Psych Experiments: From Pavlov's Dogs to Rorscharch's Inkblots, Put Psychology's Most Fascinating Theories to the Test
Author: Michael A. Britt
ISBN: 10: 1-4405-9707-3
APA Style Citation
Britt, Michael (2017). Psych Experiments. Avon, MA: Adams Media.
Author: Michael A. Britt
ISBN: 10: 1-4405-9707-3
APA Style Citation
Britt, Michael (2017). Psych Experiments. Avon, MA: Adams Media.
| eyewitness_memory_virtual_reality.pdf |
| a_vr_mystery_questions_for_videos.pdf |
| will_the_real_elmo_please_stand_up.docx |
Book Description
Psych Experiments, the much-anticipated book by psychologist Michael Britt, known to psychology teachers everywhere as the host of the Psych Files podcast is an excellent source for experiments that can be used in the classroom or as student projects. The Psych Files is best known to students and teachers for the animated videos designed to help students memorize the parts of the brain. The book contains 50 different experiments that are all based on psychological research. The experiments range from classic studies to more current research. The book opens with general advice for conducting psychological research including information about replication, ethics, participant rights, and statistics. Each of the 50 studies includes background information, related psychological concepts, a summary of how the original research was conducted, and step-by-step instructions for replicating either the original research design or a modified version. Before replicating any of the studies listed in the book students should review the ethical guidelines in the early chapters.
One of the experiments Britt discusses is the famous examination of the misinformation effect by Elizabeth F. Loftus and John C. Palmer (1974). After describing the original study and discussing the significance of the results for illustrating the fallibility of memory students can use Britt’s outline for exactly how to replicate this research in the classroom. The book includes step-by-step instructions. The author recommends having a sensitivity to students who may not wish to participate possibly as a result of personal experiences with car accidents. An additional activity related to the Loftus and Palmer research on memory can be found in the “Open Your Class with this” activity posted with this book review. This activity is designed to demonstrate the fallibility of memory using virtual reality technology. An excellent way to close out this lesson/research experiment would be to show Elizabeth Loftus’s TED talk titled “How Reliable is Your Memory.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLYY77LPr3U.
Many of the experiments created by Michael Britt for this book would work well as class demonstrations or student-directed research projects for science fair competitions. Students can view the examples of direct replications and unique variations of classic psychology experiments to help them develop ideas for their own original research. Some of the ideas in the book that are easily adapted for classroom use are:
Cognition (Memory, Thinking, and Problem Solving)
How You Are Manipulated Into Paying More Money Than You Wanted: I Bet You Expected to Pay Thousands For This! - Anchoring Bias
Based on research by Dan Ariely, George Loewenstein, and Drazen Prelec (2003)
Mental Sets Can Limit You Into One Way of Thinking: How to Get Unstuck – Mental Set
Based on research by Abraham S. Luchins (1946)
Why Do You Remember Certain Things: That’s Deep, Man – Levels of Processing
Based on research by Fergus I. M. Craik and Endel Tulving
Learning/Conditioning
When Trying Really Hard Makes No Difference: I Give Up! – Learned Helplessness
Based on research by Martin Seligman and Steven Maier (1967)
Replication/extension research by Steven Maier and Martin Seligman (2016)
Motivation and Emotion
Noticing a Face in the Crowd: I Never Forget a Face – Identifying Emotions
Based on research by Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen (1971)
Replication/extension research by Christine Hansen and Ranald D. Hansen (1988)
Treatment
How to Think More Positively About Life: Sing Your Problems Away – Cognitive Therapy/Cognitive Defusion
Based on research by Andreas Larsson, Nic Hooper, Lisa A. Osborne, Paul Bennett, and Louise McHuch (2015)
How Psychiatric Labels Affect How We Se People: Sticks and Stones May Not Break My Bones, but Labels May Incarcerate Me – Labeling and Mental Illness
Based on research by David L. Rosenhan (1974)
Replication/extension research by Darcy Haag Granello and Todd A. Gibbs (2016)
Social Psychology
How Roles Can Affect Us at a Deep Level: Are You the Role You Play?- Social Roles
Based on research by Craig W. Haney, W. Curtis Banks, and Philip G. Zimbardo (1973)
Replication/extension research by Stephen Reicher and Alexander Haslam (2006)
How Anonymity Can Make Us Mean: “That is the Stupidest Thing You Ever Said!” – Deindividuation
Based on research by Philip Zimbardo (1969)
The Power of Conformity: How Much Would You Pay for That Cornflake? – Conformity
Based on research by Solomon Asch (1952)
When Trying to Look Good Looks Bad: My What Big Words You Have! – Influence
Based on research by Daniel Oppenheimer (2006)
Where Discrimination Begins: Those People are All the Same! – Prejudice and Discrimination
Based on research by Muzafer Sherif (1954)
Replication/extension research by Henri Tajfel (1970)
Michael Britt’s book, Psych Experiments contains many more that could be used by student both inside and outside of class, and that can serve as inspiration for additional student-directed research.
