| Unit name | Myths and Misconceptions about Psychology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PSYC10005 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Hood |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Registered on Single Honours Psychology |
| Co-requisites | |
| School/department | School of Psychological Science |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
This unit is designed to counter common misconceptions that are currently pervasive in our society and explain why they are wrong or inaccurate. Not only are popular psychology myths misleading about human nature, but they also lead many to make unwise decisions. For example, many myths are exploited by some individuals for financial gain whereas others can be dangerous or lead to injustice. The aim of this unit is to consider common myths from a scientific perspective, and in doing so, cover many of the key empirical studies in the history of psychology.
On completion of this unit, students will have acquired a conceptual understanding and appreciation that psychology is not just common sense but rather, a necessarily scientific approach to dealing with the foibles of human thought and behaviour. They will also have learnt about the key studies in psychology over the last 100 or so years, and some of the notable issues which are still of interest to psychologists today.
This unit comprises 24 1 hour lectures (24 hours) with 48 hours (2 hours per week) developing the portfolio, and 3 hours per week for the examination preparation, and tutorials (14 hours) run bi-weekly through the Personal Tutorial system with 42 hours of associated independent work.
1. Portfolio and critique (50%) Students collect information on myths and misconceptions on a weekly basis and build a portfolio which they submit at the end of the unit with a 1500 word critique of their material. 2. Written examination (50%) at the end of the unit. 3. Attendance at tutorials and completion of associated work assessed on a pass-fail basis and forming a must-pass element of the unit.
Each lecture will have relevant readings which can be found in the mainstream Psychology literature.
Core Textbook Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J. Ruscio. J. & Beyerstein, B. L. (2010). 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread misconceptions about human behaviour. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Additional Readings Kahneman, D. (2011) Thinking, fast and slow. London: Allen Lane. Gilovich, T. (1993). How we know what isn’t so: The fallibility of human reason in everyday life. New York: Free Press.
Della Sala, S. (Ed.) (1999). Mind myths: Exploring popular assumptions about the mind and brain. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Hood, B. (2009). Supersense: from superstition to religion – the brain science of belief. London: Constable & Robinson.
