Lies: A Taint of Death

In today's society, we tend to put out trust in people we don't know that well. For example, when we ask for directions we are trusting that the person would give the right directions. Or even when we are at the doctors, we are putting our trust into the doctor that he or she will give us the right medicines and treatments.

But once that trust is broken, we become more cautious of what to believe. Like if a close friend or boyfriend/girlfriend breaks your trust, you treat them differently. You will mostly likely question the things they are doing , where they are or what they said. Its hard for them to gain your trust back.

Question:

Do you think this is true? Do you think we tend to trust others too easily?

What is the Perfect American Idol?

According to psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman, the person with the "X-factor" is more likley to win the American Idol. 

This means that the person is agreeable, conscientious, extroverted, not neurtoic, and highly open to new experiences. They also have to be attractive, must have the style that is comercially acceptable for the music industry of that year, and grow from being the underdog to the superstar throughout the season.

What would be the perfect American Idol and what would they be like? Do you think Kaufman's results are true? Do you think its fair that people with the "X-factor" are most likley to win the show?

Is Jury Selection Art or Science?

"Is Jury Selection Art or Science" by Matthew Hutson addresses whether or not jury selection is actually psychology or just a scam.  The supposedly "scientific" jury selection uses demographics, statistics, and social psychology to narrow down potential jurors and engineer the perfect set of jurors. 

Jury consultants run the jury selection and use psychology to catagorize each juror.  They often have to rely on their instincts and their ability to evaluate how people respond to certain situations and watch for nonverbal signals that include frowning, nodding, and movement. Consultans also have to consider how jurors will behave in a room with others as people often repond to peer pressure.  

Overall, it is hard to determine if jury selection is a science as real-world success rates are impossible to measure.  There is also the unknown factor of human predictability.

My question for the bloggers: 
Do you think that jury selection is a legitimate science and occupation or just a scam run by consultants?