Re: [tips] more junk science and what to do about it

[Gerald Peterson]

What about the "big name" positive psychologists? It implies they were involved 
or consulting on this program? Do they make a few bucks for having their names 
and pictures used? 
However, I am not sure such issues are new or peculiar to Positive psychology, 
or that over-generalizing and making causal claims for correlational research 
is rare in our field. 


G.L. (Gary) Peterson,Ph.D
Psychology@SVSU


> On Nov 9, 2015, at 12:39 AM, Annette Taylor  wrote:
> 
>  
> A colleague sent me this link about a new program that will make you happy 
> and that it is "supported by science."
> 
> http://my.happify.com/o/lp32/?fl=1===HRX4AZRF65=RON=300x250=SadBrain
> 
> I decided to look up some of the books on which the website is based, on 
> Amazon, and peruse the reviews. I was flabbergasted when I saw that the book 
> Hardwiring Happiness had such high reviews: 66% of 279 reviews were for 5 
> stars! So I thought Wow, let me read the 1 star reviews, must be some unhappy 
> few people out there: and there I found what I expected to find. The book 
> HUGELY oversells the power of imaging studies to promote conclusions that 
> cannot possibly be reached with such studies. We just covered Brainwashed in 
> my critical thinking seminar and it seems that most of what I could access in 
> this book for free on Amazon fell into exactly all the traps that Brainwashed 
> mentions.
> 
> So how can they find so very many people to write such high praise for this 
> book? I'm flabbergasted.
> 
> To quote from the Amazon cite: "Hardwiring Happiness lays out a simple method 
> that uses the hidden power of everyday experiences to build new neural 
> structures full of happiness, love, confidence, and peace."
>  
> BTW no review in psycritiques
> 
> Then we have this guy: Shawn Achor received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard 
> University and a Master of Arts in Christian and Buddhist Ethics from Harvard 
> Divinity School to promote this website based on his best-selling and highly 
> (over???) rated book, Before Happiness. This is also not reviewed in 
> psycritiques but his previous book is, The Happiness Advantage, and it is 
> royally slammed for what it is: sham. Here are a few quotes: "Surely someone 
> the New York Times describes as “A big star . . . a world-famous expert” 
> (back cover blurb) would not mistake a largely correlational and unreplicated 
> body of research for causal mechanisms of critical business outcomes!" and 
> "Positive psychology is often criticized for rushing flimsy correlational 
> research to market and peddling it as causal truth (e.g., Lazarus, 2003). 
> Critics will find the apotheosis of their foil in this book...If Salvador 
> Dali had partnered with P. T. Barnum, they could hardly have produced a more 
> ludicrous, fantastical overstatement of what “more than a decade” of positive 
> psychology research has discovered."
>  
> HOW DO WE COMBAT THIS? People are flocking to this junk and loving it and 
> spending lots of $$ on it.
>  
> I am going to write a book...I am going to put in it every single bit of 
> "Influence" (see Ciadini's work) that I can. I will retire, finally
>  
> Annette
> 
> The rest of the positive psychology coaches promoting this website don't 
> deserve mention--all of these magic bullet, quick fix authors! Penn & Teller 
> have a fabulous bullshit! episode on self-helplessness.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
> Visiting Professor,
> Ashoka University, Delhi, India
> annette.tay...@ashoka.edu.in
> Professor, Psychological Sciences
> University of San Diego
> tay...@sandiego.edu
> 
> 
> From: Annette Taylor
> Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2015 3:53 AM
> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
> Subject: RE: illusion
> 
> Thanks to Miguel Roig who sent me the picture that immediately showed itself 
> to be a razor blade! I don't know if the image I am attaching here will show 
> up but turn it around by 90 degrees. Then imagine a bit of foreshortening and 
> a bit of converging lines at the distance so that the lower part seems to 
> have a larger end than the farther end.
> 
> Annette
> 
> 
> Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
> Visiting Professor,
> Ashoka University, Delhi, India
> annette.tay...@ashoka.edu.in
> Professor, Psychological Sciences
> University of San Diego
> tay...@sandiego.edu
> 
> 
> From: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) digest 
> [tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2015 10:00 PM
> To: tips digest recipients
> Subject: tips digest: November 07, 2015
> 
> TIPS Digest for Saturday, November 07, 2015.
> 
> 1. Illusion?
> 2. Re: Illusion?
> 3. Re: Illusion?
> 4. Re: Illusion?
> 5. RE: Illusion?
> 6. RE: Illusion?
> 7. Re: Illusion?
> 
> --
> 
> Subject: Illusion?
> From: Jim Matiya 
> 

Re: [tips] more junk science and what to do about it

[Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.]

On Nov 9, 2015, at 7:17 AM, Michael Scoles  wrote:

> 
> Gottman?

Why not? For decades, he has been telling parents to focus on the develoment of 
emotional intelligence in their children. For example, in 1997, he passed on 
the advice of his mentor, Haim Ginott:”You want to raise a mensch who is a 
strong person” (See: 
http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/5847/do-you-want-to-raise-a-mensch-psychology-researcher-tells-how/
 )  I’m not sure that positive psychology is equivalent to “menschian 
psychology,” but the two would seem to have similarities. 