Other Related Resources
Author’s Website
http://www.thepsychfiles.com/
Michael Britt’s website includes psychology resources for review and years of excellent podcasts organized by unit. Some of the most popular podcasts include:
Elizabeth Loftus TED Talk “How Reliable is Your Memory?”
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory
Psychological Figures and Concepts
Dan Ariely
Solomon Asch
Robert Cialdini
Fergus Craik
John Darley
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Paul Ekman
Leon Festinger
Carol Gilligan
Harry Harlow
Daniel Kahneman
Lawrence Kohlberg
Elizabeth Loftus
Konrad Lorenz
A.S. Luchins
Stanley Milgram
George Miller
Ivan Pavlov
Jean Piaget
Hermann Rorschach
D.L. Rosenhan
Martin Seligman
Muzafer Sherif
B.F. Skinner
Richard Wiseman
Philip Zimbardo
Anchoring Heuristic
Attachment
Attraction
Change Blindness
Classical Conditioning
Cognitive Development
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Therapy
Conformity
Creativity
Decision Making
Deindividuation
Discrimination
Dopamine
Emotion
Encoding
Eyewitness Memory
Facial Expressions and Emotion
Forgetting
Framing Effect
Frontal Lobe
Functional Fixedness
Human Factors Psychology
Intelligence
Labeling and Mental Illness
Loci Method
Mental Set
Moral Development
Obedience to Authority
Operant Conditioning
Perception
Personal Fable
Persuasion
Prejudice
Rorschach Inkblot
Social Psychology
Psych Experiments, the much-anticipated book by psychologist Michael Britt, known to psychology teachers everywhere as the host of the Psych Files podcast is an excellent source for experiments that can be used in the classroom or as student projects. The Psych Files is best known to students and teachers for the animated videos designed to help students memorize the parts of the brain. The book contains 50 different experiments that are all based on psychological research. The experiments range from classic studies to more current research. The book opens with general advice for conducting psychological research including information about replication, ethics, participant rights, and statistics. Each of the 50 studies includes background information, related psychological concepts, a summary of how the original research was conducted, and step-by-step instructions for replicating either the original research design or a modified version. Before replicating any of the studies listed in the book students should review the ethical guidelines in the early chapters.
One of the experiments Britt discusses is the famous examination of the misinformation effect by Elizabeth F. Loftus and John C. Palmer (1974). After describing the original study and discussing the significance of the results for illustrating the fallibility of memory students can use Britt’s outline for exactly how to replicate this research in the classroom. The book includes step-by-step instructions. The author recommends having a sensitivity to students who may not wish to participate possibly as a result of personal experiences with car accidents. An additional activity related to the Loftus and Palmer research on memory can be found in the “Open Your Class with this” activity posted with this book review. This activity is designed to demonstrate the fallibility of memory using virtual reality technology. An excellent way to close out this lesson/research experiment would be to show Elizabeth Loftus’s TED talk titled “How Reliable is Your Memory.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLYY77LPr3U.
