Description: If you want to drive for Uber (well drive for yourself through the Uber App) the process to get started will take a couple of weeks (mostly made up of waiting for a background check to be processed). Compare that to what it takes to become a London Taxi driver. To do that you… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Research Methods
Precognition, Porn, and Psychology’s Replication Crisis
Description: What does ESP have to do with science? Well, the typical response to that question is to say that the more tightly controlled experimental tests of Extra Sensory Perception are, the less significant results we find supporting the existence of ESP. Then along came Darrell Bem, a social psychologist/researcher of powerful reputation, who ran… Read more »
Social Media Addiction? Weeell, look into the details
Description: You have no doubt seen or heard references to growing concerns about ways in which increasing levels of anxiety and stress among young adults may be linked to screen time and social media. What you have not likely seen is much, if any research that looks specifically at the relationship (causal) between social media… Read more »
Are There Skills in Fantasy Sports? (and why does it matter?)
Description: There is no question but that playing professional sports requires a lot of skill (and likely a fair bit of Psychology too). Here is a question though: Do fantasy sports require skill? Certainly not the same skills as actually playing the particular sports they focus upon, but do they require skill and if so… Read more »
Shopping Predicting Personality (not the other way around)
Description: Usually, when designing a line of psychological research, we start from the psychology and predict the behavior – makes sense, because it is Psychological theories that we are developing. So, for example, think about what predictions you would make about people’s shopping (buying) behavior based on what you know or can find out about… Read more »
Handedness: A Complex Construct
Description: When I was in graduate school years ago, I heard about a study done by Stan Coren, at the University of British Columbia, that looked at professional baseball players (for whom detailed batting statistics indicated where they sat on the dimension of handedness. The study also looked at the retired ball player pension data… Read more »
Writing Psychology? 50 Examples of Term Misuse!
Description: Are you taking a Psychology course this term and will have to write a paper or even just ask a question? Are you working on a piece of research in Psychology? Are you writing an article or a blog about aspects of Psychology (me too!!)? Well if you are doing any of these things… Read more »
Genes and Sexual Orientation: It is VERY complex
Description: What does it mean to say that some human trait or behavior is partially genetically linked? Does saying that change or influence how we think about the trait? Looked at another way what would the socio-cultural (and perhaps political) implications be of a trait or behavioral tendency being partially genetically linked? Would your answers… Read more »
Psychological Research and Public Policy: A Study of Fluoridation and IQ
Description: You have certainly heard about people described as anti-vaxers, people wo do not want their children vaccinated against diseases link the measles, mumps and rhubella because they believe there is scientific evidence that immunizations cause autism (despite the fact that the evidence is conclusive that there is no such effect and that the dangers… Read more »
Seeking the Causes of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder with Epigenesis
Description: What causes schizophrenia? If you said something like “a chemical imbalance in the brain” you are not alone and that fits with what else you likely know which is that there are a wide array of drugs available that are used as parts of efforts to address that “imbalance.” However, you know those drugs… Read more »
Books for Success!
