Dr. Steven Lawyer
Defense Against the Dark Arts: How to Avoid Being Scammed, Fooled, Tricked, and Manipulated (by Yourself and Others)
Humans have a capacity for thinking and reasoning that is greater than any other species on planet Earth. However, we also suffer from a range of important biases and errors in thinking and perception that can skew how we view the world around us. This makes us vulnerable to being manipulated by others and to persisting in personal beliefs that are just plain wrong. In this talk, I review several common human thinking errors and how those thinking errors influence the decisions we make. I also review how we can be better consumers of information we use to make better decisions for ourselves and for society.
Debunking Popular Myths in Psychology
American culture is filled with examples of myths and folklore drawn from (or attributed to) the field of psychology. Many of these myths are so enmeshed in our culture that we don't stop to question whether or not they are actually true. Do humans actually use only 10% of their brainpower? Do more crimes occur during full moons? Is there really an epidemic of autism in the United States? In this talk, I discuss several common psychology myths and the scientific evidence that speaks to whether they are actually true. I also discuss why it is important to question the reality of popular notions in society.
State Standards
These presentations meet the following state education standards for high school students:
English Language Arts/Literacy
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RH11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
RH11-12.8 Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
Information and Communication Technology
Standard 3: Knowledge Constructor
Goal 3: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
ICT9-12.3.a Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
ICT9-12.3.b Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.