Critical Thinking in Psychology: Separating Sense from Nonsense

by John Ruscio

Do you have the tools to distinguish between the true science of human thought and behavior from pop psychology? John Ruscio's book provides a tangible and compelling framework for making that distinction. Because we are inundated with "scientific" claims, the author does not merely differentiate science and pseudoscience, but goes further to teach the fundamentals of scientific reasoning upon which you can base your evaluation of information.

Genres: Psychology, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Skepticism

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rob]

A nice, broad introduction to skepticism in a psychology context. Appropriate for undergraduates. A bit overconfident of itself in places; I think I slightly prefer How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life, though part of that is probably because I read it before this book, and they overlap somewhat. Both also draw from The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, which I read first, so that may also be affecting my evaluation. Any of the three could serve as an undergraduate text on skepticism, the selection of which was my primary goal in reading them. Notable strengths of this work relative to the others include its attention to Classical Decision Theory and use of effective "try it at home" thought experiments and examples throughout the text.

[Anne]

For being a book I was required to read for a college class, I actually really enjoyed it.