Many of the experiments created by Michael Britt for this book would work well as class demonstrations or student-directed research projects for science fair competitions. Students can view the examples of direct replications and unique variations of classic psychology experiments to help them develop ideas for their own original research. Some of the ideas in the book that are easily adapted for classroom use are:
Cognition (Memory, Thinking, and Problem Solving)
How You Are Manipulated Into Paying More Money Than You Wanted: I Bet You Expected to Pay Thousands For This! - Anchoring Bias
Based on research by Dan Ariely, George Loewenstein, and Drazen Prelec (2003)
Mental Sets Can Limit You Into One Way of Thinking: How to Get Unstuck – Mental Set
Based on research by Abraham S. Luchins (1946)
Why Do You Remember Certain Things: That’s Deep, Man – Levels of Processing
Based on research by Fergus I. M. Craik and Endel Tulving
Learning/Conditioning
When Trying Really Hard Makes No Difference: I Give Up! – Learned Helplessness
Based on research by Martin Seligman and Steven Maier (1967)
Replication/extension research by Steven Maier and Martin Seligman (2016)
Motivation and Emotion
Noticing a Face in the Crowd: I Never Forget a Face – Identifying Emotions
Based on research by Paul Ekman and Wallace V. Friesen (1971)
Replication/extension research by Christine Hansen and Ranald D. Hansen (1988)
Treatment
How to Think More Positively About Life: Sing Your Problems Away – Cognitive Therapy/Cognitive Defusion
Based on research by Andreas Larsson, Nic Hooper, Lisa A. Osborne, Paul Bennett, and Louise McHuch (2015)
How Psychiatric Labels Affect How We Se People: Sticks and Stones May Not Break My Bones, but Labels May Incarcerate Me – Labeling and Mental Illness
Based on research by David L. Rosenhan (1974)
Replication/extension research by Darcy Haag Granello and Todd A. Gibbs (2016)
Social Psychology
How Roles Can Affect Us at a Deep Level: Are You the Role You Play?- Social Roles
Based on research by Craig W. Haney, W. Curtis Banks, and Philip G. Zimbardo (1973)
Replication/extension research by Stephen Reicher and Alexander Haslam (2006)
How Anonymity Can Make Us Mean: “That is the Stupidest Thing You Ever Said!” – Deindividuation
Based on research by Philip Zimbardo (1969)
The Power of Conformity: How Much Would You Pay for That Cornflake? – Conformity
Based on research by Solomon Asch (1952)
When Trying to Look Good Looks Bad: My What Big Words You Have! – Influence
Based on research by Daniel Oppenheimer (2006)
Where Discrimination Begins: Those People are All the Same! – Prejudice and Discrimination
Based on research by Muzafer Sherif (1954)
Replication/extension research by Henri Tajfel (1970)
Michael Britt’s book, Psych Experiments contains many more that could be used by student both inside and outside of class, and that can serve as inspiration for additional student-directed research.
Other Related Resources
Author’s Website
http://www.thepsychfiles.com/
Michael Britt’s website includes psychology resources for review and years of excellent podcasts organized by unit. Some of the most popular podcasts include:
- Episode 274: Be the First to Act – or the Second – Both Are Great
- Episode 243: Did Your Therapy Really Work?
- Episode 224: If Freud Worked Tech Support (Defense Mechanisms)
- Episode 195: How to Memorize Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
- Episode 72 (video): Memorize the Parts of the Brain
- Episode 68: Mnemonic Device for Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development
Elizabeth Loftus TED Talk “How Reliable is Your Memory?”
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_the_fiction_of_memory
Psychological Figures and Concepts
Dan Ariely
Solomon Asch
Robert Cialdini
Fergus Craik
John Darley
Hermann Ebbinghaus
Paul Ekman
Leon Festinger
Carol Gilligan
Harry Harlow
Daniel Kahneman
Lawrence Kohlberg
Elizabeth Loftus
Konrad Lorenz
A.S. Luchins
Stanley Milgram
George Miller
Ivan Pavlov
Jean Piaget
Hermann Rorschach
D.L. Rosenhan
Martin Seligman
Muzafer Sherif
B.F. Skinner
Richard Wiseman
Philip Zimbardo
Anchoring Heuristic
Attachment
Attraction
Change Blindness
Classical Conditioning
Cognitive Development
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Therapy
Conformity
Creativity
Decision Making
Deindividuation
Discrimination
Dopamine
Emotion
Encoding
Eyewitness Memory
Facial Expressions and Emotion
Forgetting
Framing Effect
Frontal Lobe
Functional Fixedness
Human Factors Psychology
Intelligence
Labeling and Mental Illness
Loci Method
Mental Set
Moral Development
Obedience to Authority
Operant Conditioning
Perception
Personal Fable
Persuasion
Prejudice
Rorschach Inkblot
Social Psychology
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