Many people disregard psychology, stating that much of it is just "common sense." They believe that crucial insights about people and their behavior are better gained through everyday experience, and the collected wisdom of the ages is then captured by adages or "sayings."
The following chart contains sixteen common- sense adages. Your task is to indicate which ones you agree with and which you disagree with.
Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with these statements.
| Statement | Agree? | Disagree? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Birds of a feather flock together. | ||
| 2. Look before you leap. | ||
| 3. Boyfriends/girlfriends are like buses; if you wait long enough, another one will come. | ||
| 4. Out of sight, out of mind. | ||
| 5. Spare the rod, spoil the child. | ||
| 6. Opposites attract. | ||
| 7. You're never too old to learn. | ||
| 8. Clothes make the man. | ||
| 9. Neither a borrower nor a lender be. | ||
| 10. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. | ||
| 11. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. | ||
| 12. If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing. | ||
| 13. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. | ||
| 14. He who hesitates is lost. | ||
| 15. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. | ||
| 16. As you sow, so shall you reap. |
Now review the answers of each participant. If they agreed with any of the following pairs, they agreed with contradictory statements.
| 1. Birds of a feather flock together. | or | 6. Opposites attract. |
| 2. Look before you leap. | or | 14. He who hesitates is lost. |
| 4. Out of sight, out of mind. | or | 10. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. |
| 5. Spare the rod and spoil the child. | or | 15. You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. |
| 7. You're never too old to learn. | or | 11. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. |
| 8. Clothes make the man. | or | 13. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. |
These adages are catchy and often contain more than a grain of truth, yet they are vague and often contradictory --hence, not of great value. These sayings may be popular, but they cannot be relied on to provide an accurate understanding of our world. The development of the scientific method has been an important step in helping psychologists describe, predict, explain and control behavior.
