Psychology professor takes stand against misinformation

WINTER RACINE online editor

In the class, professor of psychology Stephen Hupp equips students with the necessary tools and expertise to recognize the difference between pseudoscience and valid scientific methods.

According to Hupp, the objective of Pseudoscience in Psychology [PSYC 413] is to equip students with the tools necessary to effectively identify and eliminate flawed psychological ideas, enabling them to make the most of the credible ones.

“My goal is just to get them to approach most new ideas with some skepticism,” Hupp said. “I’m not trying to turn people into cynics where they just don’t believe in anything … But, as new data comes in, I want them to be more open-minded.”

During the summer term, the three-credit-hour online course is available for students. This course is designed to examine the history of pseudosci- ence, explore modern examples, dive into skepticism and enhance critical thinking skills.

“We talk a lot about logical fallacies and cognitive biases that affect the way we think,” Hupp said. “One example is called ‘post hoc ergo propter hoc’ ... the idea that just because one thing happens before a second thing, that doesn’t necessarily mean the first thing caused the second thing.”

Hupp said that an example of this is the misconception that vaccines cause autism.

“So a lot of times, a child might get one of their scheduled vaccines and then, at some point soon thereafter, be diagnosed with autism,” Hupp said. “Some people may think that just because one happened before the other that there’s a causal relationship, when there’s not.”

According to Hupp, it is important to think critically about the source of the information you’re getting and ask yourself if the source in question is trying to sell you something.

“If you know who the source is and what they’re getting out of sharing information with you, then that can be a good safeguard against falling for ideas,” Hupp said.

According to Psychology chair Greg Everett, Pseudoscience in Psychology shows students that in order to accept science as valid, you need to critically look at the data provided.

“You need to look at what actual psychologists have published in articles — research articles — as opposed to people writing about things without any data to support them,” Everett said.

Everett said the development of these critical thinking skills is important across all of the students’ classes at SIUE.

“[Students have] the right to be informed citizens, to be able to take a skeptical eye towards things that you see in the media or seeing popular culture and to be able to judge whether or not those things actually have any validity,” Everett said.

According to Hupp, these skills go beyond college, especially for students pursuing the field of therapy.

“We have evidence-based therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy,” Hupp said. “But we also have pseudoscientific therapeutic approaches such as facilitated communication.”

According to Hupp, it is crucial for people to know how to access evidence-based treatments instead of pseudoscientific treatments.

He said that the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry is a great resource for students who want to further explore the topics covered in his class, but might not necessarily be able to get in.

According to Hupp, it is important to find balance when it comes to skepticism in psychology.

“It’s good to keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out,” Hupp said.

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