lecture notes
Class points and communication will be via WebCT:
http://webct.sdstate.edu/webct/public/home.pl
Prerequisites: Psych 101 or 102, Curiosity and an open mind to the evidence
Important note: These pages can be viewed with either Netscape or Internet Explorer; however, to print the pages, Internet Explorer MUST be used.
Purpose and objectives: Anyone with eyes and ears would have to be aware that commonsense is now considered out of style. Just turn on Oprah or even TLC and supposed documentary science information shows and you will see the utmost in pseudoscience being presented not just for entertainment but for the supposed purpose of education.If ever you watch science-trash TV and say to yourself "How could anyone believe this stuff?" CONGRATULATIONS, you are in good company and in the right class. This course will explore some of the features which distinguish scientific methodology from pseudoscience. We will address mechanisms of belief, perception and deception to better appreciate why intelligent people sometimes make colossal errors of judgment. The main emphasis is NOT on giving pat explanations for alleged events--weird claims are just the starting point, but the real purpose for this course is to develop an understanding of what constitutes scientific proof, rigor and evidence.
The point of the class is NOT necessarily to debunk everything that comes down the pike, no Bill O'Reilly tactics used here. During the short time of one semester, my goal is to introduce you to a wide range of claims and to examine whether those claims have any scientific basis. I also want to provide natural explanations for the alleged supernatural. In the process, I hope to open your eyes to many illusions, delusions, fallacies, and other mistakes that we are all (myself included) prone to slip on. The more you know of the known realm of possibilities, the realm of the unknown and mysterious shrinks.
Extraordinary claims call for extraordinary evidence!
In this class we will identify the trademarks of pseudoscience, and critically examine controversial areas in psychology and human behavior, such as creationism, ESP, faith healing, ghost stories, life after death reports, alien abductions and so on.
A fancy word for what we will study is “anomalous human experience,” meaning the accounts of supposedly unexplained and “unexplainable” human experiences and abilities. We will earn the basis for these controversial claims and how to evaluate such claims. To critically evaluate such claims is not an exercise in cynicism or narrow-mindedness; it is more properly an exercise in open-minded skepticism.
As Confucius put it, "The worst form of poverty is not to live in small house, but in a small mind."
"A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence"
David Hume
Requirements to pass this class: A changed view of psychology and human behavior. Besides that, you will have to do well on the tests. You will be graded based on your performance on three hour long exams, each worth 100 points. These tests will consist of True False & Multiple-Choice questions.
In addition, on 10 random days I will have you had in a summary of notes from lecture or take an an unannounced quiz. Keep your original notes; your name must be clearly legible on your sheet. These will be graded on a 5 point scale:
A few (1-3) words written, not stating the main points of the lecture = 1 pt.
More comments but not clearly stating main points of lecture = 3 pts.
Clearly stating 4-5 or more main points of lecture = 5 pts.
I may institute 20 point unannounced quizzes at any time, depending upon class participation and discussion. If I can't get a discussion going or you cannot or will not answer questions about the assigned readings, quizzes will start happening. Any such quiz will be worth 20 points and will add to the grading scale.
Assuming NO quizzes:
3 exams X 100 = 300 Points
10 days of attendance = 50 points
350 Total Possible Points
90% = 315 =A grade
80% = 280 =B grade
70% = 245 =C grade
60% = 210 =D grade
Less than 210 = F GRADE
This point scale MAY BE REVISED UPWARD if announced quizzes occur.
Students with special needs: If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please inform me and make the appropriate arrangements with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). The Office of Disability Services is located in 110 West Hall. To schedule an appointment call (605) 688-4504 and request to speak with the Coordinator of Disability Services.
Here is the homepage for the office of Disability Services:
http://www3.sdstate.edu/StudentLife/DisabilityServices/Index.cfm
Missed Exams: Retakes in the form of an ESSAY test will be available for those students with valid excuses such as written excuses for health, legal, family emergencies, etc. For any other absence from a test, retakes will be at the discretion of the instructor but will also involve an essay test. If at all possible, if you are going to miss a test let me know beforehand. You cannot take a test before the assigned date. Please do not ask.
Optional extra credit: Since many of you are hoping to attend graduate school, you will benefit immensely by reading academic journal articles as well as learning APA style.
If you choose, you may write a summary paper of a scholarly journal article relevant to unusual claims of abilities or experiences, brain and behavior, disorders, treatments, etc. Too many journals are available that pertain to these subjects to list them all here but consider looking at The Skeptical Inquirer, Skeptic among others, etc. I will accept articles from these sources BUT not many others.
