ACX
Take The 2026 ACX Survey
Scott announces the 2026 ACX annual reader survey, which takes 30-45 minutes and helps investigate psychological findings, with one respondent winning a free paid subscription.
2 min read 228 words
A thread through the archive
psychology research
Essays tagged “psychology research”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Essays on psychology research
12 essaysACX
Psychology Research Is Mostly Fine
Scott defends psychology against broad dismissals by showing that the replication crisis primarily affected only social priming within social psychology, while the vast majority of the field consists of solid, replicable research across many subdisciplines.
9 min read 1,370 words
SSC
Links 3/17: Siteochrome P450
A wide-ranging links post covering recent research, political developments, and interesting findings across various fields, with particular focus on psychology research, political polling, and academic developments.
20 min read 3,046 words
SSC
Links 3/16: Rulink Class
A links roundup post covering recent developments in science, medicine, psychology and politics, with particular focus on research replication issues and the 2016 election season.
20 min read 3,099 words
SSC
Links 1/16: Shaolink
Scott shares diverse links ranging from optical illusions and Bitcoin drama to educational research and medical controversies, with commentary on methodology and social implications.
22 min read 3,388 words
SSC
Links 5/15: Tall And Linky
Scott shares and comments on various links covering science, politics, and culture, with topics ranging from automation's effect on employment to psychology's replication crisis.
11 min read 1,617 words
SSC
Links 4/15: Link And You’re Dead
Scott shares and comments on various interesting links covering science, politics, and curiosities, with particular focus on recent studies in genetics and psychology.
9 min read 1,315 words
SSC
I Will Never Have The Ability To Clearly Explain My Beliefs About Growth Mindset
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.
14 min read 2,158 words
SSC
No Clarity Around Growth Mindset
Scott Alexander critically examines the concept of growth mindset, expressing skepticism despite compelling studies and discussing various issues with the theory and its interpretation.
35 min read 5,344 words
SSC
Too Good To Be True
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.
7 min read 945 words
SSC
Alcoholics Anonymous: Much More Than You Wanted To Know
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.
38 min read 5,838 words
SSC
Streetlight Psychology
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.
13 min read 1,995 words