An Accessible Interdisciplinary Civics Education For All
Psychology
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Pavlov’s Dog Experiment: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Introduction
Riona is spending the day at a local carnival with her friends. The first thing she decides to do is buy her favorite fair food: funnel cake, loaded with plenty of po...
Skinner’s Operant Conditioning: The Carrot or the Stick?
Introduction
How does the inside of your bedroom currently look? Maybe a few shirts and pairs of dirty socks are placed out of sight under the bed, some crumbs are on the floor fr...
Survivorship Bias: The Exception is not the Rule
Introduction
Mel is an eight-year-old girl who’s always wanted to be a pop singer. Even at her young age, she’s taken notice of the starlets who grace the covers of gossip magazin...
Framing Effect: Do You Prefer the Glass to be Half-Empty or Half-Full?
Have You Ever?
You’ve probably heard the expression, “Is the glass half empty or half full?” Now, imagine this scenario: you’re in a desert, dying of thirst. A genie magically app...
Bandwagon Effect: Hop On!
Have You Ever?
You’re out shopping for new headphones. There are plenty of different brands being offered. Your attention is grabbed by one brand in particular though: the XBeats....
Visual Cliff Experiment: Learn to See
Have You Ever?
Have you ever walked across glass flooring at a great height? While the sight below might be breath-taking, many people would find it difficult to walk on the floor...
Milgram’s Obedience Experiments: Don’t Be Too Shocked!
Have You Ever?
You’re playing at the park when you see your older brother fiddling with a bike that isn’t his. As you get closer, you see that he’s removing the front wheel from t...
Belief Bias: I Win You Lose
Introduction
Consider the following scenario, a young child has a fever and her mother, who is very religious, insists her child just needs prayer to get better. She completely di...
Bias Blind Spot: Oops Didn’t See That
Have You Ever?
Have you ever been a passenger in a car in which the driver realized they missed their exit? Now the driver needs to get into the far-right lane to get off the high...
Philosophy
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Foreshadowing: As the Prophecy Foretold
Background
Meredith looks over the contents of the manilla envelope once more - her first case as a real detective. A simple hit-and-run, that’s what everyone kept saying. Still, ...
Oxymoron: An Awfully Good Time!
Background
Recently, Sean’s mother took a working vacation out of state. Sean says it’s a definite maybe that he’ll get to visit the aquarium. The only aquatic creatures he’s seen...
Persona: The Truth Unmasked!
Have You Ever?
Let’s say your friend Josh joined your school’s theater club this year. You didn’t think he would enjoy it: Josh is friendly but very shy and not very expressive. H...
Hyperbole: You’ve Heard a Billion of ‘Em!
Have You Ever?
Your sister just got back from school. “How was your day?” you ask. “It was the worst day of my life,” she replies glumly. “I had to lug my cello with me and it wei...
Bivalence and the Excluded Middle: True, False, or Neither?
Introduction
Are you tall or not tall? You’re probably thinking, “It depends” or “It’s not exactly one or the other.” Tallness doesn’t seem to be something you either have or don’...
Alternative Explanations: Exploring Other Whys
Introduction
Think of the last time you were rejected for something—a scholarship, an internship, or a spot on a sports team. How did you explain it to yourself? Did you blame it...
Cacophony: Exploding Sounds
Introduction
“Cock-a-doodle-do!”
Unless you love early mornings on farms, you probably don’t really enjoy hearing that phrase. In fact, the sound of the rooster is often used...
Ambiguity: That’s Not What I Meant
Have You Ever?
Have you ever seen a person in a building with a dinosaur? Chances are, you’re baffled that I’d even ask that. After all, dinosaurs went extinct long before humans ...
Anthropomorphism: Human Traits for Non-Humans?
Have You Ever?
Have you ever heard the fable of The Tortoise and the Hare? Do the characters from the story remind you of any people in your life? Please explain why.
Here’s Why
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Economics
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Offsetting Behavior: A Risky Business
Have You Ever?
You’re the goalie on your local soccer team. Whenever you’re on the field, your coach insists that you wear knee pads. “They’ll help prevent your knees from getting...