a day ago
- Classic psychology studies are being debunked: the UFO cult study from 'When Prophecy Fails' had undercover researchers and did not show the predicted cognitive dissonance effect.
- Oliver Sacks' case studies, including 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,' were embellished or invented, similar to other debunked experiments like the Stanford Prison Experiment.
- A replication of the 1974 car crash study (using 'smashed' vs 'hit') with 10 times more participants failed to replicate the original effect, questioning the robustness of memory suggestibility.
- The 'choice overload' effect in physicians was not replicated; a 2025 study found the opposite trend, suggesting the effect is context-dependent.
- The author's own research on public opinion change was reanalyzed with different conclusions, but the author defends their approach, arguing that people are not good at estimating actual magnitudes of change.
- The post includes various links: a pseudonymous piece in THE LOOP magazine, an interview with blogger Gwern, practical advice for artists, the debunking of the 'spiders in sleep' myth, and a case of a single household generating 78% of airport noise complaints.
- The author also discusses a compact packing of 11 squares, a microwave cookbook review, and personal updates including awards and podcast appearances.