Tag Archives: psychology

5 reasons why “predictive programming” is psychologically implausible

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Mike Wood

If you think that popular culture – movies, TV, and music – have been kind of samey lately, you’re not alone. Peter Suderman at Slate has proposed that most summer blockbusters follow the same basic formula laid out in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Social psychology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 155 Comments

Bilderberg Fringe Festival 2013 special report

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Rob Brotherton

This year, for the first time, the secretive Bilderberg meeting was accompanied by an unofficial Bilderberg Fringe Festival. This consisted of three days of presentations on the alleged evils of Bilderberg, as well as general festivities, all in a field … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, World events | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Robert F Kennedy Jr and vaccines : How even the brightest can fall victim to conspiracy thinking

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Christopher Thresher-Andrews

Robert F Kennedy Jr, famously one of  Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, Sr ‘s 11 children, has made press many times over the last ten years with his staunch anti-vaccination views. In 2005, he wrote an article for Salon.com proclaiming that a government conspiracy … Continue reading →

Posted in Biases & heuristics, Confirmation bias, What's the harm | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Measuring belief in conspiracy theories

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Rob Brotherton

On a scale of 1 to 7, do you think JFK was killed by the C.I.A.? The moon landing was faked? The Queen is an alien reptile? That might sound trite, but it’s how most psychological research into conspiracy theories … Continue reading →

Posted in Personality | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

28% of US voters believe in a ‘New World Order’ – Infographic

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Christopher Thresher-Andrews

A short post today to bring you a great info-graphic detailing the poll results from the recent Public Policy Polling data. Click to enlarge for the best view!

Posted in 9/11, Round-Ups, World events | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Authoritarianism and conspiracy theories – what’s the connection? Is there one?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Mike Wood

Although I don’t do it as much as I used to, I still enjoy arguing about conspiracy theories with people on the Internet. As I’m generally pretty skeptical of conspiracy explanations, I usually find myself defending whatever the conventional explanation … Continue reading →

Posted in Personality, Social psychology | Tagged , , , , , | 22 Comments

Climate change conspiracy theories

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Rob Brotherton

In 2010, politicians from the Utah House of Representatives urged the United States Environmental Protection Agency to immediately suspend policies aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Why? Global climate change, the politicians argued, is a fraud. According to the Utah … Continue reading →

Posted in Personality, What's the harm | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Conspiracy Round-Up 19/01/13

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Rob Brotherton

Links to a few recent conspiracy-oriented stories from around the internet. Unsurprisingly, the major topic of conspiracy theorising over the past few weeks has been the Newtown shooting; conspiracy theories arose immediately after the tragedy and are still gaining strength. … Continue reading →

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Alex Jones and the “Monological Belief System”

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Christopher Thresher-Andrews

In the recent weeks following the tragedy of the Sandy Hook shooting, we have seen many different viewpoints expressed regarding the fiercely debated issue of US gun control. In particular, one of the most controversial and volatile interviews came from … Continue reading →

Posted in Social psychology, World events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Mass shooting conspiracy theories: Newtown, competence, and politics

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Mike Wood

As the conspiracy theories around the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut continue to grow, Rob’s insightful post from a couple of days ago has generated a lot of interest. We can talk about evidence or lack of evidence as much … Continue reading →

Posted in Social psychology, World events | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments