pseudoscience 2 readings

before freud, how were infancy and childhood viewed?

considered periods of innocence, void of sexuality, and that biological factors, no experience, shaped human development

fixation

the result of being stuck in a psychosexual stage of childhood development, leading to personality traits in adulthood (Infants receieving too much oral pleasure inevitabely grew up to compulsively eat or smoke)

what causes bedwetting

Underlying mental emotional disturbances rooted in abnormal psychosexual development; unresolved conflicts with parents

how were freuds theories used to defend prejudice during WWII

used by allied propagandists to suggest Japanese mother's toilet training practices were responsible for Japanese personality characteristics. Academics attributed Japanese mothers' overly sterile and rigid toilet training practices to the Japanese propensity toward brutality in war, blaming their presumed viciousness on repressed age.

what was wrong with shakespeare example of freud ideas

hamlet was written way before freud; trying to apply modern concepts where it doesnt fit

What day is suggest that freuds ideas about bedwetting are widely believed

Several empirical investigations found that people tend to believe that bedwetting is a sign of underlying emotional problems

grains of truth in Freuds ideas

The unconscious mind was central to Freud's theories, and psychotherapy aimed to uncover these unconscious thoughts

importance of early childhood experiences in shaping subsequent development. can also be observed in attachment research that examines the relationship between early parent-child interactions and the ways that children later engage in relationships with other adults

astrology

The practice of studying the effects that the position of cosmic bodies in space can have on human emotion, behavior, and life events

horoscopes use

Understand individuals, emotions, and related personality type traits

The assumption that they impact and an individuals traits based on the specific position of various cosmic bodies at time of birth

methodological problems in astrology research

lack of participant blinding

Difficulties replicating the results

Prevented researchers from providing unbiased evidence for the validity of horoscopes

conclusion of dean et al to review horoscopes/astrology more generally

They concluded that empirical research examining horoscopes and astrology in general is largely based on opinions and assumptions, others in scientific effects.

how can astrology be a self fulfilling prophecy

if someone reads a horoscope saying they’ll have “good luck” or “meet someone new,” they may change their behavior (becoming more confident, friendly, or open) and end up making the prediction come true. Their belief influences their actions, which then produce the expected outcome

colbert et al study on horoscopes

People are more likely to interpret ambiguous stimuli, positively or negatively based on the wording of a made-up horoscope

When participants read a negatively worded horoscope, they are more likely to interpret ambiguous stimuli negatively while those who read a positively worded horoscope interpreted, the same ambiguous stimuli positively

how is the barnum effect a self serving bias

The Barnum effect is linked to self-serving bias because people tend to accept the positive or flattering parts of vague statements (“you are caring but independent”) as true about themselves while overlooking negatives. This lets them see the description in a way that protects or boosts their self-esteem.

alternative medicine

range of treatments that arent already in established science; the absence of science based standard of care

other names for alternative medicine

functional medicine, quakery, integrative

holistic

it considers the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. The equivalent term is biopsychosocial

reductionist treatment for migraines

look at social and emotional health to understand

What is wrong with the claim that alternative medicine is different from mainstream medicine because it is holistic?

its a false dichotomy; it considers the whole person, mind, body, and spirit. The equivalent term is biopsychosocial

in homeopathy, what does like cures like mean

That a small dose of a substance will cure symptoms caused by that substance. For example, if onions make you tear than a small amount of extra extract of onion will cure a disease that caused the tearing such as the flu.

what does dilution do

The more diluted the more powerful it becomes common homeopathic dilutions include a 1:100 dilution carried out 30 times that is so dilute that no original sometimes remains in the preparation

apply to sagan standard to the claim about dilution

it will actually give you pain

strategies on how to sell pseudoscience

get them to commit

make claims that cant be proven wrong (be vague, appeal to spiritual energies)

dont worry about overpromising

be confident and pretend to have all the answers

confuse them with meaningless technobabble

dont use data, use stories

include key logical fallacies (appeal to nature, tradition, the masses, strawman, ad hominem)

manufacture the illusion of expertise (find or create a doctor, establish org)

