2-photo book

In 2005 I had an idea to write a book about scientific and rational thinking. I started writing the book that year, but progress was slow. In 2006 and 2007 I wrote a few books on different subjects; however I continued to work on the 2005 idea. In 2010 I completed another book; this one was on exercise and nutrition myths. I began working with Eastern Kentucky University’s Perception and Cognition Lab and Psychophysiology Lab in 2011. By 2013, in addition to working with the labs, I had begun working as an instructor (teaching facilitator) at EKU. January 1, 2014 my idea- In Evidence We Trust– came to fruition.
Purchase e-books, In Evidence We Trust: The need for science, rationality and statistics and Nutrition: Fact or Fiction for only $29.95.

What scientists are saying about In Evidence We Trust

“A great introduction to scientific thinking, useful for the student and the general reader alike”  …Keith E. Stanovich, Emeritus Professor, University of Toronto, author of How To Think Straight About Psychology

“A useful, informative, and engaging compendium of critical thinking tools.  Should come in handy for novices and experts alike.  I recommend it!”  …Scott O. Lilienfeld, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, co-author of 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology.

 “Intelligent people make poor decisions every day. They use emotion over evidence, fantasy rather than fact, and superstition instead of science. Much of this has to do with a general state of scientific illiteracy and the inability to think critically. Jamie Hale’s new book is a major step in overcoming this problem.” …Brian Jones, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Kinesiology and Health Studies, Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY.  

“Most undergraduate curriculum focus on training students in their knowledge areas.  More recently, there has been some emphasis put on thinking skills like critical thinking and scientific reasoning.  Yet the vast majority of textbooks still present scientific knowledge as though it is a finished product: someone a lot smarter than the average student figured all this stuff out, and the textbook contains “the truth.”  Very few textbooks introduce critical thinking and scientific reasoning as a process that we have to go through, and even fewer lay out what the components of the process are and how students should work through them.  Jamie Hale’s book is an excellent supplement to any science course because it introduces students to the landscape of the process of scientific thought.” …Richard Osbaldiston, Ph. D., Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY.

 Contents

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………….1

 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..2

Chapter 1: The Need for Science and Statistics ……………………………………………………………6
The Skeptic ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
Scientific & Nonscientific Approaches to
Knowledge ………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………17
Science Might Have it Wrong? ….……………………………………………………………………………..29
The Common Sense Myth! …..…………………………………………………………………………………..31
Correlational Studies are Important Even if They Don’t Imply Causation! ……………………34
Why We Need Statistics! ……..…………………………………………………………………………………..36
When Experts are Wrong ……..………………………………………………………………………………….39
Understanding Scientific Research Methods ……………………………………………………………..48
Why Science Matters by James Randi ……………………………………………………………………….55
The Nonsense Detection Kit ……………………………………………………………………………………..57
Science Roundtable: Discussing Scientific Matters ……………………………………………………..67
Guidelines for Reading Research Reports ….………………………………………………………………80

Chapter 2: The Need for Rationality …..……………………………………………………………………..83
Developing The RQ Test ……….………………………………………………………………………………….84
Good Thinking: More Than Just Intelligence .…………………………………………………………….92
Intelligence and Rationality: different cognitive abilities …………….……………………………….95
The Ultimate Goal of Critical thinking ….…………………………………………………………………..100
Man is an Irrational Animal! ……….…………………………………………………………………………..104
Common Myths About Rationality ……..…………………………………………………………………….111
Dysrationalia: Intelligent People Behaving Irrationally ……………………………………………… 114

Chapter 3 FAQ: Research Methods and Statistics ……………………………………………………….123

References ………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………….177
Appendices ………..……………………………………………………………………………………………………185
Appendix A Practice Problems …………………………………………………………………………………..185
Appendix B APA Style Citation and Reference Lists …………………………………………………….194
Appendix C Recommended Readings: Popular Science Books …………….………………………..197
Index ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….200
About the Author ……………………………………….……………………………………………………………..204

