Outliers: The Story of Success (Hardcover)

by Malcolm Gladwell (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 320 pages
* Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (November 18, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0316017922
* ISBN-13: 978-0316017923
* Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Textbook Description
In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of “outliers”–the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Outliers: The Story of Success Review
I found Outliers a very enjoyable read. It’s central idea is conventional wisdom: There is no such thing as a self-made man. Everyone benefits from or is hurt by the place and time they were born. But the examples that Mr. Gladwell finds to illuminate this point are interesting. Children benefit immensely from the month they were born in when it comes to organized sports and school (the reason is relative age). Korean Air flights kept crashing in the 1990s because Koreans aren’t forceful enough in dealing with their superiors. There is a surfeit of examples in this book but they are all interesting. This book is for someone who prefers “fun” reads to more challenging materials.

Well written and researched. Malcolm Gladwell examines why certain statistical portions of the population (outliers) achieve or do not achieve success. For instance, he explains why the people of a small town in New York have long lives and low crime despite greasy foods, smoking and alcohol consumption. He also states the obvious of why people, like Bill Gates, achieve their success, namely the time of which they were born and the over 10,000 hours of practice. A good read for anyone looking beyond the fallacies of dumb luck, talent or education alone.

This book does not live up to the standard set in Blink and Tipping Point. While I enjoy reading Gladwell, I was disappointed with Outliers. It is a short book with a few good stories and some little “truth gems” sprinkled throughout, but other authors have done better work on the same subject. In particular, I would recommend Colvin’s “Talent is Overated” for a more in depth treatment of “Outliers” or people who have become successful. Gladwell focuses more on the element of luck and opportunity, see the chapter on his own family in particular, while skimming over the other factors like hard work, deliberate practice, coaching and mentoring that play at least an equal role in anyone’s success. It is an interesting read, but probably better to break it up and publish the separate chapters in the New Yorker.

Outliers is an interesting, but ultimately unimportant book. Serious readers have already pointed out the selective use of cases and the generally unemperical approach to what is vaguely described as research. Readers seriously interested in the subject of this book would do well to acquaint themselves with research methods and the importance of differentiating between anecdotal evidence and more scholarly approaches to the development of a fundamental thesis. Lively discussions at book clubs are likely (and useful) but generalizing from a few case studies provides little of value in establishing important causality links.

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Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)

The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. (Hardcover)

by Daniel Coyle (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 256 pages
* Publisher: Bantam (April 28, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 055380684X
* ISBN-13: 978-0553806847
* Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
* Rating:

Textbook Description
What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? In this groundbreaking work, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle provides parents, teachers, coaches, businesspeople—and everyone else—with tools they can use to maximize potential in themselves and others.

Whether you’re coaching soccer or teaching a child to play the piano, writing a novel or trying to improve your golf swing, this revolutionary book shows you how to grow talent by tapping into a newly discovered brain mechanism.

Drawing on cutting-edge neurology and firsthand research gathered on journeys to nine of the world’s talent hotbeds—from the baseball fields of the Caribbean to a classical-music academy in upstate New York—Coyle identifies the three key elements that will allow you to develop your gifts and optimize your performance in sports, art, music, math, or just about anything.

The Talent Code Review
This book details, better than any other I have read, the scientific research behind exceptional human achievement. In addition, it distills the common methods of practice, coaching and motivation used in nine “talent beds” around the world. The book is very enjoy able to read and is full of immediately useful advice, all of which is backed up by solid scientific research. If you liked Talent is Overrated, Outliers or Mindset, you will love this book. It is a well-written and important addition the genre of books that are based on the current research on exceptional human achievement.

Well-written, engaging, lots of “wow, I never thought of that” moments followed quickly by “but I should have… makes a ton of sense.” Only problem is the book makes me realize much of what I’ve done to develop certain skills was wrong; but at least now I know.

An excellent book with substantial insight into what “makes talent”. Very well written and researched. Highly recommended.

How do people get good at something? Wait a minute, that’s the not the right question, how do people get great at something? Well, frankly, there has been a significant amount of research on the matter of human performance and the development of skill/talent. Author, Daniel Coyle, has looked at the research and he also went on a road trip to what he calls “talent hotbeds”, places where great talent has been produced out of proportion to their size and perceived stature; for example, a Russian tennis club, a music school in Dallas, a soccer field in Brazil, and others.

I’m sure we’ve all met a lot of people in our lives who are very good at what they do, but perhaps think they’re a little better at it than actual reality. They never seek mentoring because they don’t think they need it; unfortunately, most of them do need mentoring. This explains why true greatness is so rare. Not only do “the great ones” have to be exceptionally proficient at what they do, there must be relevence in their abilities; to attain “relevent greatness” in a world filled with self-absorbed people who are only “great” at getting in the way; that’s the tricky part!

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The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. (Kindle Edition)

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Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions [ROUGHCUT] (Hardcover)

by Dan Ariely (Author)

Textbook Details
* Hardcover: 304 pages
* Publisher: HarperCollins (February 19, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 006135323X
* ISBN-13: 978-0061353239
* Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Why do our headaches persist after taking a one-cent aspirin but disappear when we take a 50-cent aspirin?

Why does recalling the Ten Commandments reduce our tendency to lie, even when we couldn’t possibly be caught?
Why do we splurge on a lavish meal but cut coupons to save twenty-five cents on a can of soup?
Why do we go back for second helpings at the unlimited buffet, even when our stomachs are already full?
And how did we ever start spending $4.15 on a cup of coffee when, just a few years ago, we used to pay less than a dollar?
When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we’re in control. We think we’re making smart, rational choices. But are we?

