Science is a beacon in the fog of the noise of chance

-Nassim Taleb

Surely, when surfing through the “information monster”, the Internet, you must have noticed that when looking for topics related to psychology or other sciences, several documents related to things like psychoanalysis, aromatherapy always jump out at you, constellations, psychomagic, conspiracy theories… and that, of course, people who know nothing about psychology, science, who lack common sense and even professionals and students in training fall into the nets of the tempting “pseudoscience” .

For this reason, and to clear up any doubts on this matter, I have decided to publish this article on some advice and definitions that will help us determine what to trust and what not to trust.

In search of reliable sources of information

To begin with, I would like to mention the work of the American philosopher Charles Sanders Pierce in classifying four methods of belief fixation [1]. The first of these is the method of authority , in which the simplest way to fix a belief is to blindly believe in a person’s word without questioning it; an example might be that of religious belief fixation.

The second method is that of tenacity , which consists of clinging to a stereotype, even in the presence of a good counterexample; this method is observed in fanatical racists.

The third is the a priori method refers to a belief in which no reference or analysis is made to accept it. Finally, there is the method that is the only valid form of accepted knowledge, the scientific method (Kantowitz, RoedigerIII, & Elmes, 2011; Kerlinger & Lee, 2002) which is defined as a serial process by which science obtains answers to its questions (McGuigan, 2011), and which has the characteristic of self-correction and therefore “has intrinsic checkpoints along the entire path of scientific knowledge. These checks are designed and used in such a way that they direct and verify scientific activities and conclusions so that they can be relied upon…”. (Kerlinger & Lee, 2002).

Keys to detecting pseudoscientific texts or articles

Now that we have clarified the ways in which we fix our beliefs about something, we can say that there are some theories that “disguise” themselves as science when they are not, but how can we avoid them?

Here is a list of some tips to avoid falling into the trap of some charlatans:

1. Make sure the source is reliable

Check that what you are reading or consuming by some media has valid and reliable sources of reference . For example, articles peer reviewed published in indexed scientific journals (since for an article to be published it has to go through several validity and reliability processes), quotes from important people in the scientific field…

2. Get rid of the confirmation bias

Don’t fall into a confirmation bias. Don’t believe everything you think, what the other person thinks, moreover, better not believe and question everything . People, on psychological principles, always seek to confirm their ideas (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, & Halpern, 2016).

3. Trust in numbers rather than belief

Think by focusing on statistical data, rather than intuitively or based on one’s own experience . Reality is much broader than what one lives or thinks one perceives. We often put aside logical reasoning to pay more attention to what common sense dictates.

4. Remember: not all factors are easily explained

Not everything has an easily identifiable meaning or cause that can be reduced to a simple statement such as “homosexuality is caused by abuse in childhood”. In fact, all phenomena are multi-causal , although certain variables are more important than others and their study allows us to better predict what will happen.

5. Validity

Remember that science, in order to be called that, has to meet certain criteria and one of them is validity , which is the degree to which something, an instrument or method actually measures the variable you are looking to measure.

6. Reliability

This concept is, along with the previous one, very important and refers to the degree to which a measuring instrument or therapy method… produces consistent and coherent results.

In conclusion, remember, the next time you consume some product of “true psychology”, which just for remembering is the scientific study of the mind, brain and behavior, keep in mind all these advices and avoid being deceived by charlatans. Every product, in the media, on the Internet or on television, put it under the microscope of science , look for articles that meet strict criteria for publication and reliable sources and avoid being misled.

Bibliographic references:

  • Gazzaniga, M. S., Heatherton, T. F., & Halpern, D. F. (2016). Psychological Science. United States of America: W.W.NORTON.
  • Kantowitz, B. H., RoedigerIII, H. L., & Elmes, D. G. (2011). Experimental psychology. Mexico: CENGAGE Learning.
  • Kerlinger, F. N., & Lee, H. B. (2002). Behavioral research. Mexico: McGrawHill.
  • McGuigan, F. J. (2011). Experimental psychology. Mexico: Trillas.

1] For more information on the four methods, see the references in Experimental Psychology by Barry H. Kantowitz, pp. 6-8 and Behavioral Research by Fred N. Kerlinger, pp. 6-7.