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 …
Category: Chapter 10; Introduction to Simple Experiments
Body Scan Meditation for Food Cravings
A body-scan meditation might prevent mindless trips to the fridge.Photo: F8 studio/Shutterstock Do you consider yourself an emotional eater? If you'd like to reduce your susceptibility to emotional eating, here's something to try. It's also a good chance to practice one of the simple experiments. The research was summarized by a journalist for PsyPost. …
Can stress turn your hair gray?
Correlational and experimental research seems to converge on the conclusion that stress causes gray hair. Photo: Kunlathida6242/Shutterstock Can stress turn your hair gray? Here's a story on gray hair research, written by a New York Times science journalist. In our culture, we certainly believe that gray hair can be caused (in some cases at least) …
Running on cannabis
How did the researchers manipulate the IV in this study? Photo credit: mansong suttakarn/Shutterstock Cannabis is considered a performance-enhancing drug in the Olympic Games and other competitions, but it's also (stereotypically) associated with being too chill to work out. In the past, psychologists could not easily test the relationship of marijuana and exercise because the …
Kids’ brains while reading: Screens vs. paper
The study found that children's brains were differently active when they read on screens vs. on paper. Dasha Trofimova/Shutterstock As a reader, you've certainly had experience reading text on both screens and on paper. You probably have a preference for one over the other. Have you ever wondered whether your brain reacts differently to these …
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Really? Wearing high heels can improve your walking
Should we trust a study that tested only 8 people? Photo: sirtravelalot/Shutterstock Yahoo news picked up a story from the Washington Post , which, in turn, had covered an empirical journal article about high heels and walking (did you follow that?). The Yahoo headline read, "Can wearing high heels actually improve your walking?" In this …
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Coping with something? Try holding hands with a person you love
The studies had couples hold hands (or not) during stressful events. Photo: fizkes/Shutterstock This post helps illustrate how researchers can start with a simple experiment and then move to a factorial design (both designs here are IVxPV designs). In this story covered by KHOU, (originally in the Washington Post) we learn that when people hold …
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Bonobos and chimps remember their friends
A journalist from the Washington Post has reported on a study showing that two ape species (chimpanzees and bonobos) appear to recognize old friends and family members. These two chimpanzees, Qafzeh and Edith, are living at the Edinburgh Zoo. See the journalist's story for a clip of Edith's eye tracking performance in the study. Photo: …
Open-label placebos
Photo credit: luchschenF/Shutterstock As you learn in Chapter 11, a placebo is an inert treatment. In a drug study, a placebo would be a saline or sugar pill. In a psychotherapy study, a placebo might be a supportive conversation with no therapeutic structure. A placebo effect is when people benefit from the inert treatment (compared …
It matters how professors talk to students….
Students imagined asking a question in class, and getting one of three responses from the professor. Photo credit: Ground Picture/Shutterstock This example gives you practice extending a simple experiment (Chapter 10) into a factorial design (Chapter 12). Think back to the last time you asked a question in your research methods class--or any other class. …
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