The Archive - Psych 101
Reassessing the “Shaky Bridge” Study: A 2025 Critical Review of Dutton and Aron (1974)
Revisit Dutton and Aron's iconic 1974 "shaky bridge" experiment through a 2025 lens. This critical review explores how fear became mistaken for attraction, where the study’s methods fall short, and what modern psychological research reveals about arousal and emotion today.
Confirmation Bias: Why We Find What We’re Looking For
We trace the scientific origins, dissect the cognitive and neural mechanisms that sustain confirmation bias, survey real-world consequences in a digital age, and examine the latest evidence on how (and how not) to debias ourselves.
Social Identity Theory: Understanding the Psychology of Group Dynamics
Explore Social Identity Theory. Understand how group dynamics shape identity, behaviour, and prejudice. A clear, research-based guide for curious minds.
What Is Learned Helplessness?
What is learned helplessness? Discover its origins, psychological impact, and real-world effects in education, work, and mental health. Learn strategies to overcome helplessness and regain control.
The Mere Exposure Effect: How Familiarity Shapes Our Preferences
Discover the power of the Mere Exposure Effect—how repeated exposure to a stimulus influences preferences in music, marketing, relationships, and politics. Learn the psychology behind it, its real-world applications, and ethical concerns. Dive into expert insights and research-backed findings to understand how familiarity shapes your choices.
Cyberpsychology: Exploring the Intersection of Human Behaviour and Digital Environments
Explore cyberpsychology, the study of how digital technology impacts human behaviour, identity, and mental health. From social media effects and gaming psychology to virtual reality therapy and cybersecurity trust, discover key insights, ethical concerns, and future trends in this rapidly evolving field.
Mood Management Theory: An Exploration of Media, Emotion, and Self-Regulation
Discover Mood Management Theory (MMT) and how media influences our emotions. Learn how people use movies, music, social media, and video games to regulate their mood. Explore research-backed insights, modern applications, and key criticisms of MMT in today’s digital world.
Understanding the Differences Between Criminal Psychology and Criminology
Discover the key differences between criminal psychology and criminology in this comprehensive guide. Learn how each field approaches the study of crime, their focus areas, career paths, and how they work together to understand and prevent criminal behaviour.
Criticism of the Stanford Prison Experiment
Explore the controversies surrounding the Stanford Prison Experiment, including its methodological flaws, ethical violations, and cultural impact. Discover how this infamous study shaped psychology, sparked debate, and redefined research ethics.
Understanding the Fundamental Attribution Error: Why We Misjudge Others
Discover the fundamental attribution error, a common cognitive bias that leads us to misjudge others by overestimating personality traits and underestimating situational factors. Learn how this bias shapes relationships, workplace dynamics, and cultural perceptions, and explore strategies to build empathy and make fairer judgments.
Criticism of the Dunning-Kruger Effect
Discover the criticisms of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, including its methodological flaws, statistical artefacts, and popular misinterpretations. Explore expert insights into this cognitive bias, its limitations, and the nuances behind overconfidence in self-assessment.
What is the Dunning-Kruger Effect: How Overconfidence Masks Incompetence
Discover the psychology behind the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a cognitive bias where individuals overestimate their abilities due to a lack of self-awareness. Learn its causes, real-life examples, and tips to counteract its impact in education, the workplace, and decision-making.
The Criticism of Cognitive Dissonance
Discover the major criticisms of cognitive dissonance theory, from theoretical ambiguities to cultural and methodological challenges. Learn how recent advancements in neuroscience and psychology are reshaping its relevance and applications.
Criticism of The Asch Conformity Experiments
Explore the major criticisms of the Asch Conformity Experiments, including issues with ecological validity, cultural bias, ethical concerns, and interpretive limitations. Learn how these iconic studies on group pressure may oversimplify the complexity of social influence.
What is Altruism? A Psychological Perspective
Explore the psychology behind altruism, including theories, neural mechanisms, and developmental insights. Discover why humans engage in selfless acts and the factors that drive altruistic behaviour in society.
What is a Schema in Psychology?
Learn about schemas in psychology—mental frameworks that shape how we perceive and process information. Explore types of schemas, their role in memory, attention, and problem-solving, and their impact on social interactions and mental health.
Beyond Labels and Expectations: A Critical Look at Normative Determinism
Explore the concept of normative determinism, examines the scientific evidence supporting or refuting it, and discusses its implications for understanding human behaviour and societal dynamics.
The Psychology of Laughter: Evolutionary Roots and Social Impacts
Delve into the evolutionary origins of laughter, its psychological mechanisms and its profound social impacts.
The Power of Authority: Insights from Milgram's 1963 Experiment
Delve into the psychological mechanisms of Milgram's (1963) findings, and how subsequent research has expanded our understanding of these critical aspect of human behaviour
Attachment Theory Basics
Delve into the core concepts of attachment theory, examine different attachment styles, explore the implications for adult relationships, and review contemporary research findings.