Synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist and science historian Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs
come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. Using sensory data that flow in through the senses, the brain naturally begins to look for and
find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning, forming beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those
beliefs, accelerating the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop. In The Believing Brain, Shermer provides countless real-world
examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. And ultimately, he demonstrates why science is
the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not our beliefs match reality.
-
Adventures in Aspergers’
$1,303 -
Individual Differences in Arithmetic: Implications for Psychology, Neuroscience and Education
$2,698 -
Implementing Therapeutic Residential Care With Children and Adolescents: Translating Research into Practice
$2,112 -
Philosophy of Psychology
$2,588 -
Dyslexia: Research and Practice
$1,358 -
Children’s Memory: Psychology and the Law
$1,398 -
Therapeutic Assessment: Using Psychological Testing to Help Clients Change
$4,275 -
Executive Function: Lessons from Typical and Atypical Development and Insights Regarding the Role of Prefrontal Cortex
$2,833 -
Readings on Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
$1,500 -
Overcoming Teenage Anxiety, Stress and Panic
$1,798 -
Implementing Therapeutic Residential Care With Children and Adolescents: Translating Research into Practice
$6,300 -
Understanding ADHD
$698 -
History of Modern Psychology
$6,334 -
The Psychology of Mindfulness: An Integrated Approach
$2,113 -
Statistical Learning: Sensitivity to Sequential Structure Across Cognition
$1,123 -
Beneath the Dusty Trees: The Gary Plays
$808 -
Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Practical Guide
$2,023 -
Theories of Autism
$1,303 -
Counselling for Stress Problems
$1,350 -
Multicultural Counseling: Empowerment Strategies for a Diverse Society
$2,848