Exploring-Psychology

Free Psychology Book

2013-05-17T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

The kindle version of my new Psychology book is available for free for the next 5 days (May 17-21) See following links.

The book is based on topics I've posted about over the last six years which have stood out in terms of the response they elicited, be that in number of likes, comments made, how often the post was shared etc. This type of content makes you think, it's relevant to people's lives, it challenges assumptions and makes you exclaim "Well I never!" Basically, it's about things that most people just find incredibly interesting. Hence the title of the book.

If you have any problems with the links above, just go the Amazon website in your country and type "Incredibly Interesting Psychology" into the search box.

No kindle? No problem. Just CLICK HERE to download Amazon's free Kindle reading app.

Really hope you enjoy the book, I started writing it over 2 years ago! Please let me know what you think and also please feel free to share this post with anybody interested in psychology.

All the very best,

David

Psychology Student Guide

2012-11-02T00:24:00.001-07:00

Psychology Student Guide

I'm very excited to announce that my Psychology Student Guide has just been published worldwide on the Amazon Kindle. See following link for full details.

http://goo.gl/5TmWl

The guide has already had some great independent reviews and if you do decide to take a look I would be very grateful if you rate the book and let Amazon know what you think.

Priced super low with students in mind the guide only costs around $3.99 (price might vary slightly from country to country).

No Kindle - No Problem.

You can read the Psychology Student Guide on your computer or other mobile devices with Amazon's free Kindle reading apps. See following link for details.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

Many thanks for your support.

David

Practical Psychology: Improve Memory By Resting

2012-08-30T03:34:00.001-07:00

Practical tips based on published psychology research.

Research published in Psychological Science by Michaela Dewar et al found that a brief (10 minute) wakeful rest following new verbal learning enhances memory for at least 7 days.

So here's a top tip in the week leading up to your exams - after reading each piece of material you need to learn rest quietly with your eyes closed for 10 minutes in a darkened room - because as the authors note:

"In this age of information overload, there are few opportunities to sit back and rest. However, as demonstrated by our findings, postlearning resting can be highly beneficial if one wishes to retain new information over the long term."

You can read the study's abstract via the following link.

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/07/23/0956797612441220

(Photo Credit: thekellyscope)

Psychology Student Survival Guide

2012-08-21T02:28:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to announce that the latest version of the Psychology Student Survival Guide is now available for free download on the iPhone/iPod/iPad.

Comprehensively updated with even more invaluable information this is a must have resource for anybody currently studying or thinking about studying psychology.

Since it's launch last year over 12,000 psychology students have downloaded the Psychology Student Survival Guide App. You can join them today via the following link.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/psychguide/id440790994?mt=8

Please share this post.

Paul Ekman

2012-08-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Exclusive interview with nonverbal behavior pioneer Dr. Paul Ekman

We are extremely honored to present our exclusive interview with nonverbal behavior pioneer Dr. Paul Ekman. In this fascinating interview Dr. Ekman discusses his conversations with the Dalai Lama on

emotional experience; his revolutionary research, the latest advancements in the field of emotional recognition; and he talks openly about his personal and professional involvement with the TV show ‘Lie To Me’.

You can listen to the interview with Dr. Paul Ekman via the All About Body Language website homepage (see following link)

http://www.all-about-body-language.com/

Body Language

2012-05-09T02:46:00.000-07:00

(Photo Credit: taliesin, Via MourgeFile)

If you're interested in learning all about body language and non-verbal communication I'm delighted to announce that I have just launched a new website dedicated to the topic.

I had originally planned just to have a body language section on my psychology website but such is the scope and range of this fascinating topic it soon became clear that it needed a dedicated website to do justice to all the things we intend to cover. I say we because I am extremely fortunate to be developing the website in collaboration with Craig-James Baxter.

Craig is a master trainer in reading advanced micro expressions and is one of the most viewed body language decoders in YouTube’s history, having complied nearly 100 body language analysis videos featuring celebrities, politicians, musicians and high profile criminology cases.

If you're interested in learning more about body language the site already has plenty of information and resources available: Including:

Body language analysis videos
Body language guides
Body language tips
Body language Q & A
Body language articles

And that's just the beginning, we've got some amazing things lined-up, such as exclusive interviews with some of the leading body language experts in the world.

