{"product_id":"the-science-of-deception-michael-pettit-9780226923741","title":"The Science of Deception: Psychology and Commerce in America","description":"\u003cp\u003eDuring the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Americans were fascinated with fraud. P. T. Barnum artfully exploited the American yen for deception, and even Mark Twain championed it, arguing that lying was virtuous insofar as it provided the glue for all interpersonal intercourse. But deception was not used solely to delight, and many fell prey to the schemes of con men and the wiles of spirit mediums. As a result, a number of experimental psychologists set themselves the task of identifying and eliminating the illusions engendered by modern, commercial life. By the 1920s, however, many of these same psychologists had come to depend on deliberate misdirection and deceitful stimuli to support their own experiments.\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Science of Deception \u003c\/i\u003eexplores this paradox, weaving together the story of deception in American commercial culture with its growing use in the discipline of psychology. Michael Pettit reveals how deception came to be something that psychologists not only studied but also employed to establish their authority. They developed a host of tools--the lie detector, psychotherapy, an array of personality tests, and more--for making deception more transparent in the courts and elsewhere. Pettit's study illuminates the intimate connections between the scientific discipline and the marketplace during a crucial period in the development of market culture. With its broad research and engaging tales of treachery, \u003ci\u003eThe Science of Deception \u003c\/i\u003ewill appeal to scholars and general readers alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Pettit\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226923746\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226923741\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/18\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.00d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/01\/2013","brand":"Michael Pettit","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48086429827327,"sku":"9780226923741","price":62.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_126d2aad-a40c-49af-9665-83ec1b7dcb16.jpg?v=1769094624","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-science-of-deception-michael-pettit-9780226923741","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}