A Poor Life This

Psychology



(Photo Credit: PAPYRARRI)

Here's a story that really made me think and one that psychologically speaking could be examined from a number of perspectives.

This fascinating story relates to a social 'experiment' organized by the Washington Post, the basic premise of which, was, Will one of the nation's greatest musicians be noticed in a D.C. Metro stop during rush hour? The musician in question was violinist Joshua Bell and as the Washington Post article notes:

No one knew it, but the fiddler standing against a bare wall outside the Metro in an indoor arcade at the top of the escalators was one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on one of the most valuable violins ever made.

The Washington Post described what they did as "an experiment in context, perception and priorities -- as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste". In addition they wanted to discover whether "In a banal setting at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

Pearls Before Breakfast

To get a proper sense of what happened you can read the original Washington Post article by Gene Weingarten by Clicking Here

Watch Joshua Bell's Metro Performance



Pace of Life

One issue this obviously raises relates to the pace of modern life and its costs, however, it would be wrong to assume that this is a contemporary phenomena.

Once of the most interesting characters in literary history William Henry Davies (The tramp poet and writer 1871-1940) wrote this famous verse.

What is this life if full of care

We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep, or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this, if full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

THE SOLUTION

Follow the advice of those other great poets Simon and Garfunkel.

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A Poor Life This

Little Albert: The Psychology eBook Collection

Psychology



In 1920 John B. Watson (Founder 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".

You can download and read this psychology classic for free by Clicking Here

Click Here to visit the main psychology eBook collection page.

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Little Albert: The Psychology eBook Collection

Learn Psychology For Free

Psychology



The latest addition to the All About Psychology website is a learn psychology for free section where visitors can access an incredible array of psychology related learning materials e.g., video lectures, MP3 recordings, lecture notes etc.

Thanks to the power of the Internet and the spirit of Web 2.0 where people contribute, share, collaborate and learn, an increasing number of psychologists, psychology lecturers and academic institutions are disseminating their ideas, research and course materials through a creative commons license. As such, "Learn Psychology For Free" will showcase the very best and most comprehensive freely available educational materials.

For instance, the main page presents an outstanding Introduction to Psychology course delivered by Professor Paul Bloom from Yale University. Whether you teach psychology, are new to psychology, currently studying or thinking about studying psychology, you will find this remarkable 20 lecture series as interesting as it is invaluable. As you work your way through the course you can even have a go at the Midterm and final exams.

Just one of the 20 Video lectures from the Introduction to Psychology course



You can access all the video lectures and other support material by clicking on the following link.

Learn Psychology For Free

Keep Up-To-Date

I will be using Twitter to let people know as soon as the learn psychology for free page has been updated.

Start Receiving Twitter Updates

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Learn Psychology For Free

Sigmund Freud: Putting Theory Into Practice

Psychology



I've always been drawn to the more scientifically rigorous aspects of psychology, so when I studied Freud as an undergraduate I quickly dismissed his theories as interesting but fundamentally flawed. I then watched Adam Curtis' acclaimed series 'The Century of the Self' which in my humble opinion is one of the best documentary series ever made; and although my views on Freud's theories remain unchanged, there is absolutely no doubting their influence.

The Century of the Self first aired back in 2002 on the BBC and the first of this remarkable four part series (which I highly recommend that you watch below) was publicized as follows:

Episode 1 Happiness Machines

"The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud's ideas to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn't need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.

Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion, using every trick in the book, from celebrity endorsement and outrageous PR stunts, to eroticising the motorcar.

His most notorious coup was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. But Bernays was convinced that this was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. It was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle had identified, people could be made happy and thus docile.

It was the start of the all-consuming self which has come to dominate today's world."

If you meet anybody who tells you that psychology doesn't matter or that it's irrelevant, get them to watch The Century of the Self and ask them to get back to you!

The Century of the Self: Episode 1

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Sigmund Freud: Putting Theory Into Practice

Music, Learning & The Brain

Psychology



(Photo credit: Jean-Pierre Lavoie)

Just read a very interesting research article on the power of music to facilitate learning. Published in the journal Psychology of Music, authors Joseph M Piro and Camilo Ortiz from Long Island University, found that music tuition can help children improve reading skills. As part of their quasi-experimental study, One group of children studied piano formally for three years, while a control group had no exposure to music lessons, either in school or via private study. Results showed that the experimental music tuition group had significantly better vocabulary and verbal sequencing scores at post-test compared to the control group.

Click Here for further details on this research.

Psychology of Music

There is a page dedicated to music psychology on the All About Psychology website which you can access via the following link.

Psychology of Music

Music & The Brain

Fascinating lecture by Aniruddh Patel, Ph.D, Senior Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology of the Neurosciences Institute, San Diego, CA. In the following video Dr Patel discusses what music can teach us about the brain, and what brain science, in turn, can reveal about music.

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Music, Learning & The Brain

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts: The Psychology of Ghostbusting

Psychology



(Photo credit: Adam Lautenbach)

Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman and his colleagues from the University of Hertfordshire (UK) are conducting the first international survey into alleged ghostly experiences. As part of their investigation into the science of ghosts Wiseman and his team are asking people to submit photographs and share their 'real life' ghost stories.

Click Here to watch a quick video of Professor Wiseman discussing the rationale behind the research.

For full details and/or to take part in the survey, Click Here to visit the official 'Hauntings: The Science of Ghosts' Website.



There is a page dedicated to paranormal psychology on the All About Psychology website which you can access via the following link.

Paranormal Psychology

Ghostbusters Trailer 1984

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I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts: The Psychology of Ghostbusting

Psychology Student Resources: Soshiku

Psychology



I wish this had been around when I was a psychology student! Soshiku modestly describes itself as a simple but powerful tool that manages your high school or college assignments.

This very user friendly application not only allows you to keep track of all your assignments but it also allows you to save notes, manage tasks, attach files, and share messages and work files with your fellow students. You can even get Soshiku to notify you via email, text messaging, or both when you have a hand-in-date coming up.

Soshiku is completely free and you check it out by Clicking Here.



To get hold of some more extremely useful psychology student resources head over to the main psychology website.

Psychology Student Resources.

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Psychology Student Resources: Soshiku

Psychology of Global Warming

Psychology



(Photo Credit: Roberto Rizzato)

A conference on the psychology of climate change has just been held in Bristol (UK), the central theme of which is that the denial strategies people adopt to protect themselves from unpalatable information represent a major barrier to action which can promote change.

Reporting on the conference, George Marshall writing for the Guardian newspaper notes that nearly 80% of people claim to be concerned about climate change but that they tend to articulate their concern as a global problem, not a local one and as a future problem, not one for their lifetime. Marshall also notes that 60% of people believe that "many scientific experts still question if humans are contributing to climate change". Thirty per cent of people believe climate change is primarily down to natural causes and 7% do not accept that the climate is changing at all.

You can read the Guardian article in full by Clicking Here. The series of comments posted by those that have read the article are also well worth reading as they provide a fascinating insight into the reasoning and narratives surrounding global warming and climate change.

ABC correspondent Bill Blakemore discusses the psychology of climate change



This controversial issue is one that psychology is helping to inform on a number of levels and demonstrates yet again the eclectic nature of psychological inquiry.

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Psychology of Global Warming