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Tables of Contents for Psychobabble & Biobunk
Chapter/Section Title
Page #
Page Count
A Note to the Reader
vii
A Note to the Instructor
xi
SCIENCE VERSUS PSEUDOSCIENCE
The Appeal of Pseudoscience
3
3
Astrology thrives on the gullibility gene
The Popularity of Predictions
6
3
Call us unpredictable
The Misuses of Opinion Polls
9
2
For whom do the polls toll? The silenced majority
The Misuses of Pop-psych Surveys
11
3
Method gets lost in the imagery of social science fiction
Stories Versus Statistics
14
3
Anecdotes: Coat hangers of truth
Illusory Correlations
17
3
The illogic of linking pornography and rape
Thinking Critically About Alternative Medicine
20
3
Review of The Alternative Medicine Handbook
Barrie Cassileth
Thinking Critically About Mystical Messages
23
6
Review of Nonconscious Movements: From mystical messages to facilitated communication
Herman Spitz
CONTROVERSIES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT
The Working Mother Debate
29
3
Review of A Mother's Place
Susan Chira
How Much Influence Do Mothers Have?
32
2
Even moms can't guarantee a perfect life
How Much Influence Do Parents Have?
34
5
Review of The Nurture Assumption
Judith Rich Harris
How Critical Are the First Years of Life?
39
6
Review of The Myth of the First Three Years
John T. Bruer
THE POLITICS AND SCIENCE OF GENDER RESEARCH
Are Men and Women ``Opposite Sexes''?
45
3
Disarmament for the gender wars
The Interpretation of Differences, I
48
2
How friendship was ``feminized''
The Interpretation of Differences, II
50
3
Misreading the gender gap
The Paradox of Gender
53
5
Review of The Two Sexes
Eleanor Maccoby
Biological Politics and the Study of Gender
58
5
Rules of the road for biological research
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY TO SOCIAL ISSUES
Emotional Epidemics and Their Consequences
63
5
Review of Hystories: Hysterical epidemics and modern media
Elaine Showalter
The Day-care Sex-abuse Scandals
68
5
A day-care witch hunt tests justice in Massachusetts
The Death Penalty
73
3
Passion's posse claims a victim
The War on Drugs
76
3
Drop the iron fist and try rules of moderation
Adolescent Violence
79
3
Violence is a symptom, not an inevitability
Bystander Apathy
82
3
In groups, we shrink from loner's heroics
The Sources of Happiness
85
3
Review of Flow: The psychology of optimal experience
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Meanings of Self-esteem
88
2
Who stole grit from self-esteem?
Sexual Orientation
90
5
Review of The Invention of Homosexuality
Jonathan Ned Katz
MENTAL DISORDER AND TREATMENT
Medicating the Mind
95
4
Review of Listening to Prozac
Peter Kramer
The Limits of Medication
99
3
We're only hearing about the quick fix
The Politics of Diagnosis: ``PMS'' and the DSM
102
3
You haven't come very far, baby
Thinking Critically About Psychotherapy
105
Review of House of Cards
Robyn Dawes