Nick February 23rd, 2008
When interviewing job candidates, many interviewers tend to be overconfident of their gut feelings about the job applicants. The overconfidence stems from past cases where their hunches have proved right in the past. Maybe a job applicant did all of the right things to present a favorable impression, and the interviewer relied heavily on that favorable impression. This bias causes interviewers to reject applicants that have succeeded elsewhere. This is an example of hindsight bias, or the tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it.
It is very easy to find yourself criticizing an outcome after it already happened. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, commentators mentioned about why the victims in the second tower did not evacuate after the first plane hit. Whether it is the dot com bubble bursting, a recession looming about, a terrorist attack, or even hiring your next employee, we are all subject to being a Monday morning quarterback, also known as hindsight bias.
Popularity: 59% [?]
Tags: hindsight bias, psychology
Nick February 23rd, 2008
All science is based on curiosity, a passion to explore and understand without misleading or being misled. For example, is there life after death? Do ghosts and demons really exist? When it comes to questions related to paranormal psychology there are more skeptics than believers. Some skeptics can turn into believers if they have a first hand experience combined with other evidence of something paranormal. To become a believer in paranormal psychology requires a scientific attitude, which involves curious skepticism to understand what is really going on.
One can acquire the tools needed for researching the topic of paranormal, such as thermal imaging cameras or digital electronic recorders to gather evidence. If something was captured on camera, the researcher would experiment to try and recreate the phenomena. If the phenomena cannot be recreated, you have solid evidence to report that there is something paranormal in the research environment you are investigating.
When dealing with topics such as the paranormal, there will be skeptics. Skeptics can turn into believers if they have a first hand experience. Such crazy sounding ideas do find support when subjected to a scientific attitude. Other researchers can further experiment with the time of day. For example, some researchers in this field believe that most spirits manifest during the early morning hours.
To test this, researchers can use a concept called dead time to try and communicate with a spirit. Dead time is where you turn off all electronic devices and electricity such as lights. The environment should be completely dark and quiet.
Popularity: 56% [?]
Tags: psychology
Nick February 21st, 2008
Several studies by Ames (1997), Gladue (1990), and Meyer-Bahlburg (1995) conclude that there is a critical period in a fetus’ development that predisposes the person to be attracted to a particular sex later in life. This critical period has to do with the brain’s neural-hormonal control system. So female fetus’ that were exposed to testosterone were more like to become lesbians later in life, while male fetus’ that were exposed to increased levels of estrogen hormone were more likely to be gay.
Everything psychological is simultaneously biological.
Related article: Love Won Out
Popularity: 60% [?]
Tags: homosexuality, psychology, sexual immorality, unlawful sexual acts
Nick January 22nd, 2008
As future helpers it is important to know theories and techniques that can help people but it is also important to know the bible and what it says about mental health. The bible is full of verses that can be comforting to someone dealing with mental pain. Take the following verse from Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30.
If you are a practicing psychologist or counselor, and you know of any other bible verses or experiences that you have had helping people please feel free to share.
Popularity: 34% [?]
Tags: bible, mental health