I really hope you enjoy exploring our new website which you can visit via the following link.

http://www.all-about-body-language.com/

Neural Plasticity (Open Access Journal)

2012-02-26T06:47:00.001-08:00

Excellent resource for anybody looking for free full text articles. Neural Plasticity is an international, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to the publication of articles related to all aspects of neural plasticity, with special emphasis on its functional significance as reflected in behavior and in psychopathology.

Neural Plasticity publishes research and review articles from the entire range of relevant disciplines, including basic neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, biological psychology, and biological psychiatry.

See following link to access all the 493 articles published to date.

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/contents/

The Rubber Hand Illusion: Is Seeing Believing?

2012-02-25T00:48:00.001-08:00

Clip from a BBC documentary exploring the tricks illusions play on our senses and why they fool us.

Watch More Great Psychology Videos

I've added this video to the Psychology YouTube channel. You can access all the videos via the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnAboutPsychology

William James Quote

2012-02-23T00:13:00.000-08:00

This illustrated quote from William James forms part of an initiative to create a repository of psychology images that can be freely used for non commercial purposes. You can see the full collection of images available via the following link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psychpics/

Classic Psychology Articles on Kindle

2012-02-22T01:05:00.000-08:00

Concepts of Trait and Personality is the latest title to be added to the psychology on Kindle collection.

Originally published in 1927 this classic article by Gordon W. Allport highlights the ambiguity surrounding attempts to characterize personality traits. Having done this, Allport then outlines how the term "trait" can be rescued from the confusion in which he believes it to be embedded.

You can view the full psychology on Kindle collection via the following link.

Psychology on Kindle

The Power of Music

2012-02-21T04:30:00.000-08:00

Originally published in The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods in 1908, The Power of Music By Halbert Hains Britan is the latest addition to the psychology journal article collection. An initiative by the website www.all-about-psychology.com to make important, insightful and engaging publications freely available.

If you would like to read The Power of Music, you can do so via the following link.

Power of Music

See link below to access all the titles in the psychology journal collection.

Psychology Journal Articles

Learn About The Psychology of Music

There's a page dedicated to the psychology of music over at the main website, which you access via the following link.

Psychology of Music

The Bobo Doll Experiment

2012-02-09T01:25:00.000-08:00

Transmission of Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models by Albert Bandura.

More commonly known as the bobo doll experiment, you can download a free full-text copy of this classic research article via the following link.

http://www.all-about-psychology.com/albert-bandura.html

Nightclubs as Research Labs

2012-02-06T02:01:00.000-08:00

Yale Fox researches social nightclub behaviour with a particular emphasis on music and how it affects people at an implicit level. With a background in biology, psychology, and sociology, Fox investigates such topics as how music can affect bar sales and people's ability to multitask, how it determines listening patterns, and how the stock market can affect mood, which in turn predicts the characteristics of popular music.

Fox's research has been published in international publications, documentaries, and textbooks. Additionally, Yale's position in the nightclub industry gives him access to a vast quantity of unique data, which has already led to some remarkable conclusions.

For more information on this fascinating research, check out Yale Fox's blog on the science of nightlife - http://www.darwinvsthemachine.com/

This is the latest video added to the "TED Videos" playlist on the Psychology YouTube channel.

You can access all the videos on the Psychology YouTube channel via the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnAboutPsychology

Thomas Szasz Quote

2012-02-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

This quote from Thomas Szasz forms part of an initiative to create a repository of psychology images that can be freely used for non commercial purposes. You can see the full collection of images available via the following link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psychpics/

The Myth of Mental Illness

This classic publication elevated Thomas Szasz into a position of international renown and controversy. According to Szasz, the concept of mental illness is fundamentally flawed because it is based on the premiss that it is caused by nervous system disorders; in particular brain disorders which manifest themselves via abnormal thought patterns and behavior.

To Thomas Szasz most cases of "mental illness" are routed within a social context, and are in fact problems of living, and should, therefore, be recognised as so.

If you would like to read "The Myth of Mental Illness," A free full-text copy of this Thomas Szasz classic is available via the following link.

http://www.all-about-psychology.com/the-myth-of-mental-illness.html

The Happy Secret To Better Work

2012-02-03T00:50:00.000-08:00

Psychologist Shawn Achor explores the idea that happiness inspires productivity.