If you find a journal article on-line and it is the same as one in our library, that source is acceptable. Many on-line articles are not acceptable sources. To avoid any misunderstandings, please check your source with me to avoid extra work and headaches later on! Sorry but reviews of books are not acceptable for this assignment.
I ask that these papers are typed, double spaced, 12 point font, 1” margin, header on each page, conform to APA style, and contain no fewer than four pages of text, at a minimum and no more than six pages of text total. Please give me a separate page with your source cited in APA style. Please submit a rough draft by the date specified in the syllabus.
•These papers are graded as an overall performance, meaning I am not able to give partial credit; your paper earns 15 points or I ask you to redo it until your paper earns the points.
Grading criteria: To earn your extra credit points, summarize and evaluate a research article, attending to the following sections:
•Please note that this paper calls for you to write, in most cases, a short paragraph to answer each of the questions below and to address each of the following by careful reading of your source.
•Please use the Spell check and Grammar check in your word processor BUT remember these are not a substitute for your own careful attention to correct writing. Please PROOFREAD your writing. Consult your St. Martin’s Handbook, (from English 101 and 201) pages 705-735
•In addition to attending to the above sections, I read your papers and focus on correct spelling, grammar and your ability to paraphrase and explain the article you read in your own words.
•Please do not just parrot back a list of terms or abbreviations, assuming I know what they mean; I may or may not but doing so doesn’t demonstrate YOUR understanding of terminology.
Introduction and Purpose of the study: Why was the study done? Do the authors state a hypothesis? Or if your article is not a study, what is the main thesis of the article? Summarize and paraphrase the main points regarding the subject (claims, theory, anatomy, function, disorder, treatment) your article discusses.
**If your article is a research study involving actual data collection and presentation, address each of the following; if it is a review article, you should address the Introduction and then skip to conclusions.
*Introduction/Type of study: Why was this study conducted or this article written? Was the study an experimental or a correlational study? Was the study a single subject or a group design?
*Who were the subjects? Please provide the scientific name of any animal subject and its common name, if it is a lesser known species (some obscure or exotic kind of invertebrate, for instance). The article will tell you this information. (Most readers will know that Canis familiaris is the dog or that Rattus norvegicus is the rat.) Please italicize the scientific name of any non-human subject. If your paper involves human subjects, please list basic data such as gender, age, as well as membership in any special populations such as brain injured, developmentally delayed or disabled, etc.
*Methods/procedure: What was done to the subjects or what variables were measured? If your paper is an experiment, please state the independent and dependent variables. Given the right equipment, are enough details provided such that the experiment could be replicated?
*Conclusions: Did the study uphold or refute the original hypothesis? Please elaborate upon and or qualify your answer. A simple yes or no is not adequate.
*Reactions: Did the study/article make sense to you? In your opinion, was it worth performing/reading? Why or why not?
See the end of your paper syllabus for a few lessons in APA style. For more detail, see APA style in APA Handbook or in your St. Martin’s Handbook, pages 465-479. The final draft, which must be perfect at this point, is due no later than the last day of class at the end of the class period.
Additional extra credit will be made available for your participation in a number of surveys, experiments, etc. A few additional points can be earned for your time. More details on this later!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Any student who attempts to persuade me with argument, debate or emotional means that they are somehow entitled to "just a few extra points to get the next higher grade..." will lose any and all extra credit points the student has earned to that point.
Policy Statement Academic Dishonesty The following actions will not be tolerated and if detected will be reported to the appropriate university officials for administrative action.
CHEATING: An act of deception by which student misrepresents that he or she has mastered information on an academic activity that he or she has not mastered.
PLAGIARISM: The offering of as one's own work the words, ideas or arguments of another person without appropriate attribution by quotation, reference or footnote.
FABRICATION: The intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise.
Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Those who intentionally or knowingly help or attempt to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty are also subject to penalty.
Class time will be used for lectures and discussion, tests, and videos, when appropriate.
Tentative Schedule of Events
You will have to read a great deal of material that I will not lecture on but which will be on the tests. I will also lecture on topics that are not covered in the book. Attending class to take notes will be very important.
Freedom in Learning Statement: Required addition to this course
Freedom in learning. Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.
