Comments on: Just for the Record…

By: Angus Johnston

Angus Johnston — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:08:07 +0000

The paper hasn’t been published yet, so no … I haven’t read it. (And I bet you five bucks the author of the CNN story hasn’t read it either.)

By: Andrew (@notfakeandrew)

Andrew (@notfakeandrew) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 03:01:31 +0000

Did you actually read the paper?

By: salvatore

salvatore — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:55:05 +0000

Psychology’s a pseudoscience, bro.

By: Angus Johnston

Angus Johnston — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:49:47 +0000

I don’t have an opinion on the general question, Mylo. I don’t even have an opinion on the specific hypothesis in this research — as I noted on Twitter, the CNN story was so incompetently written that it was impossible to discern what that hypothesis actually is.

I do, however, have an opinion on shoddy pop journalism that peddles just-so stories tarted up as science without taking the time to understand, much less critically assess, the underlying research. And I bet you can guess what that opinion is.

By: Mylo

Mylo — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:32:44 +0000

What’s your position on whether hormones affect social behaviors? This line of inquiry isn’t exactly pseudoscience…

By: Angus Johnston

Angus Johnston — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:29:25 +0000

Given that that information is available on their departmental web pages, which I linked to above, yes, I was aware of it.

Griskevicius’s doctorate involved no neuropsychological research, though. It was all social science, no brains or hormones involved.

And Durante’s dissertation was on the effects of women’s menstrual cycles on their shopping habits.

By: Andrew (@notfakeandrew)

Andrew (@notfakeandrew) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:15:59 +0000

Kristina Durante got her PhD in social psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Vladas Griskevicius got his PhD in social psychology from Arizona State University.

Thought you might find that illuminating.