Watch More Great Psychology Videos

For more great psychology videos, see following link to visit the All About Psychology YouTube Channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnAboutPsychology

Learn More About Positive Psychology

See following link for information and quality resources on positive psychology.

Positive Psychology

Psychology Terms: Morons, Imbeciles and Idiots

2012-02-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

Another classic example of psychology being sensitively employed to help inform public awareness campaigns!

This illustration forms part of an initiative to create a repository of psychology images that can be freely used for non commercial purposes. You can see the full collection of images available via the following link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/psychpics/

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud

2012-02-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

Brief clip of Carl Jung discussing his first meeting with Sigmund Freud.

I've added this video to the Sigmund Freud Playlist on the Psychology YouTube channel, which you can access via the following link.

Sigmund Freud Video Playlist

Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud

Psychology Student Survival Guide (2012 Update)

2012-01-31T00:55:00.000-08:00

I'm very pleased to announce that in conjunction with psychologist Michael Britt (http://www.thepsychfiles.com/), work is about to start on an updated edition of the Psychology Student Survival Guide.

The guide is currently available both as an iPhone/iPad app (http://bit.ly/PsychGuideApp) and a PDF text document (http://bit.ly/PsychGuidePDF)

Benefits of the updated version of the guide will include:

New/revised content, information and resources.

A more interactive iPhone/iPad version (drawing on Apples's new iBooks Author software).

Also available on Android smartphones and tablets.

As with the first edition of the guide, student/user feedback is very much appreciated. With this in mind, we'd be very grateful if you could take a look at the current guide and let us know what you would like to see in the updated version. There is a guide feedback form (half way down the page) over at the main website which can be accessed via the following link.

Psychology Student Survival Guide Feedback

Psychology on Facebook

www.facebook.com/psychologyonline

Psychology on Twitter

http://twitter.com/psych101

Psychology on Youtube

www.youtube.com/user/LearnAboutPsychology

Psychology on Google+

Psychology Google+ Posts

Psychology Student Survival Guide (2012 Update)

Michael Gazzaniga Gifford Lectures

2011-11-23T03:35:00.000-08:00

For over a hundred years the Gifford Lecture series has been one of the foremost academic forums dealing with religion, science and philosophy. In 2009 Neuroscientist and professor of psychology Michael Gazzaniga delivered 6 lectures under the series title: The Science of Mind Constraining Matter.

Lecture 1: What We Are?

Lecture 2: The Distributed Cerebral Networks of Mind.

Lecture 3: The Brain Divided: Discovering The "Interpreter."

Lecture 4: The Meaning of Being Free.

Lecture 5: The Social Brain.

Lecture 6: We Are The Law.

All of these outstanding lectures are now available as a playlist on the Psychology YouTube channel. See following link.

Michael Gazzaniga Gifford Lectures

Michael Gazzaniga Gifford Lectures

The Psychology of Fear

2011-10-31T05:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Everybody.

The Psychology of Fear is the latest addition to the psychology journal article collection. An initiative by the All About Psychology website to make important, insightful and engaging publications freely available.

If you would like to read The Psychology of Fear over at the All About Psychology website, you can do so via the following link.

The Psychology of Fear

Download and Keep Your Own Copy

If you would like to download and keep a PDF text copy of The Psychology of Fear you can do so via the following link.

Download Your Own Copy Here

The Psychology of Fear is also available on Kindle.

The Psychology of Fear

The Psychology of Fear

Can You Spot The Fake Smile?

2011-10-21T01:23:00.000-07:00

Based on research by Professor Paul Ekman, a psychologist at the University of California, this online experiment hosted by the BBC is designed to test whether you can spot the difference between a fake smile and a real one.

See following link to have a go.

Fake Smile Test

Can You Spot The Fake Smile?

The Tenth Level

2011-10-11T02:53:00.000-07:00

It's psychology Jim, but not as we know it!

The Tenth Level is a classic 1970's made for TV movie starring William Shatner A.K.A Star Trek legend Captain James T Kirk and is based on the in(famous) "Obedience Experiments," conducted by the late Stanley Milgram at Yale University.

