Her school achievement later in life can be predicted from her ability to wait for a treat (or by her family's SES). Photo: Manley099/Getty Images There's a new replication study about the famous "marshmallow study", and it's all over the popular press. You've probably heard of the original research: Kids are asked to sit alone …
Continue reading Delay of gratification (marshmallow study replication)
Maybe you shouldn't get into the car with this guy. Credit: Shutterstock.com You probably know drivers who honk, tailgate, and shake their fists; you know others who give drivers space and respect. Now researchers have identified a trait the aggressive drivers might share: Narcissism. A team of researchers tested the link in three studies. The …
Continue reading Another threat on the road: Narcissistic drivers
People in studies who spend more time socializing, rather than time on their phones, are generally happier. Photo: Maria Taglienti-Molinari/Getty Images Are smartphones making young people lonely, anxious and depressed? Are teens spending time on phones instead of dating, driving, or drinking? That's the argument of a new data-based book by psychologist Jean Twenge. You …
The study found an association between screen time and language delay in a sample of 900 18-month olds. Photo: Maria Sbytova/Shutterstock This CNN story reports on research presented at an academic conference for Pediatrics. According to the conference presentation, [A] study found that the more time children between the ages of six months and …
Does giving a child a sip change his or her long-term drinking habits? Photo: Tang Ming Tung/Getty Images It's a strong causal claim: Giving kids sips of beer turns them into teenage drunks. Did the journalist get it right? Here are some quotes from the story, posted in the food website Munchies: Those innocent …
Continue reading Claim: Giving kids sips of beer turns them into teenage drunks
Would it be possible to experimentally manipulate the variable "healthy sex life"? Photo: Helder Almeida/Shutterstock Here are some headlines that were written about a study on job satisfaction: Study: Active sex life may lead to improved job satisfaction and engagement in work Maintaining an active sex life may lead to improved job …
Continue reading Claim: Active sex life may lead to improved job satisfaction
The study's results showed that the more children were engaged with Disney Princess media, the more they adhered to stereotypically female play later on. Photo: Shutterstock There's a lot to think about in a recent study on Disney Princess Media. The study was covered by the Huffington Post here, and by another source in Oregon. …
The wealthier people were, the more likely they were to spend time alone. Photo: Shutterstock In some earlier entries on this blog, I've posted stories about how money is related to (or can even change) people's social behavior, such as here and here. This week, the Washington Post ran a story about the association between money and socialization patterns. Let'sl= …
One hypothesis is that healthy habits mediate the relationship between happiness and longevity. Could you draw that mediator argument? Photo: Canon Boy/Shutterstock When I teach multivariate correlational designs, students always end up asking, "What's the difference between multiple regression and mediation?" Here's the better question. What they should be asking is, "What is the difference …
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Photo: Shutterstock Pacific Standard does a great job covering social science in the news. Here's a nice example of multiple regression analyses, in a study they headlined, "Turn off the TV, Save your brain?" The basic story comes from a large study that found the amount of TV people watched in their young-adult years was …