[tips] Tenure-track faculty position in social psychology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in social psychology, with an emphasis on multiculturalism, at the assistant professor level. Candidates must have a Ph.D. in psychology by August 2015, an active program of peer reviewed research that is grounded

[tips] Trial Of Polygraph Critic Renews Debate Over Tests' Accuracy

Trial Of Polygraph Critic Renews Debate Over Tests' Accuracy The federal government is throwing the book at one of the most vocal critics of the polygraph test. Doug Williams, a man who makes his living teaching people how to beat the test, will go on trial in January on charges of witness tamp

[tips] Help finding Boston area grad student or adjunct

I'm forwarding this position, first posted on another list. See below. Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, grandfather, bluegrass fiddler, banjoist & biopsychologist...

[tips] Why Brain Does Not Equal Mind

So because the brain is more complex & dynamic than a toaster it can't be "mind"? That could be the single weakest argument I've ever heard. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, gra

RE:[tips] quick question about wipe-off markers

I, too, have had (idiot) faculty use permanent markers on white boards. But there's a simple solution. I used to keep a big bottle of rubbing alcohol in my office and sometimes a small one in my briefcase. It's very effective in getting the permanent markers off of white boards. Pill vials or s

[tips] A new entry in the category of "Well, Duh!" Catsharks have individual personalities, study suggests

A new entry in the category of "Well, Duh!" How do people think behaviour can evolve without individual variation? I'd like to see a study in which they find no (consistent) variability in behaviour among individuals. That would pose some interesting theoretical quandaries. It used to drive me

Re:[tips] Teach statistics before calculus

Claudia Stanny wrote, "I once served on a committee for a master's thesis in which the student, disappointed that his findings produced non-significant p-values, tried some alternative analyses in SPSS. He showed up one day, beaming, with an output that he thought indicated he had a "significant

[tips] * Tell me about who you are. Forget and make no reference to all your personal roles such as father, friend, husband (wife), son (daughter), forget and make no reference to all your profession

Louis suggested the following interview question: * Tell me about who you are. Forget and make no reference to all your personal roles such as father, friend, husband (wife), son (daughter), forget and make no reference to all your professional roles, your past and present titles, forget and ma

[tips] Funny example of extinction

My favorite clip for illustrating a variety of concepts in learning has always been this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_0bhT98g9Y. Students LOVE it. Positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, schedule of reinforcement, etc. This one has it all. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. P

[tips] On The Dangers of Pseudoscience

Nice timing. The wife & I just returned from a tour of the National Parks (don't ask!) and ended up in Las Vegas. We caught Penn & Teller's show there. Penn Gillette gave and fairly long rant on his belief that ALL mediums, psychics, ESPers, etc. are naught but charlatans & crooks. (Interestingl

[tips] David Hubel, RIP

I partially credit Torsten & Wiesel with my choice of biopsychology as my field. As a junior I wrote a paper on their work & it got me hooked. Of course, my interest was first piqued by a NY Times article on Jose Delgado's stunt with implanted electrodes & a charging bull! http://www.youtube.co

[tips] Education isn't about teaching facts (yes, we know)

I'm sorry but I don't understand how one can "think critically" without knowing a lot facts. I've had too many experiences with 1st year students thinking that their thoughts, based on a lack of facts, is as valid as anyone else's opinion. My experience is that once you have learned the basic (a

[tips] Do Orthodox Jews Believe in Vaccination?

Michael asked if there was an Orthodox Jewish position on vaccinating one's children and Where in the Torah, Talmud, or Pentateuch (sic) are medical issues addressed? (Just FYI, Michael, the Torah IS the Pentateuch.) But if you really want to know the answers to your question, just do a Google

[tips] Tenure Track Opening: Adult Clinical

West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Clinical Psychology at the assistant professor level. Applicants must have a Ph.D. in psychology, an active program of research with an adult population, and the ability to mentor undergraduate and graduate stude

[tips] Princess of whales: How a naked female scientist tries to tame belugas in the freezing Arctic

(I'm not sure about the scientific utility here but the pictures are truly stunning. Ed) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004042/Naked-female-scientist-tries-tame-beluga-whales-arctic.html Braving sub-zero temperatures, she has thrown caution — and her clothes — to the wind to tame

[tips] clinical Ph.Ds?

Our last few clinical hires resulted in some really amazing candidates, all of who accepted our offers. But we are located about 25 mi. west of Philadelphia so we attract candidates who were raised in the area & who want to return. We get people coming off post docs & internships in area Ph.D. g

re:[tips] Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain............................ Well, duh!

OK, Mike has convinced me that he's correct. There are disorders which have nothing to do with the nervous system and are, in fact, the product of an incorporeal mind. except, perhaps for those caused by evil spirits. It seems eminently reasonable to me that if I can't find any biologic

re:[tips] Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain............................ Well, duh!

