While psychology can trace its historical roots to ancient Greek
philosophers, the scientific and experimental basis of psychology was
not laid down until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries!
Since those humble beginnings, scientific psychology has discovered
important truths about human and animal nature.

While much information
on the major discoveries of psychology is readily available in such
erudite sources as introductory psychology texts, these usual are very
long! The average textbook has about 531 pages, not counting student
guides, teacher manuals, transparencies, slides, software, and
kickbacks.

What is needed is a brief, concise statement of the laws
of psychology that can serve as a ready reference for the scientist
and the practitioner, and which can be distributed tot the
physician's waiting room.

The purpose of the present paper is to provide an accurate and
concise summary of the important discoveries in the major areas of
psychology.

The laws were chosen based on their empirical history,
the scientific nature of the research supporting them and, most
importantly, our own person opinions.

Laws for different areas of
psychology will be listed separately.

LAWS OF CONDITIONING

* Never sound a tone when one of Pavlov's dog's is sitting in your
lap.

* Never give a rabbit to a child named Albert

THE FOUR LAWS OF MEMORY

* Whatever you think you remember, you probably don't.

* Whatever you think you forgot, you probably didn't.

* You are more likely to remember something if you don't forget it.

* The fourth law is.....ah.....oh....it's on the tip of my tongue....I
knew it a minute ago.

LAWS OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

* If you pay somebody to do something, they will probably do
it again and demand money the next time they do it.

* People do what they like.

* A reinforcer is whatever works.

LAWS OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

* In general, young children tend to get older.

* Adults get older faster than children, and adults with children get
older the fastest!
* Children only hear what they want to.

* The laws of Behavior Modification only apply to other people's
children.

LAWS OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

* Adolescence is a disease.

* Only sick people can be cured.

* Problems worth curing can be discussed in 50 minute blocks of time.

LAWS OF SENSATION AND PERCEPTION

* Loud sounds always originate nearby.

* Smaller objects tend to be farther away.

* Object Permanence-most objects are permanent, but you can never
find the ones that are missing.

LAWS OF INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY

* Most people like their jobs, but hate work.

* Employees who get more money tend to believe they have higher
salaries.

* Accidents happen.

LAWS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

* People who wear hoods cannot be trusted to give electric shock in a
fair and impartial manner.

* Do unto others only if you are pretty sure you won't be observed.

* You can't violate someone's personal space without violating your
own.

* It's not who does it that's important-it's who gets blamed.

LAWS OF HISTORY AND SYSTEMS OF PSYCHOLOGY

* Those who repeat the past will be doomed-unless they develop new
linguistic patterns to describe the same old stuff!

* Psychology has a long past, but only a short history (Ebbinghaus)

* "History of Psychology" textbooks are longer than both of those
combined. (student!)

LAWS OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

* The brain of a dead animal is easier to work with.

* Pain usually hurts.

* The right hand DOES know what the left hand is doing - it just
doesn't care!

* Blood is thicker than water and much harder to clean up.

LAWS OF PARAPSYCHOLOGY

* If they apply, you don't need to be told.