-- 
-
Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
-
Social/Behavioral Sciences
Scottsdale Community College
9000 E. Chaparral Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
Office: SB-123
Fax: (480) 423-6298
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJeffryRicker/timeline/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeffry-ricker/3b/511/438




---
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Re: [tips] more junk science and what to do about it

[Michael Scoles]

Gottman?

On Sun, Nov 8, 2015 at 11:38 PM, Annette Taylor  wrote:

>
>
> A colleague sent me this link about a new program that will make you happy
> and that it is "supported by science."
>
>
> http://my.happify.com/o/lp32/?fl=1===HRX4AZRF65=RON=300x250=SadBrain
>
> I decided to look up some of the books on which the website is based, on
> Amazon, and peruse the reviews. I was flabbergasted when I saw that the
> book Hardwiring Happiness had such high reviews: 66% of 279 reviews were
> for 5 stars! So I thought Wow, let me read the 1 star reviews, must be some
> unhappy few people out there: and there I found what I expected to find.
> The book HUGELY oversells the power of imaging studies to promote
> conclusions that cannot possibly be reached with such studies. We just
> covered Brainwashed in my critical thinking seminar and it seems that most
> of what I could access in this book for free on Amazon fell into exactly
> all the traps that Brainwashed mentions.
>
> So how can they find so very many people to write such high praise for
> this book? I'm flabbergasted.
>
>
> To quote from the Amazon cite: "Hardwiring Happiness lays out a simple
> method that uses the hidden power of everyday experiences to build new
> neural structures full of happiness, love, confidence, and peace."
>
>
>
> BTW no review in psycritiques
>
> Then we have this guy: Shawn Achor received a Bachelor of Arts from
> Harvard University and a Master of Arts in Christian and Buddhist Ethics
> from Harvard Divinity School to promote this website based on his
> best-selling and highly (over???) rated book, Before Happiness. This is
> also not reviewed in psycritiques but his previous book is, The Happiness
> Advantage, and it is royally slammed for what it is: sham. Here are a few
> quotes: "Surely someone the *New York Times* describes as “A big star . .
> . a world-famous expert” (back cover blurb) would not mistake a largely
> correlational and unreplicated body of research for causal mechanisms of
> critical business outcomes!" and "Positive psychology is often criticized
> for rushing flimsy correlational research to market and peddling it as
> causal truth (e.g., Lazarus, 2003). Critics will find the apotheosis of
> their foil in this book...If Salvador Dali had partnered with P. T. Barnum,
> they could hardly have produced a more ludicrous, fantastical overstatement
> of what “more than a decade” of positive psychology research has discovered
> ."
>
>
>
> HOW DO WE COMBAT THIS? People are flocking to this junk and loving it
> and spending lots of $$ on it.
>
>
>
> I am going to write a book...I am going to put in it every single bit of
> "Influence" (see Ciadini's work) that I can. I will retire, finally
>
>
>
> Annette
>
> The rest of the positive psychology coaches promoting this website don't
> deserve mention--all of these magic bullet, quick fix authors! Penn &
> Teller have a fabulous bullshit! episode on self-helplessness.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
> Visiting Professor,
> Ashoka University, Delhi, India
> annette.tay...@ashoka.edu.in
> Professor, Psychological Sciences
> University of San Diego
> tay...@sandiego.edu
>
> 
> From: Annette Taylor
> Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2015 3:53 AM
> To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
> Subject: RE: illusion
>
> Thanks to Miguel Roig who sent me the picture that immediately showed
> itself to be a razor blade! I don't know if the image I am attaching here
> will show up but turn it around by 90 degrees. Then imagine a bit of
> foreshortening and a bit of converging lines at the distance so that the
> lower part seems to have a larger end than the farther end.
>
> Annette
>
>
> Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
> Visiting Professor,
> Ashoka University, Delhi, India
> annette.tay...@ashoka.edu.in
> Professor, Psychological Sciences
> University of San Diego
> tay...@sandiego.edu
>
> 
> From: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) digest [
> tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2015 10:00 PM
> To: tips digest recipients
> Subject: tips digest: November 07, 2015
>
> TIPS Digest for Saturday, November 07, 2015.
>
> 1. Illusion?
> 2. Re: Illusion?
> 3. Re: Illusion?
> 4. Re: Illusion?
> 5. RE: Illusion?
> 6. RE: Illusion?
> 7. Re: Illusion?
>
> --
>
> Subject: Illusion?
> From: Jim Matiya 
> Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2015 18:39:14 -0600
> X-Message-Number: 1
>
> Has anyone on the list ever seen this illusion. A student submitted as a
> an example...but I have never seen it before.  I am a little slow, can
> anyone see the figure-ground illusion?
>
> I have attached the picture
>
>
>
> JIm
> retired from FGCU
>
> Jim Matiya
>
> Too often we underestimate
>  the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest
> 

[tips] more junk science and what to do about it

[Annette Taylor]

A colleague sent me this link about a new program that will make you happy and 
that it is "supported by science."

http://my.happify.com/o/lp32/?fl=1===HRX4AZRF65=RON=300x250=SadBrain

I decided to look up some of the books on which the website is based, on 
Amazon, and peruse the reviews. I was flabbergasted when I saw that the book 
Hardwiring Happiness had such high reviews: 66% of 279 reviews were for 5 
stars! So I thought Wow, let me read the 1 star reviews, must be some unhappy 
few people out there: and there I found what I expected to find. The book 
HUGELY oversells the power of imaging studies to promote conclusions that 
cannot possibly be reached with such studies. We just covered Brainwashed in my 
critical thinking seminar and it seems that most of what I could access in this 
book for free on Amazon fell into exactly all the traps that Brainwashed 
mentions.

