One reviewer stated that the book presents thoughts that are self-evident, obvious, etc. Well, that may be true for some people, but not for the majority of people. I can't tell you how many people I know that believe - truly believe - in Area 51, the healing properties of crystals or homeopathic meds, alien abduction, and a host of other outlandish stuff! I'm also amazed at the number of people who will readily believe "If it's on the Internet, it must be true" or "Glen Beck [or insert other name here] said it, so it must be true". It's scary! There is WAY too much pseudoscience, crap, and lies out there, either perpetrated out of ignorance, but more than likely perpetrated with ulterior, self-serving, (and yes, even evil) motives.
Therefore, this book is REQUIRED reading for the populous. It's not going to be a comfortable read for most people. Even I found myself whining, "Aw..." when Ruscio burst my bubble of ignorance on one topic, but I'm grateful. Ruscio covers a lot of ground and cites Carl Sagan's book, The Devil-Haunted World (another great book on this subject!) to great effect. This is certainly a book that should be read by anyone in the sciences, but particularly in the social sciences.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, found it very satisfying, and highly recommend it. Even if you find that it was all obvious when you're done, it's still worth the time you spent reading it.
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Critical Thinking in Psychology: Separating Sense from Nonsense Paperback – 26 July 2005
by
John Ruscio
(Author)
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Purchase options and add-ons
Do you have the tools to distinguish between the true science of human thought and behavior from pop psychology? John Ruscio's book provides a tangible and compelling framework for making that distinction. Because we are inundated with "scientific" claims, the author does not merely differentiate science and pseudoscience, but goes further to teach the fundamentals of scientific reasoning upon which you can base your evaluation of information.
- ISBN-100534634591
- ISBN-13978-0534634599
- Edition2nd Revised ed.
- PublisherCengage Learning
- Publication date26 July 2005
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions16.21 x 1.47 x 23.5 cm
- Print length256 pages
Product description
Review
"I like the content of the Ruscio book because it teaches reasoning, encourages students to think critically, and challenges many pre-conceived nOtions they believe because of the mainstream media."
About the Author
John Ruscio is Associate Professor of Psychology at Elizabethtown College, where he teaches courses in Research Methods and Statistics, and Research Methods in Social Psychology. His research interests include decision-making, classification and diagnosis and taxometric methods.
Product details
- Publisher : Cengage Learning
- Publication date : 26 July 2005
- Edition : 2nd Revised ed.
- Language : English
- Print length : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0534634591
- ISBN-13 : 978-0534634599
- Item weight : 386 g
- Dimensions : 16.21 x 1.47 x 23.5 cm
- Customer Reviews:
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- mary brittReviewed in the United States on 2 January 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars prompt delivery
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI received it the very day it was said it would be in, even over the holiday i was surprised it arrived so soon. Cover was worn more than what i thought it should be, but had minimal highlighting, and no major defects (pages ripped, smell, etc) and for the price I paid I should not complain. very good, very prompt!