How reliable is psychology science? The Reproducibility of Psychological Science project reported recently and it made grim reading. Having replicated 100 psychological studies published in three psychology journals only thirty six had significant results compared to 97% first time around. So is there a problem with psychological science and what should be done to fix it. Decimate Tim used the word in an interview last week to mean devastate rather than cut by ten percent ? many listeners said this was unforgivable ? was it? ? We ask Oliver Kamm - Author of 'Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide to English Usage'.
Social Science Bites - William Davies on the Happiness Industry
Happiness, says sociologist Will Davies, is “all the rage” right now. Not actually being happy, by the way, but offering to provide happiness, or to measure it, or to study it, to legislate it, or even to exploit it.
If that sounds vaguely corporate, Davies is unlikely to disagree. The author of the new book, The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Wellbeing, is concerned that real happiness may be getting left on the side of the road choking on clouds of neuromarketing and touchy-feely excess in the pursuit of happiness.
“I suppose I think that happiness is better than a lot of what the ‘happiness industry’ represents it as,” Davies tells interviewer David Edmonds in the latest Social Science Bites podcast. “I think that we can do better than extrapolate from studies of individual behavior, or studies of particular fMRI scans, all of which have their own merit and validity within particular scientific limits, but the reductionism of a lot of happiness science, or ‘happiness industry’, or certainly the way it then gets picked up by the business world, and some people in the policy world, is regrettable.”
For one thing, the focus on the positive attributes of being happy ignores the very real reasons people may be unhappy, which Davies also thinks should be taken seriously – even if it’s uncomfortable for policymakers or less than lucrative for the business-minded. It’s something Davies, who also wrote The Limits of Neoliberalism: Authority, Sovereignty and the Logic of Competition (published last year by SAGE), understands well from his own examination of economic psychology as a tool of governance and the politics of corporate ownership.
Davies is a senior lecturer in politics at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he joined the Department of Politics last year to develop a new politics, philosophy and economics degree. Before that, he worked for policy think tanks and at the University of Warwick’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies and Oxford’s Institute for Science Innovation & Society and its Centre for Mutual & Employee-owned Business.
Serious Inquiries Only - AS175: Justin Schieber vs Robert Johnson, Part 1
The first ever Atheistically Speaking live debate! Thanks so much to those who participated! If you’d prefer to watch the debate, you can definitely do so by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63XGMDVsNVg Or you can listen to the podcast version which has slightly better audio.
The post AS175: Justin Schieber vs Robert Johnson, Part 1 appeared first on Atheistically Speaking.
African Tech Roundup - What’s The Big Fuss About Apple Ad Blockers?
As avid consumers of new media, it’s hard not to love the ad blocking features Apple has worked into iOS9, and the clever ad blocking apps that are selling like hotcakes on mobile app stores everywhere.
But content publishers are claiming that ad blocking is tantamount to taking the bread out of their mouths, and warn that ultimately you and I will suffer as great content— traditionally funded through ad revenue, will no longer be viable to produce. Meanwhile, it doesn’t help that fake media traffic schemes— powered by bots, are eroding the confidence we all have in the internet’s ability to deliver an efficient and integrous way for advertisers to display ads to targeted audiences.
In this week’s discussion, Tefo Mohapi and Andile Masuku weigh the pros and cons of ad blocking, and discuss how this might shape the future of advertising on the web. Publishers will no doubt need to tweak their business models if they are keep the lights on. It will be interesting to see whether these developments lead brands and publishers to look to native advertising to save the day.
Also in this week's African Tech Round-up, all the week's biggest news from across Africa:
-- South African JSE-listed tech firm, Altron is poised to sell its Autopage subscriber base for an estimated $108 million,
-- Ethiopia rings in the New Year with the launch of Chinese-built light-rail system,
-- Groupon is to withdraw from Morocco as part of its global rightsizing efforts,
-- MultiChoice throws disgruntled Kenyan DSTV subscribers a bone by adding more channels to its "Compact" offering,
-- Kenyan ISP Zuku is keen to woo customers to subscribe for its video-streaming service,
-- A major survey reveals that there is a growing cyberbullying epidemic among South African teens, and
-- Infamous South African Twitter personality, @PigSpotter's identity has been revealed.
Additional Music Credits:
Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe - The Skeptics Guide #533 – Sep 26 2015
Forgotten Superheroes of Science: Ruth Rogan Benerito; News Items: Predatory Pharmaceuticals, Ocean Populations Declining, Election Graphology, Conspiracy Thinking; Who's That Noisy; What's the Word: Efferent; Your Questions and E-mails: Proof of God; Science or Fiction
The Gist - Alison Brie Sex Scene Therapy
On The Gist, remembering Phil Patton. Then, writer and filmmaker Leslye Headland explains how she brought lessons from theater and heartbreak into the making of the indie comedy Sleeping With Other People. For the Spiel, highlights from the Values Voter Summit. Today’s sponsors: The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Watch Rachel as she breaks down the big headlines for the local threads that tie them all together. Weeknights at 9 p.m. ET only on MSNBC. ZipRecruiter. Hiring? You can post to more than 100 job sites with one single click and have the highest chance of finding that perfect candidate. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.
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Motley Fool Money - Volkswagen’s Rough Road Ahead
Volkswagen hits the skids. Nike hits its stride. And Groupon takes 10% off its workforce. Our analysts discuss those stories and share three stocks on their radar. Plus, ThomsonReuters Transportation Editor Joe White talks about the implications of the Volkswagen scandal.
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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Big Pharma: Conspiracies and Cover-ups
Big Pharma gets a bad name in the press, and the actions of multinational pharmaceutical companies are often the subject of various conspiracies - but are any of the allegations true? Learn more about theories behind political corruption, tainted medicine and more.
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Alzheimers What's behind the claim that 1 in 3 people born in the UK this year could get Alzheimers? How reliable is the science in psychology? The Reproducibility of Psychological Science project reported recently and it made grim reading. Having replicated 100 psychological studies published in three psychology journals only thirty six had significant results compared to 97% first time around. So is there a problem with psychological science and what should be done to fix it? One of mathematics' enigmas He is described as one of the most charismatic mathematicians but he is also shy and enigmatic. Professor John Conway has been described as a genius whose most famous innovation is the cell automaton The Game of Life - Tim talks to Siobhan Roberts about the man and his life. Is it more difficult to play against ten men? Arsene Wenger has said it, Sam Allerdyce and Steve Bruce have said it too - it's more difficult to play against ten men. It's an oft quoted footballing clich? but is there any truth in it? Decimate Tim used the word in an interview last week to mean devastate rather than cut by ten percent - many listeners said this was unforgivable - was it? - We ask Oliver Kamm - Author of 'Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide to English Usage'.
The Gist - Are There Any Real Catholics in Congress?
On The Gist, we take the vitals on the current state of health care in America. The number of uninsured has dropped dramatically, but are the struggling state exchanges and co-ops a cause for concern? Phil Galewitz from Kaiser Health News joins us for an Obamacare checkup. For the Spiel, are any Catholic members of congress both anti-death penalty and anti-abortion? Today’s sponsor: ZipRecruiter. Hiring? You can post to more than 100 job sites with one single click, and have the highest chance of finding that perfect candidate. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com/gist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.
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