A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “study critique”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott Alexander clarifies his stance on growth mindset theory, distinguishing between widely accepted ideas and more controversial claims made by Carol Dweck, expressing skepticism about some aspects while acknowledging supporting evidence.
Scott Alexander critically examines the concept of growth mindset, expressing skepticism despite compelling studies and discussing various issues with the theory and its interpretation.
A collection of interesting links covering research studies, social issues, economic trends and cultural phenomena that challenged expectations.
Scott Alexander shares insights and critiques from a psychiatry conference, covering topics from medication prescribing rights to new monitoring technologies and research methodologies.
A collection of interesting links covering topics from science and politics to economics and culture, with commentary on each item.
Scott Alexander shares intriguing excerpts from 'Willpower', a book on self-control, while cautioning readers about the claims' reliability and expressing skepticism about some assertions.
Scott Alexander reviews 'Willpower' by Baumeister and Tierney, finding it disappointing for its pop science approach and failure to address controversies in willpower research.
Scott Alexander critiques psychological studies claiming large effects from simple interventions, suggesting their impressive results may be due to flawed research rather than genuinely effective treatments.
A collection of interesting links covering various topics including medical discoveries, scientific studies, social issues, and economic findings, with brief commentary on each.
Scott Alexander explores the potential link between falling testosterone levels and declining crime rates, finding the hypothesis intriguing but ultimately insufficient to explain observed crime trends.
Scott Alexander questions the plausibility of multifactorial explanations for trends, using the US crime rate decline as an example, and seeks literature on comparing single-factor vs multi-factor explanations.
A collection of interesting links covering history, science, politics and culture, with Scott's commentary on each topic.
Scott Alexander critiques a study on gender gaps in academia, arguing it ignores actual measures of ability which better explain the disparities.
Scott Alexander argues that depression and suicide rates are not reliable indicators of societal well-being, critiquing simplistic interpretations of mental health statistics in social comparisons.
Scott shares and comments on various interesting links covering topics like international relations, medical research, technology, and social issues, mixing academic discussion with curious anecdotes.
A collection of interesting links covering topics from werewolf-related customs in Argentina to scientific studies, economic trends, and cultural phenomena.
Scott criticizes the misuse of terms like 'debunked' in academic and political discourse, arguing for more nuanced examination of studies and their critiques.
Scott Alexander cautions against basing opinions on limited research, using examples from medicine and economics to show how cherry-picking studies can lead to opposing conclusions.
A links roundup covering topics from ISIS dating sites to space exploration, scientific studies, and cultural observations, featuring Scott's commentary and analysis on each item.
Scott criticizes interpretations of a study suggesting psychiatric care might cause suicide, arguing this ignores the more likely explanation of selection bias.
A collection of interesting links from November 2014 covering science, technology, politics, and culture, with Scott's commentary and analysis on each.
Scott Alexander examines the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous, finding it and other treatments only marginally better than no treatment, based on flawed and inconclusive studies.
Scott Alexander criticizes psychological studies that confuse short-term reactions with long-term effects, using examples from video game violence research, media stereotype studies, and parenting research.
A collection of interesting links from September 2014 covering scientific research, social issues, and curiosities, with commentary from Scott Alexander.
Scott Alexander criticizes a Guardian article's flawed reasoning in claiming 'Limits to Growth' accurately predicts economic collapse, comparing it to the philosophical 'grue-bleen induction problem'.