It's not hard to find TikTok, IG, or webposts about a field called "color psychology." It generally argues that different colors have specific effects on your mood, behavior, and energy. Put your critical thinking hat on while we take a look at some of its claims. Can the color you choose to wear really impact …
Category: Chapter 01; Psychology Is a Way of Thinking
Claim: Using smartphones on the toilet increases hemorrhoid risk
The study found that people who use their smartphone on the toilet are more likely to have hemorrhoids. How strong is their evidence? Photo: Svitlana Hulko/Shutterstock Is there any relationship between using your smartphone on the toilet and your hemorrhoid risk? Let's get into it. A study on this topic did find an association. …
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Some sports psychology behind the Eagles’ Super Bowl win
How could you test the hypothesis that the most successful pro athletes are more creative than average? Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images The Eagles are the most local team to my university (the University of Delaware is less than one hour from Philly), so we were excited when they won the Super …
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Guess what’s contagious in chimpanzees?
Given the study's results, predict which of these chimps is most likely to pee after another one does. Photo: Dirk M. de Boer/Shutterstock The radio program Short Wave (on NPR) highlights 3 science-related news stories every week. In this episode, one story is about a study showing that peeing is contagious in chimpanzees. The study …
When questionable survey methods reach the Supreme Court
According to the report, the Court may have been misled by the quality and true findings of survey on the habits of gun owners. Photo: B Christopher/Alamy Stock Photo Polling research can play a critical role in shaping public opinion and public policy, so it's crucial that it be conducted well. Polling (survey) research is …
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What’s your love language?
As it's nearly Valentine's Day, it's a good time to feature this new story on so-called "love languages." According to a new review by relationships researchers, it looks like we should lump this idea, along with the Myers Briggs Type Inventory and learning styles, into the category of "things that make research psychologists cringe." Many …
Increasing vaccination rates in evidence-based ways
One of the evidence-based techniques was to "say because," as these ads illustrate. Images used with permission from the Government of Jersey Jersey is a self-governing island in the English Channel off the northwest coast of France. Its population is around 108,000. After the COVID-19 vaccine became widely available, the island's government started campaigns to …
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Claim: “Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain”
Photo credit: Dangubic/Deposit Photos Here's a link to CNN's coverage of a study on alcohol use and gray matter in the brain. The headline reads, "Drinking any amount of alcohol causes damage to the brain, study finds." Let's consider how well the study supports the causal claim the journalist (or the editor) attached to it. …
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Conspiracy reasoning vs. Scientific reasoning (the case of QAnon)
Conspiracy theories, unlike scientific theories, are unfalsifiable. Credit: buecax/Depositphotos Early in the research methods course you learn about the theory-data cycle (Chapter 1). You also learn about the benefits of scientific reasoning over informal, everyday reasoning such as intuition, experience, or authority (Chapter 2). The QAnon conspiracy theory is a good example of several principles …
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Racial bias in psychological science journals
A recent study found that in psychology, the authors, participants, topics, and editors of empirical journal articles are mostly White. Photo credit: Africa Studio/Shutterstock Is science fair? You learned in Chapter 2 that empirical journals are the primary place where psychological scientists make their research public. Each empirical journal has an editorial board-- a group …
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