Posted by jamestheyonger on December 11, 2005, at 23:12:30
In reply to Tracy, Breggin, and other quacks..., posted by gibber on December 11, 2005, at 21:47:35
I read a study on what makes a sucessful hoax;
people seem to believe statements that are somewhat grandiose, like Prozac and PCP have the same effects or someone you do not know from Nigeria wants to give you lots of $$$ if they can use your bank account. Here is some more stuff:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/21stC/issue-3.4/valhouli.html"Another reason people find pseudoscience plausible is a cognitive ability to "see" relationships that don't exist. "We have an adaptive reflex to make sense of the world, and there is a strong motivation to do this," says Lilienfeld. "We need this ability, because the world is such a complex and chaotic place, but sometimes it can backfire." This outgrowth of our normal capacity for pattern recognition accounts for the "face on Mars" (a group of rocks that allegedly resembles a face) or the belief that a full moon causes an increase in the crime rate. When people believe in something strongly--whether it is an image on Mars or a causal interpretation of a chronological association--they are unlikely to let it go, even if it has been repeatedly discounted"
poster:jamestheyonger
thread:587690
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051211/msgs/588259.html