JOHN PFISTER

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES

FAVORITE BOOK TO TEACH:

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior, by Scott 0. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio and Barry L. Beyerstein

MUST-READ BOOKS IN YOUR FIELD:

Why People Believe Weird Things, by Michael Shermer

The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century, by David Salsburg

FAVORITE PLEASURE READ:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon

CURRENTLY READING:

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick

I love 50 Great Myths and used it in my winter seminar. This should be on every psychologist's shelf.

Shermer delivers a great discussion and a terrific analysis of the things that make us believe in alien abduction or ESP. There is humanity in a science like statistics. Any field is filled with intrigue, scoundrels, scandals, cads, bounders and geniuses alike.

Salsburg's book is a reminder that statistics is not a dull subject.

My oldest son and I read Haddon's book together several years ago and still talk about it. It is one autistic boy's journey of discovery about himself and how others respond to him. My son and I still greet one another with the main character's distinc tive handclasp.