Pseudoscience

Consequently, the knowledge of anatomy in ancient China was not based on scientific knowledge, but instead, assumption and reasoning (Singh, 2008; Quigley, 1996; Newton, 2003). Thus many, if not all, traditional Chinese medicine is considered pseudoscience because it lacks scientific evidence proving its effectiveness (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2013). Any effects from following traditional Chinese medicine is more likely to be psychological, as opposed to any…

Modern day people have a strange affinity for using aspects of ancient cultures as a basis for their cults, prophecies and as spiritual guides to the future. Perhaps the most memorable occurrence of this affinity was the infamous prophecy concerning the Mayan Apocalypse of 2012, an idea created from belief that the world would end or change in some fashion once that year ended. Of all the actions generated by the aforementioned mentality, this prophecy was perhaps the most ridiculous considering…

The psychological concept of popularity includes a wide array of behavioral tendencies. During early adolescence procuring and conserving high-status positions among peer groups is of colossal importance to the majority of juveniles. So much so that adolescents tend to place higher emphasis on reputational status rather than academic achievement, romantic relationships, and other social interactions. Consequently, the romantic relationships young adolescents do engage in are to promote peer…

“I don’t like books, they’re all fact, no heart” -Stephen Colbert. As ironic as this quote may seem it is another example of Stephen Colbert’s comedic style, thick satire. “I Am America (And So Can You!)” is another fantastic presentation of Colbert’s conservative capitalist character already shown on the Colbert Report. The book addresses issues that Americans face as adults and current issues facing the nation, plus a note to the future. All these issues are taken on with humor and satire…

So just why do we follow medically inaccurate advice? Despite the minor occasions in which good advice is given by these bloggers, they are masked by the vast inaccuracies and pseudoscience. Clean eating is overwhelmed by medical myths. First of all, clean eating is claimed to purify and detox the body, however the function of the liver is to detoxify the body, meaning a diet is not needed for this, and as long as you have a functioning…

He argues that, Europeans lack the necessary scientific literacy to distinguish science from pseudoscience, people are confused about what astrology actually is, and last one derived from Adorno et al.’s work on authoritarian personality and his argument that “people with authoritarian personality tend to perceive the outside world as threatening, and…

The testing of animals is overall is bad ethics and poor science. In a booklet by Peta, they explain the difference between the use of animals verses if humans would be used, how the animal is in pain, examples of cruelty displayed, research conducted, non animal methods, and a conclusion to what you can do to help the cause. This pamphlet explains that the role animals play in this conducted research is not their choice. Animals should not be put into pointless suffering to test a product…

This is definitely one of the best books I ever read. Once I picked it up it was hard to put down. It left an impact on the way I look at psychology at a whole, and I have a greater appreciation to the field. I always looked at psychology as a “pseudoscience” and that there is no real treatment. Before reading this book I did not know anything about neuroplasticity. This is the brain's way to adjust to injury and disease in the environment. The brain is so miraculous and it can do things on its…

The idemotor principle’s explicit hypothesises asserts that ideomotor actions are involuntary and unconscious movements that are influenced by preconceptions, suggestions or prior experiences (Jackson, 2005). Therefore, unconscious and involuntary motor behaviour is generated through the recollection of sensorial experiences. As a result, recent studies have discovered that perhaps ideomotor mechanism could also account for facilitated communication due to the link between finger movements and…

From 1919 until 1945, Adolf Hitler was a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, and he worked from the beginning to create an “ideal” racial community. By World War 2, it was clear he had specifically persecuted four groups of people, or racial “others”: the Jews, the Gypsies, people of African descent, and the disabled. Hitler’s decision to persecute who he did was obviously caused by racism, but according to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, those four groups had…