The coded stereotypicality of the drawing was a dependent variable in one of the studies. Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Jin Goh. Citation: Goh, J. X., Bandt-Law, B., Cheek, N. N., Sinclair, S., & Kaiser, C. R. (2021). Narrow prototypes and neglected victims: Understanding perceptions of sexual harassment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online …
Continue reading People believe claims of sexual harassment more when women are attractive
Does the study's design support the causal claim the journalist attached to it? Photo credit: R.O.M/Shutterstock Some journalists simply cannot resist attaching a causal claim to a study where it doesn't belong. Here's an example from the trade magazine, Inside Higher Ed, which reprinted a piece from Times Higher Education. The headline reads, "Scientists urged …
People might start musical training early because they are living in musical families or show early evidence of musical talent. Photo credit: Artem Furman, Alamy stock photo What accounts for musicality? Some people are highly skilled and accomplished musicians, while others express no aptitude. A recent correlational study tried to understand why some people are …
Continue reading Musical skill: Why does an early start seem to help?
The study asked all volunteers to go on a daily walk, but randomly assigned only some of them to seek out experiences of awe. Credit: Studio Grand Web/Shutterstock A recent headline reads, "An 'awe walk' might do wonders for your well-being." Here is the journalist's summary of an empirical journal article. The journalist starts by …
Continue reading Will an “awe walk” do wonders for your well-being?
The journalist writes that Black Americans have been proportionally less willing to participate in vaccine trials, perhaps because researchers in the past have violated their trust. Photo: Andrey_Popo/Shutterstock At time of writing (late 2020), researchers around the world are racing to test vaccines for the covid-19 virus. To test the efficacy and safety fo these …
These students might misattribute their early-morning fatigue to their interest in the subject. Photo credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Podcasts have been gaining in popularity in the last few years, and several feature psychological research. I'm going to be devoting my next few posts to some podcasts. We'll start with this very short, 3-minute episode/ interview from the …
Researchers painted eyes like these on some of the cattle in each herd. Credit: Cameron Radford Here's an example of a field experiment that took place in actual fields. The empirical article appeared in Nature Communications, and the authors of the research wrote their own summary for a popular audience in The Conversation. The quotes …
The more privilege people have, the less empathy they have for people lower in status. But that can change with increased perspective-taking. Photo credit: Clay Banks/Unsplash The spring of 2020 has seen sustained, worldwide, democratic protests, led by Black Lives Matter and demanding social justice and police reform in the U.S. After this spring, American support …
The published study claimed to have observed one parrot, one penguin, and one woodpecker. Photo Credit: Zdenek Machacek/Unsplash Today's the first time that the National Audubon Society has been featured on this blog! The story is ornithological (sort of) but it's mainly a parable about predatory journals. The journalist for the Audubon Society tells the …
Dr. Santos provides evidence-based ways to enhance well-being during this pandemic. Credit: Yale University How can people enhance their wellbeing during the Coronovirus pandemic? Dr. Laurie Santos (pictured) has been meeting with several news outlets, sharing evidence-based tips from her psychology of well-being class at Yale University. A version of the course is also offered …
Continue reading Evidence-based tips for well-being during a pandemic