CategoryPsychology
Extraterrestrial Life: The Discipline Without a Subject
It’s fascinating but several rhetorical tricks help keep it in the forefront of news
Personhood: What it really means to be human
Are we more like detachable Lego bricks or like parts of a body? A Mind Matters News podcast with Eric Jones explores this
Study: Mental Illness More Likely After Abortion Than Childbirth
This large, broad-based study was published in a mainstream, peer-reviewed journal by authors not identified with the pro-life movement
Researchers: Sense of Purpose in Later Life Lowers Dementia Risk
They believe that it helps the brain stay resilient. Fortunately, a wide range of activities have been found in various studies to provide that sense
Religious Involvement Generally Predicts Better Mental Health
The signal that rises above the research noise is mostly positive. The question, in most cases, is what it points to
AI Is Impacting Our Culture — But Not As We Were Told To Expect
Okay, your boss is not a robot. Your doctor is not a chatbot. But here are some things that are actually happening that we might not have expected
Mistaking the World for a Puzzle Risks a New McCarthyism
In Part 2, I look at the imaginary world we invent when we succumb to puzzle thinking
Why Behaviorism Failed as a Leading Theory in Psychology
The human mind, like the origin and development of life itself is not reducible to merely physical processes
The Linda Problem Revisited, As If Reality Matters
Part 2: AI enthusiasts use false claims for humans' “natural stupidity” to bolster claims for machine intelligence
Humans Aren’t That Biased — and Machines Aren’t That Smart
Part 1: At an upcoming conference on AI, I will be puncturing that particular AI enthusiast’s fantasy
Companies Spending A Lot on AI Are Not Seeing A Big Return
Target and WalMart are reversing course, cutting back on self-checkout
Salvo: The Facts and Fictions of the Scopes Monkey Trial
Society has changed so much that biologists face trouble not for believing in Darwinism but for believing in the reality of biology
Should the Iconic Stanford Prison Experiment Study Be Retracted?
Within six months of the death of the famous sociologist who devised it, long-simmering questions have risen to the surface
A New McDonald’s PlayPlace Doesn’t Look Very Fun
A virtual playground doesn't offer kids genuine play
Why Humans Aren’t That Biased, and Machines Aren’t That Smart
Claims about the cognitive biases that supposedly overwhelm our judgment should be taken with a helping of salt
Cognitive Psychology and AI: Exploring Their Intersection
Cognitive psychology can be contrasted with behaviorism because it investigates the black box of mental processes
Philosopher Asks, Why the Toxic War on Masculinity?
Prominent evangelical philosopher Nancy Pearcey is teaching a course on the roots of the “hate men” movement today. Here’s an excerpt from the controversial book it's based on
Haidt: Beauty and Awe Help Us Escape the Phone-Based Life
The question is: why are we drawn to beauty?