Internet Exercises


1			The Matter of Dowsing http://www.randi.org/library/dowsing/ Dowsing is the art of finding underground water by extra-sensory perception. Sometimes tools, such as a forked hazel stick are used. When scientific tests do not support the dowsing phenomenon, dowsers offer a number of explanations for these failures. Discuss how these explanations are characteristic of the intuitive approach to knowing about the world around us.




2			Pseudoscientific Treatments for Autism http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.620/healthissue_detail.asp According to Herbert and Sharp (2001), autism is a relatively rare disorder marked by severe deficits in the ability to communicate, reason, and socialize. Moreover, they suggest that this disorder is a magnet for pseudoscience and discuss several pseudoscientific treatments. What are the common features of the pseudoscientific treatments mentioned in this article?




3			The FacePrints Experiment http://www-psych.nmsu.edu/~vic/faceprints/ Today a number of research studies are conducted online. One example is the FacePrints study conducted by Dr. Victor Johnson at New Mexico State University. The study is designed to examine facial beauty. Learn more about this study and identify the general goal of this scientific research. Is this an example of applied research or basic research?