How We Know what Isn't So

Pt. 1. Cognitive determinants of questionable beliefs. Something out of nothing : the misperception and misinterpretation of random data -- Too much from too little : the misinterpretation of incomplete and unrepresentative data -- Seeing what we expect to see : the biased evaluation of ambiguous and inconsistent data -- Pt. 2. Motivational and social determinants of questionable beliefs. Seeing what we want to see : motivational determinants of belief -- Believing what we are told : the biasing effects of secondhand information -- The imagined agreement of others : exaggerated impressions of social support -- Pt. 3. Examples of questionable and erroneous beliefs. Belief in ineffective "alternative" health practices -- Belief in the effectiveness of questionable interpersonal strategies -- Belief in ESP -- Pt. 4. Where do we go from here? Challenging dubious beliefs : the role of social science.