So how can they find so very many people to write such high praise for this 
book? I'm flabbergasted.

To quote from the Amazon cite: "Hardwiring Happiness lays out a simple method 
that uses the hidden power of everyday experiences to build new neural 
structures full of happiness, love, confidence, and peace."



BTW no review in psycritiques

Then we have this guy: Shawn Achor received a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard 
University and a Master of Arts in Christian and Buddhist Ethics from Harvard 
Divinity School to promote this website based on his best-selling and highly 
(over???) rated book, Before Happiness. This is also not reviewed in 
psycritiques but his previous book is, The Happiness Advantage, and it is 
royally slammed for what it is: sham. Here are a few quotes: "Surely someone 
the New York Times describes as “A big star . . . a world-famous expert” (back 
cover blurb) would not mistake a largely correlational and unreplicated body of 
research for causal mechanisms of critical business outcomes!" and "Positive 
psychology is often criticized for rushing flimsy correlational research to 
market and peddling it as causal truth (e.g., Lazarus, 2003). Critics will find 
the apotheosis of their foil in this book...If Salvador Dali had partnered with 
P. T. Barnum, they could hardly have produced a more ludicrous, fantastical 
overstatement of what “more than a decade” of positive psychology research has 
discovered."



HOW DO WE COMBAT THIS? People are flocking to this junk and loving it and 
spending lots of $$ on it.



I am going to write a book...I am going to put in it every single bit of 
"Influence" (see Ciadini's work) that I can. I will retire, finally



Annette

The rest of the positive psychology coaches promoting this website don't 
deserve mention--all of these magic bullet, quick fix authors! Penn & Teller 
have a fabulous bullshit! episode on self-helplessness.









Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Visiting Professor,
Ashoka University, Delhi, India
annette.tay...@ashoka.edu.in
Professor, Psychological Sciences
University of San Diego
tay...@sandiego.edu


From: Annette Taylor
Sent: Sunday, November 08, 2015 3:53 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Subject: RE: illusion

Thanks to Miguel Roig who sent me the picture that immediately showed itself to 
be a razor blade! I don't know if the image I am attaching here will show up 
but turn it around by 90 degrees. Then imagine a bit of foreshortening and a 
bit of converging lines at the distance so that the lower part seems to have a 
larger end than the farther end.

Annette


Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D.
Visiting Professor,
Ashoka University, Delhi, India
annette.tay...@ashoka.edu.in
Professor, Psychological Sciences
University of San Diego
tay...@sandiego.edu


From: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) digest 
[tips@fsulist.frostburg.edu]
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2015 10:00 PM
To: tips digest recipients
Subject: tips digest: November 07, 2015

TIPS Digest for Saturday, November 07, 2015.

1. Illusion?
2. Re: Illusion?
3. Re: Illusion?
4. Re: Illusion?
5. RE: Illusion?
6. RE: Illusion?
7. Re: Illusion?

--

Subject: Illusion?
From: Jim Matiya 
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2015 18:39:14 -0600
X-Message-Number: 1

Has anyone on the list ever seen this illusion. A student submitted as a an 
example...but I have never seen it before.  I am a little slow, can anyone see 
the figure-ground illusion?

I have attached the picture



JIm
retired from FGCU

Jim Matiya

Too often we underestimate
 the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest
compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the
potential to turn a life around...Leo Buscaglia


  :) I was addicted to the Hokey-Pokey, but I turned myself around  :)

--

Subject: Re: Illusion?
From: Beth 

Re: [tips] more junk science and what to do about it

[Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.]

On Nov 8, 2015, at 10:38 PM, Annette Taylor  wrote:

>  
> A colleague sent me this link about a new program that will make you happy 
> and that it is "supported by science."
> 
> http://my.happify.com/o/lp32/?fl=1===HRX4AZRF65=RON=300x250=SadBrain

That this is receiving numerous accolades is not surprising, however. 

I was thinking of creating a similar website, but with the opposite message, 
just to see what accolades I would receive 

=

despondify

Serenity is attained most easily when you don't use your intelligence.

This site, which contains activities and games based on no science at all, will 
help you to overcome positive thoughts, tranquility, and everyday peace of mind.

Created by Unqualified Amateurs

-- 
-
Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
-
Social/Behavioral Sciences
Scottsdale Community College
9000 E. Chaparral Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
Office: SB-123
Fax: (480) 423-6298
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJeffryRicker/timeline/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeffry-ricker/3b/511/438




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