Education: Arne and Bill’s Misguided Adventure: An Open Letter
Dear Arne and Bill, I really don’t understand you two, the U.S. Secretary of Education and the world’s second richest man and noted philanthropist. How can you possibly say that public education can be reformed without eliminating poverty? Let’s start with you, Arne. Here’s a quote from you: “When I was in Chicago, people used […]
Read MoreTechnology: Is Technology Stealing Our (Self) Identities?
Our self-identities, that is, how we define and see ourselves as unique individuals, play a vital role in who we are and the direction that our lives take. The self-identity encompasses the totality of knowledge and understanding that we gain about ourselves as we develop including our personalities, aptitudes and capabilities, intellectual and physical attributes, […]
Read MoreParenting: The Best Messages to Send Your Children
Note: This post is excerpted from my latest parenting book, Your Children are Listening: Nine Messages They Need to Hear from You. The most important thing that you can do to ensure that your children get the right messages is for you to know what those right messages. This understanding is not a given for […]
Read MorePopular Culture: Cognitive Biases Make Common Sense Neither
In my last post, I argued that common sense was vastly over-rated as a tool for making sound judgments and that we need to engage in “reasoned sense” that includes both extensive direct experience and critical thinking. Taking steps that include the informal use of the scientific method can help us make better decisions. However, as […]
Read MorePsychology: Cognitive Biases Make Common Sense Neither
In my last post, I argued that common sense was vastly over-rated as a tool for making sound judgments and that we need to engage in “reasoned sense” that includes both extensive direct experience and critical thinking. Taking steps that include the informal use of the scientific method can help us make better decisions. However, as […]
Read MoreParenting: Set Your Children’s “Defaults” Early
For you to send the healthiest possible messages to your children requires that you fully buy into my notion that children become the messages they get the most. Though it seems to be a pretty intuitive and reasonable concept, I feel the need to thoroughly convince you of the profound value of messages to your children's development. Why Messages? I've always been a bit of a tech geek and first adopter and, for some time, I've been blogging on the Psychology of Technology for a variety of web sites. One concept that I come across frequently in the technology world is "default." For those of you not familiar with what a default is in tech-speak, it's defined as a "preset option: an option that will automatically be selected by a computer if the user does not choose another alternative." Though I didn't understand why for some time, the idea of defaults has always resonated with me and struck me as meaningful at a psychological level. Now you may be wondering what a computer default has to do with raising children. Well, in raising your children, whether you realize it or not, you're creating a set of default options in just about every aspect of their lives. To paraphrase the computer definition above, these child defaults are "automatically selected by children if they do not deliberately choose another option." In other words, your children's defaults are reflexive responses to their life experiences, including their first thoughts, emotions, decisions, and actions to any given situation. Defaults, whether healthy or unhealthy, are so important for children because they are the first option that will arrive in their "outbox" when faced with a choice. If you can "install" healthy defaults in your children, you are increasing the chances that they will choose that healthy option over other alternatives that might be more attractive to them, but also potentially harmful. <a href="<?php echo get_permalink(); ?>"> Read More...</a>
Read More