I just discovered a new series of videos called SciFusion Shorts, which posts well-produced, video interviews with psychology researchers around the world. They're a great place to hear about cutting-edge research and practice research methods concepts such as conceptual definitions, operational definitions, ethics, and graphing correlational results. The researchers use video clips to study resilience. …
Category: Chapter 08; Bivariate Correlation Research
Fast walkers, fast thinkers?
Here's another instagram post from Kyle Inspires. This one is about how fast people walk. He's on Youtube and Facebook, too, but here are links to the story on Instagram and TikTok: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSp0Hy1jlwb/?igsh=cGNlaGNhYjR1MThqTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kyleinspires/video/7587465849527667982 What variables does walking speed supposedly correlate with? How strongly does it correlate? Photo: GagliardiPhotography/Shutterstock a) Watch Kyle Inspires' short video …
Checking out claims about August babies on TikTok/IG
I've started to get videos from poster Kyle Inspires on my Instagram feed; he's also posted them on TikTok, Youtube and Facebook. Let's work through an example of one of his claims. One of the claims is that members of professional orchestras are much more likely to have been August babies. Can you locate the …
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Doing almost anything is better with friends
Last fall, some social scientists published a study using data from one of my favorite national surveys--the American Time Use Survey. (I'm a nosy psychologist who is fascinated by how people spend their days.). They concluded that doing almost any daily activity is more enjoyable when we do it with friends. Here's how the research …
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“Running on little sleep? You’re twice as likely to get hurt”
Here's a research synopsis from the Science Daily website with the headline, "Running on little sleep? You're twice as likely to get hurt." The way this heading is phrased, it makes it sound like a causal claim. Phrases such as "twice as likely" don't make it causal, but the "if...then..." nature of the headline does …
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Correlates of cuddling
The study correlated cuddling style with stress and attachment. Photo: LightField Studios/Shutterstock If you share a bed with your sweetheart, you might be interested in this example of correlational research summarized by PsyPost. Their headline reads, "Study finds couples who cuddle at bedtime feel more secure and less stressed." Here are some introductory statements: Study …
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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Emoji use predicts narcissism
Were all the variables in this study measured? Were any manipulated? Photo: Caftor/Shutterstock Psychology Today columnist Sebastian Ocklenburg summarized a recent study under the headline, The Dark Side of Emojis: A Surprising Link to Narcissism. Let's take a look. It's a recent correlational study that tested the link between various personality traits and emoji use. …
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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Stressed? Writing a to-do list might help
To do: Decide whether each study's variables are manipulated or measured. Check! GoodStudio/Shutterstock I wouldn't be able to get through my week without a to-do list. And now my habits are validated by this new story about research on to-do lists, which comes from the BBC News. The journalist summarizes a series of studies for …