Comments on: Ego Depletion

By: Sergey

Sergey — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 10:59:14 +0000

Neo, not only medical research on humans, but biological research too when animals used in experiments are not inbred, genetically identical. That is why pure strains of mice and rats are used. Genetic diversity of humans is huge, we all are unique, that is why nutritional studies are such a junk: they are irreproducible, and experts in dietology every decade change their views to just opposite.

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 20:32:38 +0000

Paul in Boston:

Actually, it’s not just psychology, and not just the social sciences. Research on human subjects (medical research, for example) has the same problem with replicability.

By: Paul in Boston

Paul in Boston — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 19:29:03 +0000

So psychology is full of garbage, what’s new? After all, these people followed Freud for nearly half a century and many still do even after he was debunked. When I was a grad student at the University of Chicago one of the biggest names on campus was Bruno Bettleheim who directed the Orthogenic School for emotionally disturbed children. He taught that autism was caused by a cold uncaring mother. If you’ve ever met an autistic child, even one with a mild case, it’s clear after a few minutes that there is something seriously off. It’s a problem with brain development and has absolutely nothing to do with upbringing. I met a father once who told me that their support group had a annual Bettleheim award for the worst psychologist of the year, a heavy plastic bag and duct tape to be worn over the head.

By: Sergey

Sergey — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 19:12:29 +0000

Psychology will become an exact science only when humans became severely depraved of free will, that is, never.

By: Sergey

Sergey — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 19:01:19 +0000

Psychology is not a science – never was, never will be. This is just a philosophy, also an important cognitive activity, but to warp itself in a mantle of science is a self-deception. Methodological shortcoming mentioned here are not an aberration, but an inevitable feature of the field. This subject simply does not lends itself to the rigors of scientific method: too many variables to control, too fuzzy notions employed, too many ways to interpret even apparently clear conclusions.

By: I won't submit

I won't submit — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 15:53:05 +0000

OMG! ... wringing hands!

By: ArtfldgrsGhost

ArtfldgrsGhost — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 15:33:37 +0000

physicsguym how about a sociology department who cant do statistics and can only plug in the numbers to a fixed set of math that they then use to make claims over?

to that i then watch them hate me more and more as they prove that a latvian child post WWII was responsible for colonialism and slavery in the world prior to 1900 (half a century before they were born)… oh, and dont forget we are why the whole world is damaged and not the garden of eden which they dont believe in anyway.

By: physicsguy

physicsguy — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 14:36:26 +0000

As an old scientist, about to retire, this is both unsurprising and sad to me. Unsurprising in that psychology has always had very poor methodology. It has always relied on “correlation equals causation” and with the usual statistical bullshit. BTW, heard of “microaggressions”? That came out of a study at Yale. I heard a presentation of that study right after it was announced by the author at my school. His whole analysis was based on 12 (!) student interviews, of which he did complex statistical analysis. I asked at the presentation how he could possibly justify a sample size of 12 and claim it meant something valid. He couldn’t justify it, but everyone wanted that result so there it was. And now look what it’s morphed into. Sigh…

By: Dennis

Dennis — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 04:05:05 +0000

My favorite part of the article was the video at the end in which it compared male and female brains. According to the video male and female brains are structurally indistinguishable at least in Israel where the study was done.

By: Kae Arby

Kae Arby — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 01:32:29 +0000

After reading that article, and yes I read the whole thing, I could only come up with two words.

Global warming

Anyone?
Bueller?

KRB