Psychology Self-Help | Self Help

For me, this blog falls under the category of "Why didn't I find this before?" David Mcraney (who describes himself as a a journalist who loves psychology, technology and the internet") writes a provocative blog called You Are Not So Smart where he posts thoughtful musings about common "misconceptions", such as:

• Most opinions are the result of years of rational, objective analysis.
• In romance, opposites attract.
• After you learn something new, you remember how you were once ignorant or wrong.

These ideas probably seem familiar to most of us psychology teacher-types - we talk about them (often in the research methods or social psych. chapters) and often they start lively, important discussions in the classroom.

I've always wanted to have a psychological version of the great "Bad Astronomy" webpage, and this blog comes darn close, in a way.

(personal note: I found out about this blog through a great friend, Jim Hanna. Thanks Jim!)


posted by Rob McEntarffer

Intriguing findings from this Science article about possible connections between social fear, genetics, and racist responses. The authors theorize that racist responses are more closely tied to an in-born social fear (out group bias) than they are to specific learned responses to race, and they use a group of children born with Williams Syndrome to try to test the idea. Kids with Williams Syndrome lack a few genes that are related to social fear, causing them to ber very sociable and have no fear of strangers (sometimes called "cocktail party personality").

This research could be a good place to start discussions about several topics: how creative researchers have get when studying complex behaviors (such as racist responses), how tough it is to operationalize some variables (the researchers in this study have to work hard to carefully measure "racist responses" - it sounds like they used something similar to the implicit associations test), and the links between genetics and, well, everything!

To me this study is a good example of the interconnectedness of psychology - our "chapters" are in many ways artificial boundaries between sets of ideas. The AP Psych. free-response questions always try to break down these barriers (requiring students to use knowledge from more than one chapter to answer a single essay question) and this research makes that reality evident.




Posted by Rob McEntarffer

Today's site is called About-Face.  The site has been of great use for both sociology and psychology classes when dealing with the role and portrayal of women in our culture.  The site calls out the magazines and advertisers about their respective questionable images in a portion called, "gallery of offenders."  However, this is not just exploitation.  The site also has a gallery of winners, featuring ads that have real women in real situations.  There is also a great deal of sarcasm that comes with explaining the offenders--pretty cool if you ask me.

Warning--some images are offensive, either for their violent or sexual aspect of objectifying women--you should preview the site to see if it's appropriate for your school/community.  The kids will likely be fine and some will be outraged.  It's the adults that may find something objectionable. 

The "facts page" links to many issues including body image, media, eating disorders and disordered eating, cosmetic surgery and obesity.

Whether you draw from the site some particular references or have your students explore, it will make for some spirited discussion related to body image, women in the media, and more.  Additionally, the blog makes for some very interesting reading.  Go for it.

You've certainly seen their free magazines and perhaps even their emails.  The Southern Poverty Law Center's education project is an outstanding site dealing with a variety of prejudice and reduction of prejudice articles, activities, and resources.  One could literally teach an entire course utilizing the materials on this site.
The Magazine
Professional Development
Activities Search Page with list below
Mix It Up

If you are a believer in social justice, reducing prejudice, increasing understanding, and increasing an understanding of history, this is a fantastic site.
Enjoy,

Chuck

You've certainly seen their free magazines and perhaps even their emails.  The Southern Poverty Law Center's education project is an outstanding site dealing with a variety of prejudice and reduction of prejudice articles, activities, and resources.  One could literally teach an entire course utilizing the materials on this site.
The Magazine
Professional Development
Activities Search Page with list below
Mix It Up

If you are a believer in social justice, reducing prejudice, increasing understanding, and increasing an understanding of history, this is a fantastic site.
Enjoy,

Chuck