What freedom in learning entails
The freedom to learn is an important and precious right, one that is not enjoyed equally around the world. Freedom to learn also involves taking responsibility. A good learner always critically examines the information that is presented in a classroom setting or in assigned materials. A good learner seeks to master the materials, for without mastery no proper assessment can take place. A good learner grants respect where respect is due—to the instructors, the fellow learners, and all others who support and make possible the learning community. A good learner practices self-reflection, and is willing to examine and if need be reject old views when appropriate. The freedom to learn requires the free exchange of ideas, not only among students, but also among professors. When this freedom is curtailed, society as a whole suffers.
Week 1: Jan 16-18 Intro to course
Week 2: Jan 21 Holiday Jan 23-25 chap 1, possibly start chap 2
Week 3: Jan 28-Feb 1 finish chap 2 if needed, possibly start chap 7
Week 4: Feb 4-8 chap 7
Week 5: Feb 11-13 finish chap 7, Start chap 3, Feb 15, Instructor out of town
Week 6: Feb 18 HOLIDAY Feb 21-23 chap 3
Week 7: Feb 25 Test #1 Chaps 1-3 and 7 Feb 27-Feb 29 possibly start chap 4 or videos
Week 8: Mar 3-7 chap 4
Week 9: Mar 10-14 chap 5
Week 10: Mar 17-21 Spring Break
Week 11: Mar 24 HOLIDAY Mar 26-28 finish chap 5 as needed, start chap 6; we will only cover chap 6 from Informal Fallacies, page 165 onward
Week 12: Mar 31-Apr 4 chap 6
Week 13: April 7, TEST #2 chaps 4-6 and other notes April 9- 11, start chap 8
April 10 is absolutely the last day to drop this course or withdraw from the university.
Week 14: Apr 14-18 chap 8, start chap 9
Week 15: Apr 21-25 chap 9, possibly other notes
Week 16: Apr 28-May 2 chap 9 or other topics
Final Exam Weds May 7th, 9:00 - 10:40 chaps 8-9 and other notes
Donald Rumsfeld on knowing what we know: "There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know.
PowerPoint Lectures notes on the text. Note, these are very MINIMAL outlines, they will not substitute for lecturesChapter 1 Outline Chapter 2 Outline Chapter 3 Outline Chapter 4 Outline
Chapter 5 Outline Chapter 6 Outline Supplement to Chapter 6 slides
Chapter 7 Outline Chapter 8 Outline Chapter 9 Outline
Psy 289 Students... Please read this article...
A tragedy of wishful thinking...Dr. Gary Schwartz and Psychics, Infrasound and ghosts, EVPs and ghosts, EMFs, ghosts and Dr. Michael Persinger, Dr. Bruce Greyson's research and NDEs
The interview instrument from Dr. Bruce Greyson's NDE studyVisual Stimuli as used by Dr. Bruce Greyson's NDE study
Reality Check.. Psychics do it again... Predictions for the year 2005
Predictions by "psychics" for the year 2004... Wait a minute, did any of this actually happen?
So called predictions for the past year (2007)The correlation between years of education and skepticism
A different opinion from a local citizen, January 2, 2005 Sioux Falls Argus Leader...
Why UFOs are NOT REALLY depicted in medieval paintings...
Scientific thinking vs pseudoscience
Michael Shermer's Baloney Detection Tools
Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Tools
Near Death Experience
Out of Body Experience
Poltergeists
Alien Abduction Experience
How to Test a Psychic's Predictions
ESP & PsiWhy weird things are going to be inevitable occurrences, without invoking the supernatural...
My review of a John Edward seminar:
Famous psychic's predictions... And misses...
See how easily your eyes can be tricked. Watch these two video clips:Video clip 1 Video Clip 2
Did it look like the ball disappeared in one clip but not the other?Psychic website: See how a website can read your "mind"...
Yet another "psychic" website...
See how consistent your beliefs really are at The God Game, go tohttp://www.philosophers.co.uk/games/god.htm
and see how you fare.
Links to web sites of interest:
Pseudoscience and critical thinking: The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of the Paranormal (CSICOP), publisher of The Skeptical Inquirer Also see The Skeptic's Dictionary
web site , information for rational explanations for the paranormal, the supernatural and pseudoscience.Pseudoscience topics from A to Z
Quackwatch for health quackery...
Psychotherapies with empirical support for their effectiveness
Resources for Distinguishing Science from Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology...
An article on subliminal messages by the instructor of Pseudoscience and Psychology:
Evolution and natural selection information at the talk.origins archive.
The website to counter the claims of AnswersinGenesis NoAnswersinGenesis
Activities for students at the website of PESTS, Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically