urban legends

I found the Baloney Detection kit to be the most important piece of information I took away from this exercise.  Oddly enough, there were no facts to either believe or not believe from this "kit" but rather a guide for how to detect garbage.  Many of the questions from the Baloney Detection kit (which the name itself gives this entire situation that much more humor) are somewhat self explanatory.  For example, the reliability of the source is hopefully a feature that most people subscribe to.  Would you trust an airline pilot to build your house?

Another interesting point that was raised several times during these readings was the importance and impact of good luck charms.  I must admit to performing certain tasks out of habit or some kind of reassurance.  For example, every single time I get on to an airplane, I must touch the outside of the plane before I board.  This is not a crazy superstition I hold but rather a habit I have picked up that brings me back to the present.  I do not believe that if I were to fail to touch the plane something bad will happen.  However, if my example were a more widespread habit among people, I would not be surprised if it found its way on the Snopes site.  

As Michael Shermer said in the Baloney Detection video, you question everyone and everything; be a skeptic.  But there comes a point when questioning everyone and everything gets exhausting and frustrating.  We do not always have the time to go out and research and compare notes from 20 different sources about a piece of information.  It is just not practical.  For the sack of argument, I would say that most information that is digested from the internet should always be taken a grain of salt.  But as the internet continues to take of the world and how we receive information, that grain of salt might be reducing in size.  When Michael Jackson died, several websites said he was merely hospitalized and had not died.  Other sites were saying he had died.  Should I believe the New York Times or Johnny's Breaking News Site?  

Another important take away message was the difference between case studies versus more empirical research.  My experiences in psychology have been firmly rooted in statistical evidence; the larger the sample size, the more valid the data.  Hence, I view case studies like I view stories; there is usually an important theme or message to take away but I'm not ready to write an empirical dissertation based on the data.  Sorry Freud.