If you would like to watch The Tenth Level in full you can do so via a playlist on The All About Psychology YouTube channel. See following link.

The Tenth Level

The Tenth Level

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance by Leon Festinger & James Carlsmith (Free Full Text)

2011-09-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance is the latest addition to the psychology journal article collection. An initiative by the All About Psychology website to make important, insightful and engaging publications freely available.

This robust theory suggests that a motivational state of inner tension is triggered by logically inconsistent ways of thinking.

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance by Leon Festinger & James Carlsmith was the first of numerous studies to corroborate the theory of cognitive dissonance. The premiss for this classic piece of research was to test what happens to a person's private opinion if he is forced to do or say something contrary to that opinion.

If you would like to read Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance over at the All About Psychology website, you can do so via the following link.

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance

Download and Keep Your Own Copy

If you would like to download and keep a PDF text copy of Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance you can do so via the following link.

Download Your Own Copy Here

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance is also available on Kindle.

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance (Kindle Edition)

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance

Literary Guide For Psychologists

2011-09-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

This (just for fun) literary guide for psychologists by Milton Hodge from the University of Georgia was originally published in 1962. Hodge explained the reason for the guide, along with a call to action as follows:

Recently, while visiting another science laboratory at my institution, I was given a glossary of phrases commonly used in scientific reports. Because I am sure that all psychologists who read and write research reports are interested in maximizing "communication," I cheerfully offer an abridged guide for use with psychological literature. Perhaps other psychologists can suggest additional definitions which will increase our enlightenment.

What Was Said

It has long been known that...

What Was Meant

I haven't bothered to look up the original reference but...

What Was Said

Of great theoretical and practical importance...

What Was Meant

Interesting to me.

What Was Said

While it has not been possible to provide definite answers to these questions...

What Was Meant

The experiement didn't work out, but I figured I could at least get a publication out of it.

What Was Said

The operant conditioning technique was chosen to study the problem...

What Was Meant

The fellow in the next lab already had the equipment set up.

What Was Said

Three of the subjects were chosen for detailed study...

What Was Meant

The results on the others didn't make sense.

What Was Said

Typical results are shown...

What Was Meant

The best results are shown...

What Was Said

It is suggested...It is believed that...It may be that...

What Was Meant

I think.

What Was Said

It is generally believed that...

What Was Meant

A couple of other people think so too.

What Was Said

It is clear that much additional work will be required before a complete understanding...

What Was Meant

I don't understand it.

What Was Said

Correct within an order of magnitude...

What Was Meant

Wrong.

What Was Said

Thanks are due to Joe Glotz for assistance with the experiments and to John Doe for valuable discussion.

What Was Meant

Glotz did the work and Joe explained what it meant.

Wonder if anybody can think of some more examples to add to the list?

Literary Guide For Psychologists

Conditioned Emotional Reactions (The Case of Little Albert) By John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner

2011-09-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Conditioned Emotional Reactions is the latest addition to the psychology journal article collection. An initiative by the All About Psychology website to make important, insightful and engaging publications freely available.

In 1920 John B. Watson ("Father of Behaviorism") and Rosalie Rayner attempted to show how fear could be induced in an infant through classical conditioning.

Watson and Rayner published the results of their research in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Entitled Conditioned Emotional Reactions their research became one of the most (in)famous psychology studies ever conducted and was soon to be known forever as "The Case of Little Albert".

If you would like to read Conditioned Emotional Reactions over at the main website, you can do so via the following link.

Conditioned Emotional Reactions

Download and Keep Your Own Copy

If you would like to download and keep a PDF text copy of Conditioned Emotional Reactions you can do so via the following link.

Download Your Own Copy Here

Conditioned Emotional Reactions is also available on Kindle.

Conditioned Emotional Reactions: The Case of Little Albert

What Happened to Little Albert?

Towards the end of Conditioned Emotional Reactions, Watson and Rayner included the following heading and text:

"Detachment" or removal of conditioned emotional responses.

Unfortunately Albert was taken from the hospital the day the above tests were made. Hence the opportunity of building up an experimental technique by means of which we could remove the conditioned emotional responses was denied us.

The fate of little Albert had remained a mystery for almost a century. Until Now.

Conditioned Emotional Reactions