Mike Palij wriote, "I'm having a hard time understanding Ed's post. Perhaps he is saying "Hey, the movement/muscle disorder either it has a neurological basis in the brain or it is psychological based (i.e., psychogenic) and that's too is in brain! It's all in the brain!" Which is a pretty trivial

[tips] Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain............................ Well, duh!

WE HAVE A WINNER for the biggest "Well, Duh" of the century Ed Some movement disorders may be rooted in the brain People who suffer from little-known movement and muscle disorders comm

[tips] To Good Ole Boys in Tipsville

Rick asked, "So this raises the question: What is (are) your favorite song(s) to play? And, for bonus psychological relevance, why? " And Gary asked, "how about foggy mountain breakdownDixie Darlin? Down the Road?" Foggy Mountain Breakdown is still OK although also massively over-played

[tips] To Good Ole Boys in Tipsville

As luck would have it, I recently returned Florida, having been on a bluegrass cruise to the Bahamas. (Really.) And aside from having no interest in watching auto racing, I have even less interest in playing "Dueling Banjos." One can't play a bar gig without someone calling for the band to play

[tips] "BANG With Academics"?

Mike Palij asked about "hook up sites" for psychologists, et al. I'm not sure about APA but the New Scientist web site has a dating service for scientists. See. http://dating.newscientist.com/s/a/17833 Maybe I could find my own "Amy Farrah Fowler." (For those who don't get the reference, see h

[tips] Joint Search by Psychology and Anthropology/Sociology Primatologist

Position Advertisement for Joint Search by Psychology and Anthropology/Sociology Primatologist 2012-2013 Join a vibrant campus community whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. West Chester University invites applications for a tenure-track faculty joint appointment (

[tips] Groundhog day (teaching related)

"A popular myth in USA connected with the 2nd of February (groundhog day) says: If a groundhog (Marmota Monax) sees his shadow while peeping out of his burrow on 2nd of February, winterly weather will continue for 6 weeks." As a professor emeritus I have little to do on this list but pi

[tips] Drug Actions: Mouse Party

The recent discussion on SSRIs remind me of a great little interactive animation that describes the action of various drugs. It only deals with drugs of abuse and might be a tad dated but it's still great & students love it. See http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html

[tips] Evidence of Premonitions Discovered in New Study

Here we go again! Evidence of Premonitions Discovered in New Study http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/10/22/evidence-of-premonitions-hinted-at-in-new-study/ Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/

[tips] FW: Wetakeyourclass.com

ber 13, 2012 12:55 PM To: Pollak, Edward (Retired) Subject: RE: Wetakeyourclass.com Oh, boy…… If this is a hoax, it’s a really elaborate one. And someone got upset that they scammed him… http://we-take-your-class.pissedconsumer.com/917-300-9820-wetakeyourclass-com-

[tips] A Szaszian View of Death

This is obviously the perfect time to re-read the very entertaining article, "A Szaszian View of Death." See http://www.szasz.com/vatzremarks.html. The thesis leads to the suggestion that Szasz is not truly dead because death is a myth. Indeed, the decedent is merely trying to communicate in

[tips] Rat Race

Anyone who doubts the ubiquity of Rattus norvegicus in psychological research needs to (re-)read Frank Beach's class paper, The Snark was a Boojum." See http://www.sfn.org/skins/main/pdf/HistoryofNeuroscience/FrankABeach.pdf Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester

[tips] Whatever happened to

In"Michael Sylvester asked, "Whatever happened to Comparative Psychology? As one of the owner/editors of the Comparative Psychology Newsletter (on YahooGroups) I think I can answer that question but it's complex. One the one hand, it is often said to be subsumed under the banners of "animal be

[tips] 20th ANNIVERSARY GREATEST TIPSTER

Rick Froman wrote: "('Omnicentric') is something of an oxymoron (everything can't actually be at the center at the same time) but it seems from context to be the antonym of 'ethnocentric'. The closest word I can find in the dictionary to 'omnicentric' is 'polycentric' meaning having multiple cen

[tips] Pinterest - a "girl" thing?

Is it too obvious to suggest that the skewed ratio might be due to the fact that psych majors (at least at my school) are overwhelmingly female? Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, gra

[tips] What's that called?

Michael Britt asked, "What's the psychological principle called when one person breaks off from the group and the other group members start to follow this dissenter?" Christianity? ;-o Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home

Re:[tips] depression as "crutch"

You might check out the evolutionary/sociobiological approaches to depression. e.g., see http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=depressions-evolutionary and http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/the-evolution-of-depression/. If your student decides it's relevant, she can dig de

[tips] Little Albert

As reported in Today’s Chronicle of Higher Education . . . . . A New Twist in the Sad Saga of Little Albert January 25, 2012, 5:12 pm By Tom Bartlett

[tips] (New) Atheism, Scientism and Open-mindedness Workshop

Michael Sylvester alerted us to the upcoming workshop on "(New) Atheism, Scientism and Open-mindedness Workshop" There's no need to attend this workshop as I just received the link to the following short video that explains it all. And there's also relevance to the "are Jews smarter" thread.