 


Includes S & H (Choose Country for S & H Calculation)
eBook is a digital download only and with no shipping charges



 

MaxCondition cover1

Introduction
The purpose of this book is to help athletes, coaches, or anyone interested in fitness and sport to maximize performance. When speaking of maximum athletic performance, numerous issues need to be discussed. There is more to sports conditioning than heavy numbers and 40-yard dash times. The full spectrum of fitness includes numerous motor qualities such as dynamic range of motion, static range of motion, speed, agility, quickness, body awareness, absolute strength, speed strength and work capacity. These qualities form the foundation for the complete athlete. It is important to identify
the specific motor qualities required to succeed in sports. The importance of the above qualities varies among different sports.In MaxCondition Training, a variety of tools are used in the quest for complete athletic development. This book is packed full of exercises and drills that will help any athlete or fitness enthusiast enhance performance. The utilization of these movements will vary accordingly. Many of the exercises performed in the following chapters are creations of my own as well as a large compilation of movements I borrowed from John Davies of Renegade Training and other successful coaches I have worked and consulted with.  MaxCondition Training addresses the full spectrum of athletic development as well as individual weaknesses.

Includes S & H (Choose Country for S & H Calculation)



KnowledgeNonsense Cover KnowledgeNonsense back

Foreword
By Alan Aragon

This book is something more than your run-of-the-mill catharsis. It’s a testament to the complexity of science and the simplicity of commonsense and how they often overlap. And to understate things, Jamie is not your run-of-the-mill fitness author.  I consider Jamie both a friend and a colleague—in the sense that we share many of the same personal and professional goals. We share the same dissatisfaction (read: disgust) with the state of affairs in the fitness industry, particularly the propagation of what I call non-science. We belong to an industry that is for the most part emotionally driven. Get more muscle, lose more fat, become beautiful, stomp the competition, fulfill your dreams… That’s the message, but where’s the meat behind the claims and promises?

In a sea of opinion, hunch, hearsay, gossip, and good old-fashioned guesswork, there’s only one thing that can rise above it all, and that’s a little thing called science. Jamie has embraced the idea that nature can indeed be deciphered by the scientific method of closing in on cause and effect relationships. The best rummaging ground for this is the battery of published peer reviewed trials. But nothing is taken on faith without scrutiny because bias abounds even in the scientific realm. The quality of research is as important as the research itself. The strength of the study conclusions rests on the strength of the study designs.  One of the great, unique things about the book you hold in your hands is that it’s not an imaginative amalgamation of Jamie’s opinions. Rather, it’s a compilation of hundreds—if not thousands—of hours of digging through the primary published research. No claim is made on a whim or groundless belief. All of the topics have been put through the crucible of science. One of the unique aspects of this book is that Jamie lays out the research, but then he drops his personal take on the situation. So you get the lab results cross-checked by real world practice—
something Jamie has two decades worth to draw upon.  When Jamie was in the beginning stages of writing Knowledge & Nonsense, I encouraged him to cover as many misunderstood and un-investigated topics as possible. What resulted was an amazing brainstorm of ideas that could barely be contained within a manuscript more lengthy than many college texts. There are many topics in this book that I’ve always pondered but never had the time to investigate. I encouraged Jamie to make this book a
mind-bending opus of breadth and depth, something that’s never been done before in our fickle, superficial industry… And he did.

I’m honored to be introducing you to what’s likely to be one of the most valuable resources to ever grace your bookshelf.  Knowing Jamie, he wouldn’t want you to read this book with blind faith and indiscriminate belief. He’d want you to question everything, and so would I. So buckle up and get ready to drop your ego for the sake of becoming a student again.

Thanks,
Alan Aragon
Author of Girth Control

www.alanaragon.com

Includes S & H (Choose Country for S & H Calculation)
eBook is a digital download only and with no shipping charges