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Extras

Eye-catching studies that didn’t make the final cut.

29 April 2011

By Christian Jarrett

  • Voodoo correlations are everywhere, not just in neuroscience. [Background].

  • More stats controversy. “There are four major problems with using p as a measure of evidence and these problems are often overlooked in the domain of psychology.” Read more.

  • Differences in how men and women compete. “In two studies, adult human females, compared with males, were more likely to react to the possibility of social exclusion by socially excluding a third party.” Read more.

  • Implicit measures in psychology may be sexy but they’re often unreliable. Read more.

  • Nerves hinder negotiation. “…negotiators who feel anxious expect lower outcomes, make lower first offers, respond more quickly to offers, exit bargaining situations earlier, and ultimately obtain worse outcomes.” Read more.

  • OTOH, mimicking others’ language online aids negotiation. “…negotiators who actively mimicked their counterpart’s language in the first 10 min of the negotiation obtained higher individual gain compared to those mimicking during the last 10 min, as well as compared to control participants.” Read more.

  • Bi-directional links between semantic memory and sense of identity in older adults. “…autobiographical memory for all time periods (childhood, early adulthood, and recent life) in the semantic domain was associated with greater strength in personal identity. … However, there was also support for a reverse mediation model indicating that a strong sense of identity is associated with semantic self-knowledge and through this may enhance self-relevant recollection.” Read more.

  • Depth cues in paintings cause people to sway. Read more.

  • US study finds women are more fearful than men of having their intellectual capabilities tested in public. “…women must overcome fears about doing poorly in public and fears of criticism from others. They must learn to handle criticism without letting it affect the way they feel about themselves. The challenge is to adopt a positive view of their ability as continuously developing and to approach public performances as opportunities to welcome, rather than threats to avoid.” Read more.

  • Praying for a stranger led provoked participants to react with less anger and aggression. Read more.

  • Don’t pick on Dawkins! Reminders of atheist prevalence reduced distrust and prejudice towards atheists. Read more.