Educational psychology is the scientific field concerned with applying psychological theories and concepts to the understanding and improvement of teaching and learning in formal educational settings. In simpler terms, it is concerned with the study of how students learn and how teachers can help them to learn effectively. Educational psychology draws on and combines various psychological theories and principles – such as those related to human development, motivation, learning, behavior management and assessment, among others – in order to improve the conditions of teaching and learning. Educational psychologists study the process of learning not only among the general population but also among sub-groups such as gifted children and those with various learning disabilities. Continue reading
How to Influence Your Children to Make Healthier Fast Food Choices
Perhaps the only thing parents would prefer more than making healthy dietary choices for their children, is to have their children willingly make those beneficial decisions for themselves. Well, based on research conducted by food psychology expert Brian Wansink and colleagues, it seems that parents might be able to encourage their kids to do just that.
What would batman eat? It is a question that comic book artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger probably never had to answer in all the years since they first created the legendary caped crusader. Nevertheless, this is the key question in helping kids choose nutritious foods on their own. Continue reading
Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity? (Video)
A profound talk by Sir Ken Robinson on human intelligence and the pressing need for an education system worldwide which nurtures childhood creativity. He argues that schools today are geared towards stigmatizing wrong answers (which subsequently restricts creativity and freedom of expression in students) and makes the point that creativity is something we slowly unlearn as we get older and become molded by the “rules” of general society.
Full Recovery From Schizophrenia? Post #2 – Is Schizophrenia Really a Brain Disease?
In spite of over a hundred years of research and many billions of dollars spent, we still have no clear evidence that schizophrenia and other related psychotic disorders are the result of a diseased brain. Continue reading
Cognitive Appraisal | Why An Apology Isn’t Always Enough
Let’s pretend, hypothetically, that you’ve acted like a supreme jerk with someone who knows you well. Quite rightly, your spouse, significant other or friend isn’t having any of it and calls you out. Whereupon, after a little reflection, you realize the error of your ways and apologize unreservedly.
Then, on the cusp of receiving absolution, your friend or lover dredges up a long forgotten infraction from the pre-disco era and revisits it detail-by-detail. What the heck just happened? This common experience has deep roots in the origins of modern psychology beginning with the “father of modern psychology” himself…
William James
William James is most famous for a wildly counterintuitive hypothesis that turned out to be wrong. (Demonstrating that—regardless if you’re a psychologist, economist, or even a motivational speaker—if you want to be considered a thought leader, it’s more important to be counterintuitive than to be right.) Continue reading
Pamela Meyer: How to Spot a Liar (Video)
In this video expert lie-spotter Pam Meyer shares both scientific research and her personal insights on the issue of deception, including why we lie and how to spot a lie. Studies claim that on any given day the average person is lied to between 10 – 100 times, and that strangers lie 3 times within the first 10 minutes of meeting each other. Meyer explains that lying is a cooperative act, and that the power of a lie stems from our willingness to believe it.