[tips] Empathy and Prosocial Behavior in Rats

Empathy and Prosocial Behavior in Rats. Very interesting Who woulda thunk (sic) it? http://www.sciencemag.org/content/334/6061/1427.full Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, fat

RE:[tips] Climbing Mount Everest

Annette Taylor wrote, "..(the) mere exposure effect is the tendency to like something better the more you've been exposed to it." And thank goodness for that! Without the "mere exposure effect" I'd have no friends at all!! ;-) Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psyc

[tips] Are Jews born smart?

Michael Sylvester asked "Are Jews born smart? No, Michael, we're not born smart. However, we get that way very early in life as the result of mandatory attendance at weekly classes in which we are taught how to manipulate the world monetary system, control the world media, and make a proper N

[tips] info:History of Psych

When discussing Lashley's "search for the engram," I would often describe it as testing a "connectionist" or "associationist" theory of learning as opposed to a more Gestaltist view. Of course, Lashley's laws of mass action & equipotentiality are decidedly Gestaltist in flavor. Ed Edw

[tips] contralateral organization

Nancy asked, "Are ALL human sensory systems organized contralaterally? Or just vision and the somatosenory system?" All of the "body senses" also exhibit contralateral dominance. That is certainly true for audition & vision as well. Olfaction, however, is primarily ipsilateral. Gustation s

[tips] Eyes Reveal True Hypnotic State for the First Time

See http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/nstv/2011/10/one-word-technique-produces-first-physical-evidence-of-hypnosis.html But I remain unconvinced. There's too much evidence that hypnotic subjects display the traits that expect to display, whether the hypnotist specifies them or not. Ed E

[tips] Who Owns You?

Mike asked, "who owns you?" That's an easy one. The answer is "my wife." Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/ Husband, father, grandfather, bluegrass fiddler & biopsychologist... in appr

[tips] Mosquitoes as transgender detectives?

Michael. you really need to stick to areas with which you have even a modicum of knowledge. First, "estrogen" is not a hormone. "The estrogens" are a class of steroid hormones with feminizing effects (in the the adult). As for "the estrogen feminizing hormone," I have no idea what that is. Dur

Re:[tips] Introductory psych transparencies

I threw out all of mine. And, Michael, why would you want to covert them to digital images when virtually every intro psych text on the market already gives you a free CD with the same (albeit updated) images? Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Psychology West Chester University of

[tips] Are Psychiatric Medications Making Us Sicker?

Brandon, Paul K" paul.bran...@mnsu.edu wrote, "I think that Mike Williams' point is (at least it should be) that we should assume that a treatment is not effective until it has been proven to be effective. In the case of psychiatric treatment, this is a high hurdle

[tips] Sick body, vigilant mind

This is PRECISELY the sort of thing that drives me nuts. Here's a perfectly fine article, the content of which is distorted by the sensationalistic title into yet another example of the simplistic, naive mind-body dualism embraced by the masses. G. http://www.brightsurf.com/news/hea

[tips] Would you consent to this?

Michael Sylvester wrote: " A student wants to attend your class but it is too late to add and drop,so the student seeks permission to attend your class and wants you to transfer the grade to the other prof's class where he/she is lawfully enrolled.Btw,I have had to do this a couple of times.I

[tips] Declare major now or pay more

Michael Sylvester wrote " Florida educational officials are considering a proposal that would require students to declare a major during their freshperson year or pay more for courses. Apparently it is felt that undeclared majors are a burden to the system.(Not sure why). Can the Tips intelligen

Re:[tips] antidressants

a way out of a predicament. Do placebos yield any type of results in this type of research? How about "thought stopping"? Michael - Original Message - From: Pollak, Edward (Retired) To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2011 10:3

re:[tips] antidressants

I think you miss the point, Jim. Certainly there may be different causes for a depression. Some may be more closely associated with genetic, hormonal or other obviously biological factors. Stressful life events are also clearly associated with depression but those events cause depression ONLY by

[tips] Random Thought: On Retirement

I'm newly retired and loving it! Frankly, I felt myself losing my edge and new it was time. I've seen too many colleagues go through their later years blissfully unaware of their declining skills and passions for their professorial life. I now find that my passion is better and more usefully d

re:[tips] antidressants

Annette wrote, "Except in those cases where the problem may truly be neurochemical in origin." As noted earlier, this is the very worst sort of dualistic statement. Annette, you need to defend it or retract it! Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Professor emeritus Department of Psychology West Chester U

Re:[tips] crawling ability and reading

I don't have a reference & I don't have time to look for one as I have to leave in a few minutes to pick up the pizzas for my 2 YO granddaughter's birthday party. However, I remember a study from many years ago that reported a positive correlation between the duration of the crawling stage & IQ.

[tips] Do we need human jurors?

Michael Sylvester asked, "Why not feed the prosecutor's and defense data and let the computer decide guilt or innocence?" For one thing, the data are remarkably clear that human moral decisions are profoundly influenced by "gut feelings" and other non-factual considerations. The classic exam