You continually see advertisements, and things in the news or media that use anecdotal evidence or use correlation statistics to try and make a point. One thing that psychology has taught me is to be skeptical about these things but at the same time keeping an open mind about the evidence that they are presenting. This is something that I will remember five years from now. Something that you should ask questions about is correlation studies, you need to look for different causes of correlation between two topics. An example of this is the correlation between children watching violent television shows and in turn playing violent with their peers afterward. One may conclude that watching violent television causes violent behaviors, but there could also be a third variable that could cause the violent behavior, such as the children being more prone to violent behavior in the first place.
Psychology may have taught me to be skeptical about these studies but it has also taught me that you should not just dismiss new information because there could be another explanation. You need to keep an open mind when confronted with new evidence, and if the evidence is strong enough then at that point switch your thoughts on that topic. Being skeptical and asking question but at the same time keeping an open mind will help me filter out all of the nonsense in media to streamline my thought process towards the facts and not opinions and that is why I believe that I will remember this five years from now.
Don't Believe Everything You Hear
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This was a good topic to talk about. Psychology has definitely taught me not to dismiss evidence, but just be skeptical of it and further confirm it. For the study about video games you mentioned, I believe that there must be a third variable involved. I do not think that just because children watch violent television or play violent video games will make then violent in the future.
I like your choice of topic. Although I did not write my final blog post on this matter, I also have a new-found skeptical side to me after taking Psych 1001. I have always been a fairly skeptical individual, quite honestly, but no where compared to how I am now. Psychology not only reinforced my skepticism in extraordinary claims, but made me think twice about how our society has so many contradictory proverbs/words of advice.(ie: Too many cooks spoil the broth -VS- Two heads are better than one.)
I did my blog on this topic as well! My parents and friends tend to through around statistics and then imply things based on those facts. Well the facts are true but what you're implying isn't necessarily true! Great topic, not only because i did at well, but because i feel that we can use this far more in day to day life to strengthen arguments and take steps to think on a logical level.
replied to comment from bodd0021
| May 1, 2012 3:21 AM
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I agree that it is important to always be skeptical about stories told my the media. It is important to know what research is behind a story and what source it comes from. It is true that we should always be carful about what we believe.
I also find this topic incredibly interesting and something that I can relate to as well. Being skeptical is just part of some people's nature, and for good reason. You cannot and should not believe everything you hear, because if that were the case, there would be no independent or free thinkers in the world, and we could all have some control over each others' thoughts and ideas. I, personally, am especially skeptical about certain things in the media and in the government. Although I may not have the greatest knowledge on either topic, my skepticism is what makes me an independent and free thinker.
I like that you picked this topic. I definitely find myself thinking of things people say as to why something happened and I wonder if that is really the reason or is there something else. Like I always think I play tennis worse on crappy days because of the icky clouds. But now I wonder if I play bed because of the fact that other people have told me that that is the reason they do bad. So I may be unintentionally have them influencing me psychologically without knowing it.