Barry Beyerstein

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Barry Beyerstein, 2004

Barry Lane Beyerstein (born May 19, 1947 in Edmonton , Alberta , † June 25, 2007 in Burnaby ) was a Canadian psychologist. His expertise lies in the field of neuropsychology , drug research and the psychophysiology of the senses. He explored the human tendency to fall short and gullible and took a critical look at pseudosciences .

Life

Beyerstein studied psychology at Simon Fraser University and received his PhD in experimental psychology and biological psychology from the University of California, Berkeley . He achieved the Canadian academic degrees in the following years: Lecturer, 1970 at Mary's College in Moraga, then at Simon Fraser University: Assistant Professor 1973, Associate Professor 1986, Professor 2004. In 1990 he was visiting professor at Jilin University in Changchun inside.

In 1997 he was elected to the US Council for Scientific Medicine . He chaired the Electronic Communications Committee of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry from 1987 to 1990. From 1986 until his death in 2007 he was director of the Society of British Columbia Skeptics . He was on an advisory board to Scientific American (one of the world's most respected popular science journals).

Beyerstein was married with a son, Loren, and a daughter, the journalist and photographer Lindsay Beyerstein .

plant

Beyerstein researched the effects of drugs on consciousness, as well as addictive behavior and the influence of social framework conditions on the development of substance abuse. As a member of the Expert Council of the Drug Policy Foundation in Washington, DC and the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy in Ottawa, he was able to contribute his findings. He published on the subject in the International Journal of Drug Policy , for which he also worked as an editor.

He dealt with studies on the effectiveness of traditional and (pseudo-) scientific alternative medicine . He criticized the procedures of some experiments and questioned supposed evidence. He became an expert in human fallacies, which he also combined with insights from the history of science . He examined mechanisms of self-deception , confusion, and wishful thinking . As a visiting professor in 1990 and at the invitation of the Chinese Science and Technology Association in 1996, he also dealt with traditional Chinese medicine on site . He wrote regularly for the journal The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine .

Awards

  • Gold Medal, BC Psychological Association (1968)
  • Woodrow Wilson Fellow (1968-1969)
  • President's Certificate for Service, SFU Speaker's Bureau (1984)
  • Donald K. Sampson Memorial Award (1990) BC College of Psychologists
  • President's Award for Service to the University, SFU (2003)
  • Mentor Award, Center for Inquiry-Transnational, Amherst, NY (2005)

Works

  • Studies in Meridional Amblyopia. (1973)
  • Brain and Behavior (1975)
  • The Write Stuff: Scientific Evaluations of Graphology (1992, editor)
  • Readings in the Psychology of Consciousness (1997, editor)
  • Readings in Sensory Psychophysiology (1997, editor)
  • Readings in the Biological Bases of Abnormal Behavior (1998, editor)

Beyerstein also published numerous articles in specialist journals and was co-author of many books.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Beyerstein, Barry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Beyerstein, Barry Lane (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian psychologist
DATE OF BIRTH May 19, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Edmonton , Alberta
DATE OF DEATH June 25, 2007
Place of death Burnaby