Psychology – Page 3 – How Do You Think?

Poverty Preventing Preschool Programs: Fade-Out, Grit, and the Rich get Richer

by Gerald GuildEducation, Poverty, Psychology, Socioeconomic Status July 16, 2011December 9, 20122 Comments

In my last post, Halting the Negative Feedback Loop of Poverty: Early Intervention is the Key I looked at the evidence from two quality studies of preschool intervention programs that substantiated a capacity to counteract the impairing impact of growing up in economic deprivation. Both studies, Perry Preschool Program and the Abecedarian Project demonstrated positive …

Where Does Prejudice Come From?

by Gerald GuildErroneous Thinking, Evolution, Psychology, Rational Thought April 19, 2011December 22, 20126 Comments

We humans are very good at dividing ourselves up into groups. We accomplish this in a multitude of ways. Even within homogeneous groupings we tend to find subtle ways to carve people out. It is far easier however, when people vary by gender, ethnicity, race, class, neighborhood, region, nationality, religion, and/or sexual orientation. For some …

When Tribal Moral Communities Collide

by Gerald GuildErroneous Thinking, Morality, Psychology, Religion, Skepticism, Superstition April 3, 2011December 9, 20122 Comments

When I hit the publish button for my last post Cognitive Conservatism, Moral Relativism, Bias, and Human Flourishing I felt a tinge of angst. It took a few days for my rational brain to figure out (or perhaps confabulate) a reason; but, I think I may have. Perhaps it should have been immediately obvious, but …

Narrative Fallacy: A “Sign” of Cognitive Maturation

by Gerald GuildErroneous Thinking, Psychology, Rational Thought, supersense, Superstition March 20, 2011November 3, 20135 Comments

So really, what caused that earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan? A quick Google search posing this very question yields a wide range of answers. Fortunately a majority of the hits acknowledge and explain how plate tectonics caused this tragedy. Sprinkled throughout the scientifically accurate explanations are conspiracy theories suggesting that the US government caused …

Narrative Fallacy

by Gerald GuildAdaptive Unconscious, Erroneous Thinking, Evolution, Psychology, Rational Thought, Skepticism, Superstition March 13, 2011August 27, 20123 Comments

Evolution has conferred upon us a brain that is capable of truly amazing things. We have, for thousands of years, been capable of creating incredibly beautiful art, telling compelling tales, and building magnificent structures. We have risen from small and dispersed tribal bands to perhaps the dominate life force on the planet. Our feats have …

Everbody loves a good story – But enough is ENOUGH!

by Gerald GuildAutism, Environment, Erroneous Thinking, Morality, Politics, Psychology, Rational Thought, Religion, Science March 6, 2011September 26, 2012One Comment

We all love a good story. Children are mesmerized by them and adults, whether through books, TV, movies, sports, gossip, tabloids, or the news, to mention a few, constantly seek them out. It is core to our identity, and a vital part of our nature. It is both how we entertain ourselves, and how we …

The Effects of Low SES on Brain Development

by Gerald GuildGenetics, Neurology, Poverty, Psychology, Socioeconomic Status February 5, 2011December 9, 20129 Comments

It has long been known that children from homes at the lower end of the Socioeconomic spectrum do more poorly on intelligence and achievement tests than well off children. These less fortunate children also tend to do more poorly in school, have increased learning and behavioral disorders, and increased drop out rates. A great deal …

Insane? What was he thinking?

by Gerald GuildErroneous Thinking, Politics, Psychology January 14, 2011December 22, 2012No Comments

Tragedies like the events of January 8th in Tuscan shake the nation. We grieve for the victims and struggle to make sense of it all. The dialogue that has followed the event is not surprising. People want and need to understand why a person would do such a thing. These events are mind boggling …

2010 – A Year in Review: How Do You Think?

by Gerald GuildAdaptive Unconscious, Autism, Erroneous Thinking, Evolution, Genetics, Happiness, Invisible Gorilla, Memory, Morality, Multitasking, Parenting, Placebo Effect, Politics, Psychology, Rational Thought, Religion, Science, Skepticism, Superstition January 5, 2011October 3, 20122 Comments

Have you ever heard someone make an argument that leaves you shaking your head in disbelief? Does it seem to you like some people are coming from a completely different reality than your own? If so, then this blog is for you. I have spent the last year trying to develop an understanding of the …

The New Surprise Effects of Placebo

by Gerald GuildPlacebo Effect, Psychology December 26, 2010November 3, 2013One Comment

The human brain is a curious organ. We are continually learning new and very exciting things about this incredibly complicated masterpiece of evolution. But, every now and then, we learn something that shakes to the core our understanding of accepted concepts. This has been the case recently with our understanding of placebos. Placebos as …