Читать книгу Methods in Psychological Research - Annabel Ness Evans - Страница 38

Science often develops because scientists are very curious people. We have heard it said that you could get rid of warts by visiting a graveyard around midnight. We will not provide all the details of this activity, but chasing away evil spirits, and presumably your wart, by tossing a cat is involved (see The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). Spanos, Williams, and Gwynn (1990) were curious about the idea that you can rid yourself of warts by nonmedical means; they decided to investigate whether you could get rid of warts through hypnosis. They conducted a controlled experiment in the laboratory and found support for the hypothesis. They published their results in a scientific journal. But they were more than a little embarrassed when their study made the cover of The National Enquirer—not exactly something you want to brag about at your university!