PSYC 182 Extra Credit Paper Guidelines
A number of popular science books have recently been written on illusions and fallacies
arising from human perception. Choose one of these books from the list below (or
another of your choice with prior approval), and write a summary & critique.
For the summary, describe the main points covered, the overall idea the author tried to
convey, and how it relates to concepts covered in class. Which parts did you find
most/least interesting? Share a few specifics but don’t try to recap all of them!
For the critique, discuss your opinion of the quality of the work. Was it convincing and
supported with solid scientific evidence or references? Was it interesting & enjoyable to
read? What changes could have improved it, scientifically or commercially? Would you
recommend it, either for this class, for psychology students in general, or even for fun?
5 points extra credit (half a letter grade!), 3-5 pages (double-spaced, 10-12 pt. font)
Hard copy due in class Wednesday 12/10
(Can be done in addition to the 3 Sona credits)
Alter, Adam. ‘Drunk Tank Pink’
Barrett, Deirdre. ‘Supernormal Stimuli’
Chabris, Christopher & Simons, Daniel. ‘The Invisible Gorilla’
DiSalvo, David. ‘What Makes Your Brain Happy’
Fine, Cordelia. ‘A Mind of its Own’
Frith, Chris. ‘Making up the Mind’
Gilovich, Thomas.’How We Know What Isn’t So’
Hood, Bruce. ‘The Science of Superstition’ (aka ‘Supersense’)
Hood, Bruce. ‘The Self Illusion’
Hutson, Matthew. ‘The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking’
Lehrer, Jonah. ‘How We Decide’
McRaney, David. ‘You Are Not So Smart’
Mlodinow, Leonard. ‘Subliminal’
Ramachandran, V.S. ‘The Tell-Tale Brain’
Rosenblum, Lawrence. ‘See What I’m Saying’
Sacks, Oliver. ‘Hallucinations’
Vedantam, Shankar. ‘The Hidden Brain’
Wiseman, Richard. ‘Paranormality’
Wiseman, Richard. ‘Quirkology’