Some politicians and spin doctors seem to be well-acquainted with this principle.
... background knowledge permits fast and efficient validation of information.
Rebuttal/extension of Gilbert et al. research on incorporation of false information into beliefs
Gilbert et al. study of incorporating false information into beliefs
What do you think of the contents? Do you agree with the author's conclusions? Which ones are problematic?
Some politicians and spin doctors seem to be well-acquainted with this principle.
I wish they had provided explicit links for the sources they cite. That would strengthen this article considerably.
Review of research that is methodologically sound finds no evidence to support the use of "learning styles" in the classroom. Why is this approach so popular within the educational community?
"The contrast between the enormous popularity
of the learning-styles approach within education and the lack of
credible evidence for its utility is, in our opinion, striking and
disturbing. If classification of students' learning styles has
practical utility, it remains to be demonstrated."
Authors Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer and Bjork are all leading researchers in the area of human leaning.
"Remembering makes evidence compelling: Retrieval from memory can give rise to the illusion of truth."
Oh my. It's hard not to believe everything you think!
Taste sensitivities aren't segregated into specific areas on the tongue - the distribution of taste sensitivities varies among individuals, and taste buds contain several types of taste receptors.
“Our results show that each of the five basic taste qualities is exquisitely segregated into different taste cells” explained Charles Zuker, a professor of biology at UCSD and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, who headed the study. “Taken together, our work has also shown that all taste qualities are found in all areas of the tongue, in contrast with the popular view that different tastes map to different areas of the tongue.”
Research report from U. of Maryland
Found disturbingly high levels of misinformation across the board among 2010 voters, and highest among frequent viewers of Fox News.
Study of 2010 voters finds high levels of misinformation across the board, but highest among frequent viewers of Fox News.
"Our new year issue kicks off with advice on how to be a better person in 2011 (and it's not what you think)"
Evidence-based advice on self-improvement
People need to learn to detect BS - Bad Science. On Bad Science in a variety of areas, and why it happens.
Discusses poorly conducted research, and the need to understand how a study was conducted. Specific example - effectiveness (lack thereof) of abstinence-only sex education in teens. Randomized study found no effect on age of 1st sexual encounter, number of sexual partners.
Richard Dawkins on the virtues of the double blind control experiment
Many other good short essays in answer to the question, "WHAT SCIENTIFIC CONCEPT WOULD IMPROVE EVERYBODY'S COGNITIVE TOOLKIT?"
Discusses the belief that it's better to express anger than to hold it in.
Recounts some of the history of John Taylor's attempts to study psi effects in his physics laboratory, and how he was fooled.
Offers $1m to anyone who can pass a rigorous scientific test of paranormal abilities.
Critique of afterlife "experiments" methodology by Ray Hyman (psychologist and amateur magician)
Researchers find evidence that the urge to own and collect celebrity memorabilia, such as Eric Clapton's guitar, stems from "magical thinking" - imitative magic and sympathetic magic. That the object, especially if touched and used by the celebrity, will convey qualities of the celebrity to the new owner - the qualities are perceived to be "contagious" and transferred via the object to the new owner. Even mass-produced replicas have this magical quality. Profit motive (resale value) does not seem to be a major factor for most.
"Why do people purchase objects that were once owned by celebrities, such as film stars or politicians, and also by despised individuals, such as serial killers and notorious dictators? The present studies examine three potential explanations: mere associations, market demands, and contagion (the belief that these objects contain some remnants of their previous owners). Results indicate that while market demands do play a role, contagion appears to be the critical factor affecting the valuation of celebrity possessions. Manipulating the degree of physical contact that
a celebrity has with an object dramatically influences consumers’ willingness to purchase it, and individual differences in sensitivity to contagion moderate this effect. Additionally, the valuation of celebrity possessions is principally explained by measures of contagion, and subliminally activating the concept of contagion changes consumers’ willingness to purchase celebrity objects. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed. "