Welcome!

Hello, friends. This is the first post to the new "Magic Tony's Grand Delusions" blog. The plan for this blog is currently quite vague. I'm expecting that it will contain links and commentary having to do with anything in the realm of psychology and magic (with the occasional snarky political rant). We're currently experiencing a renaissance in the study of magic from a psychological perspective, so I anticipate there will be lots to talk about.

A little about me: I'm a 3rd year graduate student in cognitive psychology at Arizona State University and a part-time professional magician with 20 years of experience. Although my primary area of research is in the processes underlying handwritten word recognition, I've also lectured on topics having to do with psychology and magic. To whet your whistle, here's a brief "lighting" talk I gave at the Ignite Phoenix event on the application of priming to magic. Enjoy!



References:

Hagmann, P., Cammoun, L., Gigandet, X., Meuli, R., Honey, C. J., Wedeen, V. J., & Sporns, O. (2008). Mapping the structural core of human cerebral cortex. PLoS Biology, 7, e159.

Kay, A. C., Wheeler, S. C., Bargh, J. A., & Ross, L. (2004). Material priming: The influence of mundane physical objects on situational construal and competitive behavioral choice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 95, 83-96.

RATS ad: Subliminal conspiracy? (2000, September 13). BBC News. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk.

Weinberger, J. & Westen, D. (2008). RATS, we should have used Clinton: Subliminal priming in political campaigns. Political Psychology, 29, 631-651.