Summer reading for AP Psychology:
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior
by Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, Barry L. Beyerstein
Description:
50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students 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', & '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
- Engaging & accessible writing style that appeals to students
50 Myths has 11 chapters categorizing the 50 into subtopics of psychology.
Video: 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology
Notes - 50 Great Myths - Summer Presentation
Video: 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology
Notes - 50 Great Myths - Summer Presentation
Reviews of 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology:
"Scott Lilienfeld and his coauthors explore the gulf between what millions of people say is so and the truth. Some of these myths are just plain fascinating." (US News and World Report, October 2009)
"Is it true that psychology is mostly common sense? For anyone who wonders, this amazing book—which effectively discounts 50 pop psychology myths and briefly dismisses 250 more—provides convincing answers. And it does more: it offers fascinating examples of how science works and supports critical thinking. For teachers, students, writers, and anyone who wants to think smarter, this classic-to-be will be a valuable resource and a great read." –David G. Myers, Hope College, author, Intuition: Its Powers and Perils
"At the end of each sub-section covering an individual myth is a list of anti-factoids about related matters and their factual antidotes. By this means a considerable range of topics is covered." - Education Review, July 2010
"Scott Lilienfeld and his team ... have a history in delving into the dark myths of science, and pseudoscience ... .They are back. As with their other works, these authors manage to write well for ease of reading so many facts, and do so with their characteristic humor and cutting edge science. This book is [an] illumination, and vital reading for professionals and even laymen." - Metapsychology, June 2010
"Who should read this book? Anyone interested in psychology and or the scientific method. The book is written in an easy to read fashion, is well referenced and includes a wide array of topics. The book teaches the value of critical thinking, and tells us it's all right to question authority. In conclusion, 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology is a must read for psychology majors, therapists and anyone who wishes to gain knowledge about the diverse field of psychology. I wish this book was available when I was studying psychology in college." - Basil & Spice (Jamie Hale), May 2010
"Because I only use 10% of my brain, I had to play Mozart music while reading this book, and then be hypnotized to recover the memory of it because of early childhood traumas that were repressed but occasionally leaked through out-of-body experiences and ESP. And if you believe any of the above you need to read this book...twice if its mythbusting revelations cause you to repress the memory of it." –Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, and author of Why People Believe Weird Things
