50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior [ペーパーバック]

After reading the editorial reviews on this book, I decided to purchase a copy. It is a treasure trove of examples of behavior and myths that we believe to be true - but are actually false. Written by psychologists and based on science, this book describes the most common myths that people hold about a variety of human experiences. For example, does handwriting reveal your personality? Does playing Mozart to infants boost their intelligence? Do opposites attract? Is the polygraph really an accurate means of detecting dishonesty? If you think the answer to any of these questions, is "yes," you need to read this book. I couldn't put it down as I went from myth to myth learning about the facts based on science versus the myths we have believed for decades. I agree with the reviewer who says that this is a much-needed mythbuster for consumers. Easy-to-read and fascinating facts! I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended, a must-have mythbuster!

There are two very impressive aspects of this book: 1) the types of "myths" that the authors tackle, and 2) the quality of their literature reviews. On the first point, I was excited to see the authors make strong evidence-based critiques of the Alcoholics Anonymous model of addictions treatment, the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse, the autism 'epidemic,' and others. It would have been easy to write another 'skeptics diary' of obvious psychomythology (e.g., phrenology, ESP, etc), but the authors really stick their necks out in some instances. On the second point, the authors' conclusions are well-supported by the research they cite. As a school psychologist, I was impressed to see a very thoughtful handling of the research on so-called 'learning styles,' for example. I've not seen a better handling of this topic in any book meant for mass consumption, and this section alone was worth the purchase. So overall, I would describe the book as a very well-written Psychology 101 Redux that debunks a lot of common misconceptions.

However, I would take issues with a few of the "Other Myths to Explore" at the end of the chapters, which could be easily misinterpreted. For example, on page 63 the authors claim that "children with extremely high IQs have much higher levels of creative accomplishment in adulthood than other children." While this is generally correct, it ignores research showing that 'extremely' high IQs do not predict the next Einsteins or Lincolns. In Lewis Terman's famous study, his high IQ group did very well into adulthood, but not up to Terman's predictions of greatness--in fact, most turned out to be very average adults. Such 'nuggets' at the end of the chapters are a little too concise, and this is why I give the book 4 stars rather than 5.

And if the authors are reading, I recommend the following myths for future editions:

Stimulant use in childhood increases the risk of addictions in adulthood
ADHD is caused by video games and excessive television viewing
It is easy for criminals to fake mental retardation in order to avoid the death penalty
Boys are more aggressive than girls
"Wilderness Programs" are highly effective for juvenile delinquents
The DARE program is very effective in reducing/preventing drug use
Adolescents with jobs are less likely than their unemployed peers to engage in risky behavior
Child abuse is much more common now than ever before

I could go on, but I'll stop there. The point is, even though psychology is a 'soft science,' there are issues around which consensus has been built. Yet, many misonceptions still exist. Indeed, many readers unfamiliar with the field may find some of the authors' conclusions controversial (autism and the MMR vaccine leaps to mind), but the research evidence to the contrary is very compelling. This book does a great job explaining how.

Although I have been long retired from teaching (psychology), Scott's book makes me wish to return to the classroom. There can never be too much urging to become or remain critical in one's thinking about the outlandish claims that've been made over the years about what psychology is not. I recommend 50 Great Myths to people who have read only little or a lot about what people do when they behave. DKH