Announcements

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Announcements

• Final Exam schedule
• Lecture Center C3
• Fri. Dec 10 from 1030 am - 1230 pm. 
• If you have a final exam conflict with this
  course, please youll need to e-mail me to
  reschedule the exam.

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Whats the point?

• There are a number of industries that profit by
  tricking people
• subliminal tapes
• memory enhancing drugs
• psychics
• tarot card readings
• media psychologists

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Whats the point?

• Why should psychologists care?
• Many of the tricks that are used are designed to
  exploit peoples need to be understood, loved,
  and valued.
• example paying psychics to communicate with
  deceased loved ones
• To the extent that people turn to these
  industries in order to meet their needs, they
  miss the opportunity to be helped by
  professionals who use scientifically validated
  techniques.

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• Well focus on two such industries, one rooted in
  the paranormal and the other astrology
• Thousands of Americans turn to psychics and
  astrologers for advice on love, relationships,
  work, and parenting.
• What methods do these individuals use to
  understand the world? Are these methods similar
  to the ones weve discussed in this class? And,
  if not, how could the methods weve discussed in
  this class be applied?

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Psychic Powers

• Miss Cleo
• late-night television psychic
• (read the story on http//www.courttv.com/news/fea
  ture/cleo/misscleo_ctv.html )
• Audio example http//www.courttv.com/news/feature
  /cleo/script1.html

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What is Tarot?

• Tarot is a set of seventy-eight cards, each
  featuring different symbolic pictures. A standard
  Tarot deck is made up of 22 cards called the
  major arcana or trumps, and four suits of 14
  cards - similar to playing cards - called the
  minor arcana or pip cards.
• http//www.aeclectic.net/tarot
• http//www.amystickalgrove.com/cgi-bin/site/site.c
  gi?confCatID7

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Three Fates
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Celtic Cross
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How does it work?

• Subcontractors, referred to as bookstores,
  recruit and train thousands of psychics
• When the hotline is called, the call gets routed
  to the subcontractors, such as Nevada-based
  Buckwood Communications, who manage the psychics

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How does it work?

• Psychics are paid 14 to 24 cents per minute 25
  cents for obtaining an address and 10 cents for
  obtaining an e-mail address.
• Not much money, but whether the subcontractors
  route the calls to a particular psychic depends
  upon the psychics record for keeping people
  on-line
• "When you feel that the caller is hanging up
  after only a few minutes because he/she wants the
  free minutes only, try saying that, in your
  opinion, if they call back for several short free
  readings they will only get what they are paying
  for, but if they stay on now and let you complete
  their reading, you are sure it will change their
  life,"
• Were obliged to keep people on the line. We
  have to make things up, because we need the
  priority rating or we wont get calls. Its
  impossible. Last week, even though I had a
  61-minute call, I didnt get anything for six
  days
• South Florida psychic reader who worked for the
  agency that promotes Miss Cleo

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Three Fates
http//www.amystickalgrove.com/cgi-bin/tarot/index
2.cgi
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How do these methods fare?

• How do these methods compare with those discussed
  in this course?
• What would it take to establish the validity of a
  psychics ability?
• Are these methods (or the evidence derived from
  them) part of what is advertised?

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