by david allan van nostrand | Sep 15, 2025 | Advertising, Misinformation traps, Shaky Science
When they called themselves the Sales Department, they had only one job. It was selling the company’s products. Salesmen, saleswomen, and salespersons who missed their sales quotas lost their jobs.* Now that they changed their name to marketers, their job is to...
by david allan van nostrand | Mar 10, 2025 | critical thinking, Human Behavior, Shaky Science, Using Information
The American Psychological Association doesn’t like the term used by most people, lie detector, because the machine does not detect lies. The APA prefers the more scientific term, polygraph, a Greek word that meant “writing much.” There is no detecting going on...
by david allan van nostrand | Mar 3, 2025 | Human Behavior, Items in the News, Organizational Behavior, Shaky Science
You have all the right qualifications for the job; the education, training, and skills. You hold an advanced degree from a good school in the field they’re looking for. You began working on the shop floor while other kids went on vacation. You quickly earned...
by david allan van nostrand | Sep 2, 2024 | Human Behavior, Misinformation traps, Shaky Science
What Is a Quack? The noise a duck makes. An untrained person who pretends to be a physician and dispenses medical advice and treatment. A person who pretends to have skill, knowledge, qualification, or credentials they do not possess. A person who deceives others to...
by david allan van nostrand | Jun 26, 2023 | Human Behavior, Psychology, Shaky Science
Personality tests are designed to reveal what’s going on in our subconscious minds, the deep-down place where our emotions and inner conflicts reside. Structured surveys have a list of anywhere from 10 to 600 questions and test takers answer each by choosing...
by david allan van nostrand | Apr 17, 2023 | Human Behavior, Shaky Science, The world around us
“Look! Up In the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Yes, it’s Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel...