In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments, MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with groundbreaking research, Ariely explains how expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.
Not only do we make astonishingly simple mistakes every day, but we make the same types of mistakes, Ariely discovers. We consistently overpay, underestimate, and procrastinate. We fail to understand the profound effects of our emotions on what we want, and we overvalue what we already own. Yet these misguided behaviors are neither random nor senseless. They’re systematic and predictable—making us predictably irrational.
From drinking coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, Ariely explains how to break through these systematic patterns of thought to make better decisions. Predictably Irrational will change the way we interact with the world–one small decision at a time.

Predictably Irrational Review
While it is comforting to know that so many decisions are made on from irrational bases, it is discomforting to be made quite so aware of it. No, I take that back: it is quite reassuring to know that while the principles of logic have their place, people are influenced by other factors.
Professor Ariely explains some of the factors that influence our decisionmaking: from the influence of emotions to the sometimes agonising choice between options; the pitfalls of procrastination and the lure of free offers. And why is it that we are often perfectly willing to do something for nothing, but not if payment is involved? From the discussion of the creation of a market for black pearls through discussion of types of dishonesty, Professor Ariely provides insights into human behaviour, in many cases backed by experiments that have tested his hypotheses.
This book is primarily focussed on behavioural economics, but I would argue that it would be of interest to a far wider group of readers. We are all decisionmakers and our decisions impact on others. I believe that many of us with a specific interest in public policy or management, in marketing, or in human behaviour more generally would find value in reading this book. While many of the concepts are profound, the subject matter is presented in a readable and entertaining way.

This is a very entertaining book. Ariely’s research is turning behavioral economics into a “hard” science or at least an empirical one. The minute he comes up with a new hypothesis he also comes up with a way to test it using his MIT students as a social science lab. Many of his experiments and other ones he studied are already classics in social sciences. The experiments where drugs that are expensive are more effective than cheaper ones (even though the actual drug was identical) and wines that are expensive taste better (even though the wine was the same) are already notorious. You probably read about them in Scientific American or Psychology Today.
Ariely starting point is with our dominant sense: vision. He shows how our eyes can be fooled. Depending on how an image is presented we see objects’ size and colors differently from what they are. At his website, he shows many more intriguing visual traps. So, if our eyes can be fooled, can our abstract reasoning be tricked too? Do we make judgments assuming we are rational when we are not? Are those irrational behaviors predictable? That’s what this book is all about.
Some of his examples are pretty intriguing. People bids for various objects were influenced by the last two digits of their social security number (that they were asked to recall before bidding). This is “price anchoring.” His example of the Duke Basketball tickets is baffling. He becomes a middleman buying tickets from ticket owners to resell to others who did not get tickets. He found no takers as the average asking price from ticket sellers was an amazing $2,400 and the bid price from potential buyers was $175. That’s a huge bid-ask spread that seems truly irrational. The zero effect is interesting too. We often make poor choices because something is thrown in for free. Ariely smartly connects the zero effect to our wired-in strong loss avoidance. If something is free, we can’t possibly loose anything right? We think that way. Ariely uncovers situations where we make bad choices that way. Chapter 8 makes a good case for simplifying our lives and focus on the few things we love and are effective at. Instead, we encumber ourselves by maintaining choices open and reduce our productivity and happiness overall.

This is a wonderfully provocative work. Most of us insist that we are making logical decisions most of the time, and carefully weighing the options before making a choice or coming to a conclusion. Dan Ariely and his colleagues prove us all wrong! We are very susceptible to subtle messages that point us toward a direction which has more to do with how we humans are wired rather than to any logical choice. This is must reading for all of us “rational thinkers”. Would you like a free upgrade with this?

Some books are engaging, easy to read and understand; others contain solid and rigorous empirical thinking. Often the most entertaining books contain dubious content and many with the best content can be deadly dense and boring. But a few books are both engaging and enlightening and Predictably Irrational clearly falls into this category. Ariely skillfully integrates the basics of experimental psychology with warm and personal accounts of the social context and significance of a series of systematic investigations of several intriguing questions. What he finds are things social psychologists might have guessed but it is nice to have the evidence to support our theorizing and speculation. I teach a Senior Research in Psychology at a small liberal arts college and will use many of the studies in the book in my class; I’ve already purchased a few extra copies and given them to students who will be taking the course next year. This is a great book for those interested in psychology and human decision making.

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Predictably Irrational (Kindle Edition)

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Paperback)

by American Psychological Association (Author)

Textbook Details
* Paperback: 439 pages
* Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 5th edition (July 2001)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1557987912
* ISBN-13: 978-1557987914
* Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1.1 inches
* Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
* Rating:

Textbook Description
Style manual for writers, editors, students, educators, and professionals across all fields. Provides clear guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style. Includes examples, new guidelines and advice, and more. Previous edition: c1994. Softcover, wire-spiral edition is also available. Hardcover edition due later.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association Review
This book is very helpful but confuses me at times since it has so many small mini indexes and sections, but besides that very helpful.

The APA manual (5th edition in this case) is sometimes difficult to follow. However, the concepts for proper written communication are extremely useful, especially at the doctoral learning level.

I had to buy this text as part of my Master’s program; however, in reading it, I’m questioning why. If you have Office 2007 for Students, the APA/MLA formatting is in the program. There is also a program called Paper Doctor that does your formatting for you. These are both cheaper than buying this textbook, and you’re not learning new info from scratch. You only have to go through simple tutorials.
The company that sent me the text was very efficient and timely. I’m just wondering if I wasted my money.