Psychology misconceptions

06Jan 2022 by

Instructions: For a topic in the course (i.e., a misconception), find a news report from the popular media. 

The report must be no more than 12 months old.  You are also to find two, empirical, peer-

reviewed, journal articles on the same topic.  While it should be fairly obvious how this 

news report/current event relates to the journal articles, you are to write a summary where 

you make connections between your news item and the articles.  In addition to 

summarizing the news piece and the articles, you should provide an analysis of them.  The analysis should critique them, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.  If anything in 

any of the pieces is wrong or done incorrectly, be sure to include this.  If the misconception

you are focusing on is presented as factual in any of the pieces, make sure to highlight this. 

Make sure to provide the citations and references for all of your articles and news pieces.

Misconceptions covered in the course to chose from:

Most people only use 10% of their brain power
Some people are left-brained, others are right-brained
Visual perceptions are accompanied by tiny emissions from the eyes
Subliminal messages can persuade people to purchase products
Playing Mozarts music to infants boosts their intelligence
Adolescence is inevitably a time of psychological turmoil
Most people experience a midlife crisis in their 40s or early 50s
Old age is typically associated with increased dissatisfaction and senility
When dying, people pass through a universal series of psychological stages
Human memory works like a tape recorder or video camera and accurately records the events weve experienced
Hypnosis is useful for retrieving memories of forgotten events
Individuals commonly repress the memories of traumatic experiences
Most people with amnesia forget all details of their earlier lives
Intelligence tests are biased against certain groups of people
If youre unsure of your answer when taking a test its best to stick with your initial hunch
The defining feature of dyslexia is reversing letters
Students learn best when teaching styles are matched to their learning styles
Hypnosis is a unique trance state that differs in kind from wakefulness
Researchers have demonstrated that dreams possess symbolic meaning
People can learn information like new languages while asleep
During out of body experiences, peoples consciousness leave their body

example is attached