Of further relevance to psychology, did anyone else read this part of the interview with Alberto Martinez:
http://www.utexas.edu/know/2011/06/06/science_secrets/ "As for Einstein, writers have contrived reasons why he made his theory of relativity: that his wife was his secret coworker, that he was influenced by patent applications, modern art or mystical beliefs about God. But no, these are all just myths. Surprisingly, there’s more evidence that Einstein was influenced by, of all things, developmental psychology. I’m not saying that this was the most important factor (optics and electrodynamics were far more important), just that it was more important than the factors I just mentioned." If others did read it, am I the only one who doesn't know what he is talking about? What influence did developmental psychology have on Einstein's theorizing? Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 rfro...@jbu.edu ________________________________________ From: Allen Esterson [allenester...@compuserve.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2011 4:10 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Franklin's kite and other scientific myths Benjamin Franklin ventured out on a stormy day to fly a kite with a lightning rod and a key dangling on the end of the string. ... This famous myth is one of several tall tales in science history that Alberto Martinez, associate professor of history, examines in his new book *Science Secrets: The Truth about Darwin’s Finches, Einstein's Wife, and Other Myths*. Alberto Martinez on the making of scientific myths: "Speculations evolve into alleged anecdotes that even lead to scholarly studies. Laypersons, scientists and history professors are all vulnerable to the charm of 'likely stories'." http://www.utexas.edu/know/2011/06/06/science_secrets/ Psychology (of course) is not immune from the dissemination of myths: http://www.snopes.com/science/skinner.asp Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London allenester...@compuserve.com http://www.esterson.org --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=10899 or send a blank email to leave-10899-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
