The journalist's uncritical acceptance of this frequency claim's data is also awkward. Photo credit:JRP Studio/Shutterstock Here's an interesting set of frequency claims about what percentage of U.S. adults feel awkward. The data were presented at the content farm StudyFinds, under the headline, "That's awkward! 68% still often feel as insecure as they did as teens" …
Category: Chapter 03; Three Claims, Four Validities
Cognitive profiles of risky drinkers
Risky drinkers were more sensitive to alcohol-related rewards and punishments. Photo:PanuShot/Shutterstock Researcher Elizabeth Goldfarb's research on the cognitive styles of risky drinkers was the topic of a recent episode of the podcasts, Under the Cortext, produced by APS. You can listen to the 15- minute discussion between Dr. Goldfarb and Dr. Özge G. Fischer Baum …
“Want to raise kind, generous kids? Take them to an art museum”
Did the study manipulate exposure to art museums? Photo: AChubykin/Deposit Photos On my first read of this headline, I was skeptical. "Probably a correlational study behind this one," I thought. As it turns out we are actually looking at an experiment. However, there's another problem with the journalist's coverage of this study. Read on. The …
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Really? “Sleep this way to add 5 years to your life”
A friendly reminder that when all the variables are measured, causal claims aren't supportable. Photo credit: Sleeping: MicrostockAsia/Deposit Photos CNN's headline was "sleep this way to add 5 years to your life." This headline should immediately kick in your "correlation is not causation" spidey-sense. a) What makes this headline causal? b) What are the two …
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Personality correlates of liking spicy foods
Photo credit: marcoscastillo/Deposit photos Here's another article from the content farm website, StudyFinds. This one's on the personality correlates of liking spicy foods, and it includes a combination of frequency and association claims. The same poll was also covered by the NYPost and by Yahoo! News (with a video) Below I will post a series of …
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What your taste in music says about your personality
According to the study, which personality trait is associated with upbeat, danceable music? Credit: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock This splashy heading from Inc.com reads: Here's what your taste in music says about your personality, according to a huge new study. whether you like Mozart or metal really does reveal something about your personality, new research finds This …
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Music festivals “make people more generous, socially connected”
Credit: halfpoint/Deposit Photos Summer is the time for music festivals like Burning Man, Burning Nest, Firefly, and Bonnaroo. If you are planning to attend one this year, this post might interest you. The science journalism clearinghouse called Study Finds recently reported on a study conducted at Yale University. The journalists' report included the causal headline …
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How much weekly exercise can prevent depression?
The weekly recommendation for exercise is 150 minutes. Photo credit: blasbike/Deposit Photos A journalist wrote about a recent meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry which evaluated the connection between weekly time spent exercising and levels of depression. The headline of the Washington Post summary read, "Exercising even half the recommended amount can help prevent depression". Let's delve …
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The Pandemic and Baby IQ
Is it realistic that the pandemic reduced infant IQ by more than 20 points? Photo credit: Cat Box/Shutterstock Parents of young children might be alarmed if they read coverage of a recent study on baby IQ. According to one journalist who covered it, the study found that babies tested IQ dropped over 20 points: In …
Kids who eat more fruits, vegetables have better mental health
Which alternative explanations for the relationship between diet and mental health does this study allow us to rule out? Photo credit: ArturVerkhovetskiy/Deposit Photos Here's a simple headline to work with: "Kids who eat more fruits, vegetables have better mental health". The story appears on a mega-site called studyfinds.org, which provides multiple summaries of science research. …
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