Shield yourself from criticism by claiming it to conspiracy

what was the problem with massengill’s distribution of the antibiotic sulfanilmade

The Massengill Company dissolved the antibiotic sulfanilamide in diethylene glycol (toxic chemical similar to antifreeze) to make it a liquid form. They tested it for taste and appearance but not for safety. As a result, more than 100 people died, many were children.

food, drug, and cosmetic act of 1938

required drugs to be proven safe, gave the FDA inspection power, and mandated labels with warnings. But it did not require proof of effectiveness and left supplements largely unregulated.

1961 Kefauver-Harris amendment

required that drugs be proven both safe and effective before approval, tightened controls on drug advertising, and mandated informed consent for clinical trials; had to list effectiveness, ingredients, and side effects

national health foundation

obbying group that promotes vitamins, supplements, and alternative medicine while opposing regulation by the FDA. are often deeply distrustful of mainstream medicine and government oversight, convinced that “natural” remedies are always safer and that regulations threaten health freedom.

1976 proxmire amendment

The 1976 Proxmire Amendments blocked the FDA from setting limits on the potency of vitamins and minerals or classifying them as drugs.
Consequence: Companies could sell vitamins in virtually any strength without proving safety or effectiveness, fueling the growth of the supplement industry and leaving consumers unprotected from potential harm.

gerry kessler

Garry Kessler was a lobbyist and promoter for the supplement and natural health industry. His campaign focused on fighting FDA regulation of vitamins and supplements. He used fear-based messaging, portraying the FDA as a threat to health freedom and “natural” remedies, and rallied public support through newsletters, letters, and grassroots lobbying. His efforts helped shape the modern supplement industry’s resistance to oversight.

l-tryptophan disaster

batch of the amino acid supplement L-tryptophan was contaminated during manufacturing. The contaminated supplement caused eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS), a serious and sometimes fatal condition that led to over 1,500 illnesses and at least 37 deaths. This tragedy highlighted that even “natural” supplements can be dangerous if unregulated, because the FDA had limited authority over supplements at the time.

dietary supplement health and education act of 1994

allowed supplements to be sold without proving safety or effectiveness. It defined vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other “dietary supplements” as a separate category from drugs, limited FDA regulation, and let manufacturers make certain health claims as long as they included a disclaimer that the claim wasn’t evaluated by the FDA. Essentially, it gave the supplement industry a “free pass” compared to prescription drugs.

flimflam

the selling of pseudoscience, fringe science, and other questionable claims

fundamental attribution error

A tendency to overestimate the likes of personality and dispositional factors compared to the roles of situational and environmental factors in terms of social behavior causes 

phantom

An option that looks real, is typically superior to other choices, but is unavailable.

some ways artists tailor their pitches

interviewing the target of the fraud relevant information for a pitch

pitching a target repeatedly to find out what works and what doesnt

credible source

someone perceived as trustworthy or qualified

information/social proof

when we copy others because we think they know something we don’t (we assume their behavior is correct).

normative influence

when we follow others to fit in and be accepted, even if we know they might be wrong.

scarcity principle

make flimflam look desirable by making it look scarce

projection tactic

Focused attention on the accused in a way from the person making the accusation

doubt campaign

to raise thoughts and confusion about the facts with the goals of making it difficult to know the truth

self generated persusion

have the target generate arguments and support of a position and thereby persuade themselves

public commitment

A person is linked to a behavior or course of action in this case advocating for and using a flimflam, harder to reverse

projective tests

Psychological assessments that are said to be able to reveal deep, unconscious aspects of a person’s personality, hidden conflicts, and psychopathology

two types of reliability

test-retest reliability: the stability of a test result
inter-rater reliability: agreement of two independent observers when they rate the same thing

valdity

test must measure what it claims to measure

illusory correlation

a cognitive bias where people perceive a relationship between two variables that are statistically unrelated or only weakly associated, often leading to false beliefs or stereotypes