Description: As we isolate and socially distance (more or less) out way into the holiday season it is a good time to think about others. Yes, that might involve giving something to your local food bank (good idea!), but what about the sort of “thinking of others” that is behind the pleas from health officials… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Attitude Formation Change
Protests that Produce Real Change
Description: In thinking about recent events and the Black Lives Matter movement, if you had to come up with a small number, how many different kinds of protests would you say there have been in North America focusing issues relating to the BLM movement? If you said 2 (non-violent and violent) then you have likely… Read more »
Choice Blindness: How Well Do You Really Know What You Are Doing?
Description: Imagine you volunteer for a research study. As part of the study you are shown a pair of pictures (two men or two women) and you are asked to pick the one that is the most attractive. After you make your choice you are handed the picture you chose and asked to explain why… Read more »
How Distracted is YOUR learning?
Description: Ok, imagine you are sitting in your first class in a new course at college or university (yes in the old world where you were sitting in a lecture hall with 200 to 300 other students). Further, imagine that the professor arrives and announces that they have a few rules that MUST be followed… Read more »
Psychology of Racism, Bias, and Discrimination: Microaggressions and Racial Bias
Description: Recent events have intensified attention to issues of racial inequity and racism. In addition to helping people to understand the foundations of how racism is established and carried forward, Psychology can help people see and understand the many ways in which bias and racist assumptions can enter and shape day-to-day social interactions. Have you… Read more »
The Psychology of Covid-19: Of Masks, Math, and Bias
Description: Given your direct and indirect experiences with Covid-19 and its impact on the world overt the past 6 months you are something of an expert on the subject, right? Well, here is a pop quiz on that subject. Imagine there are a large number of people who regularly interact closely without masks or what… Read more »
Psychology of COVID-19 — Looking Forward from Here
Description: I have posted several times (Link, Link, and Link) about the high degrees of uncertainty associated with the future as viewed from within the current Covid-19 pandemic. I cannot provide an antidote to such uncertainties at the individual level. I CAN, however, point you towards a few areas where there will soon be come… Read more »
Psychology and Covid-19: Zoom Fatigue
Description: Have you used Zoom or one of the other virtual meeting platforms for the first time recently? How did you find the experience? For many of us such meeting ARE new experiences. We went from meetings happening in-person and face-to-face to playing our part in a CBC or CNN interview/presentation. You know the ones… Read more »
Psychology of COVID-19 Part 1: Some Psychological Facts
Description: As of today (March 15, 2020) the COVID-19 has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and there is a LOT going on at the international, national, community and individual level. The university where I am currently teaching a couple of courses has decided to finish this term with all our courses… Read more »
How Are Conspiracy Theory Worldviews and Actions Related?
Description: Have you noticed that there appears to be a correlation between the involvement of citizens in what might be thought of as fringe political perspectives and a belief that there are powerful secret and dark forces conspiring to manipulate how the political and economic world functions? Think for a moment about what holding a… Read more »
Books for Success!
