Why do we remember some things and not others? How much can we remember and how long can our memories last? What processes shape our memory of the world? Memories are a fundamental part of who we are, so it’s … Read More
What is Psychophysics?
My apologies to those of you hoping to read about physics gone mad; the truth is that psychophysics is actually the study of our sensitivity to stimuli of different strengths. This is generally done by attempting to measure different types of … Read More
How Do Psychologists Define Variables?
With any psychological question, what we are really trying to establish is better understanding of a property. We want to know about properties like happiness, depression, aggression, intelligence, etc. The problem with wanting to know about psychological properties is … Read More
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of thought and behavior. This means asking why we do the things that we do and think the thoughts that we think. If you’ve ever wondered why you need to spend so much time … Read More
Memory Resources
On this page you’ll find a number of resources for understanding the key concepts of memory, including types of memory, memory failures, mnemonics, and more. If I’ve missed a good resource, please share it in the comments section! General Resources Memory … Read More
Biological Bases of Behavior – Resources
On this page you’ll find a number of resources for understanding the biological approach to psychology as well as concepts of genetics and heritability. If I’ve missed a good resource, please share it in the comments section! General Resources Biological Bases … Read More
History & Approaches to Psychology – Resources
On this page you’ll find resources covering the history of psychology as well as some of the main approaches for understanding thought and behavior. If I’ve missed a good resource, please share it in the comments section! General Resources History & … Read More
Why Do We Still Learn about Phrenology?
Look in just about any psychology professor’s office and you’re bound to find something like the image above: a model mapping out a person’s “faculties” based on the bumps and dents of the skull. This type of skull study was … Read More
Psych File Drawer
If you’ve ever wondered just how well some famous effects have replicated, I encourage you to check out http://www.psychfiledrawer.org/. This site lists a number of influential studies (such as Bargh, Chen, and Burrows’ priming study on age-related stereotype activation) with … Read More