Science progresses one study at a time. As scientists conduct research and make the results public, we enable others to build upon, replicate, and critique our work, improving the field and building a body of knowledge. Even the studies in the textbook are not certain "truths," but rather steps on a scientific path, selected at …
Category: Online Resources
How can we reduce racial biases?
One of the studies randomly assigned White college freshmen to have a White or a Black roommate, and measured the students' bias long term. Credit: ©Syracuse Newspapers / N. Lisi / The Image Works The year 2016 provided multiple references to implicit and explicit racial biases, especially in politics. So you might be wondering, What does …
Thinking critically about data graphics
There's a fun interactive datagraphic on gallup.com's website. It's called "State of the States." You can select a polling variable, such as "overall well-being," "support for Obama," or "religiosity," and it will show you how each U.S. state scores on that variable. Feel free to take a minute to play with the interactive right now. …
Fabricated data in the news
Yet another case of fabricated data, this time from political science, is being analyzed in the news lately. Last December, Science published an article showing that certain types of canvassing techniques could dramatically change people's attitudes toward marriage equality. However, the data for the study were apparently fabricated by one of its key authors. Here …
Resource: Recent articles that are student-accessible: Updated August 2017
Hi! I've updated and reposted this list. Check here. A list of recent articles that are student-accessible Compiled by Beth Morling and Jeong-Min Lee, University of Delaware These articles primarily come from Psychological Science or Personality and Social Psychological Science. Our students have used these articles in their final projects for Research Methods in the …
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Is marijuana use really “harmful to young people’s brains?”
Here's a great analysis of news coverage of a study in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study found an association between marijuana use and brain anatomy. In response, many press reports of the story reported that "marijuana changes the brain" or that "recreational Pot is harmful." The piece by John Gever aptly critiques the press's …
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Basketball’s “hot hand”–does it exist?
Ethan Wragge, a senior at Creighton University, recently sank seven shots in a row in a college basketball game against Villanova. Wragge appeared to have a "hot hand"--it seemed as if he couldn't miss a shot. But is the "hot hand" a real phenomenon in basketball? Operationally speaking, does making a couple of shots in …
Plane crashes and the Pop-up Principle
Events like last Saturday's Asiana Airlines plane crash are not only tragic; they can also make us feel more vulnerable. Vivid images of burned planes help us form clear images in our minds, and constant, urgent press coverage helps reinforce our memories for these events. Later, when we ponder whether it is safe to fly, …
Don’t miss this piece on means!
Here's a thoughtful editorial from NYT on averages. The author, Stephanie Coontz, gives some nice examples of what outliers can do to a mean, and how extreme scores can mislead us about patterns in our data. Have fun reading it!
A blog about interactions
You don't see people blogging about interaction effects, at least not every day. I just ran into this 2011 Ben Goldacre column about interactions, which he describes in my favorite way, as a "difference in differences." Take a look here. Instructors, this might be a handy example for teaching Chapter 11.