This topic has been covered by some others but it is one I found interesting to cover on my blog. This is something I was largely all on the train for for a really long time, especially with how my parents handled it when I was a kid and what I was taught in school. Essentially, this post will cover some basic points as to why we should stop propagandizing about stranger danger.
Continue readingSociology
Change in belief of racial stereotypes over time
I picked up a textbook on race relations in the United States and globally from a used bookstore a while back. The book is called Race and Ethnic Relations: American and Global Perspectives (Eight Edition) by Martin N. Marger. There was an interesting chart compiling data on white americans’ stereotypes of blacks over time (p. 199). See below:
The Doll Tests
In the era of Brown v. Board, a series of experiments were presented in order to prove the harmful effects of segregation on black children. The design was thought up by Kenneth and Mamie Clark: essentially, they used multiple dolls of different races and asked students in segregated schools to pick which doll they preferred. What they showed was that black children were more likely to pick the white dolls over the black dolls (Clark and Clark, 1947). While this set of studies was not fundamental in the Brown v. Board case, they are probably the most well known part of it. This is despite the test being very bad.
Continue readingChina is the most socially progressive country ever
The transgender suicide rate is known to be far greater than that of the cisgender suicide rate. In the United States, it has been reported at various levels; usually, it is found that 40 to 50 percent of transgenders in the United States will attempt to commit suicide within their lifetime (eg. Thoma et al. 2019; Beech, 2019).
Continue readingDoes Education Increase IQ?
Yes. But, it’s not that simple.
Continue readingAre Presidents More Controversial in Their Second Term?
An interesting study idea I had. Would not be difficult to do. Essentially, the hypothesis is that presidents are more controversial in their second term because they don’t have to worry about re-election. One additional prediction could be that this association increased after FDR’s presidency because it was made law that presidents couldn’t take more than two terms. A reason this might not be as strong is that George Washington’s precedent was strong enough to dissuade anyone else from taking more than two terms anyways.
Continue readingOn Single Motherhood and Crime
So, the most popular option offered by conservatives to explain race differences in crime or criminology in general is single motherhood. Some popular pundits who expunge this theory are Larry Elder, Thomas Sowell, and Charlie Kirk. Overall, this theory is strongly flawed.
Continue readingSchumm’s error: does same-sex marriage lower fertility rates?
I semi-recently read Dr. Walter Schumm’s book Same-Sex Parenting Resarch: A Critical Assessment. My thoughts? Meh.
Continue readingAn interesting study on race and aggression: Hawkins et al. 1991
This is one of the more interesting studies done on race differences in aggression, particularly due to its experimental nature. I felt like this study is deserving of a commentary blog post.
Continue readingPsychedelic Usage May Boost Intelligence
Recently, I posted a couple studies on Twitter which suggested long-term ayahuasca use increased intelligence.
