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Report Demonstrates Need for Improved Reproducibility in Psychological Science
Over the last several years, psychological scientists have become especially concerned about the reproducibility of studies in the field. Do peer-reviewed publications hold up under scientific scrutiny? Or are some papers that get published just lucky flukes? Until recently, researchers have relied only on intuition to estimate reproducibility. A new report published in Science, however, attempts to provide the first empirical estimate of the reproducibility of psychological science. According to this report, less than half of the psychology studies from a sample of 100 replicated.
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You’re A Distracted Driver Even When You Ignore That Text
By now, drivers should be well aware of the dangers posed by using a mobile phone while driving. Each day 9 people are killed, and more than 1,153 people are injured in crashes due to driver distraction, according to the CDC. However, new research shows that simply receiving a call or text—even if drivers ignore it—can be dangerously distracting. Psychological scientists from Florida State University, Cary Stothart, Ainsley Mitchum, and Courtney Yehnert, found that an incoming text or call impaired people’s ability to concentrate—even if they didn’t check their phone.
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Political Polarization on Twitter Depends on the Issue
While people tend to share political information with those who have similar ideological preferences, research indicates that Twitter is more than just an “echo chamber.”
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Amazon’s Mistake: Mixing Creative Conflict With Animosity
“Of all [Jeff Bezos’] management notions, perhaps the most distinctive is his belief that harmony is often overvalued in the workplace — that it can stifle honest critique and encourage polite praise for flawed ideas. Instead, Amazonians are instructed to “disagree and commit” (No. 13) — to rip into colleagues’ ideas, with feedback that can be blunt to the point of painful, before lining up behind a decision.” - New York Times Amazon’s CEO Jeff Bezos may want to read up on some new findings from psychological science: conflict can enhance creativity, but not all conflict is good for business.
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Developing Electrophysiology Training Resources
This event was supported by the APS Fund for Teaching and Public Understanding of Psychological Science, which invites applications for nonrenewable grants of up to $5,000 to launch new, educational projects in psychological science. Proposals are due October 1 and March 1. Cindy M. Bukach of the University of Richmond noticed a problem: The field of cognitive neuroscience relies on costly and complicated neuroimaging methodologies, creating a barrier to entry for undergraduates. An exception is the electroencephalography/event-related potential (EEG/ERP) technique, which offers inexpensive and accessible methodologies for investigating cortical dynamics during human cognition.
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New Research From Psychological Science
Read about the latest research published in Psychological Science: Can Faces Prime a Language? Evy Woumans, Clara D. Martin, Charlotte Vanden Bulcke, Eva Van Assche, Albert Costa, Robert J. Hartsuiker, and Wouter Duyck What cues initiate language selection in people who are bilingual? Spanish-Catalan bilinguals took part in simulated Skype conversations with interlocutors who spoke in either Spanish or Catalan.
