The hottest Research Methods Substack posts right now

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Weight Loss Industry Big Think - Expanding the Market -Part 2

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 02 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Weight Stigma Research Methods Insurance Coverage
  1. The weight loss industry strategically turns existing higher body weights into disease diagnoses to expand its market.
  2. They aim to exploit insurance coverage and exaggerate risks associated with higher weights to increase profits.
  3. The industry targets all age groups and sizes, pushing for wider definitions of overweight and obesity to sell interventions and expand its customer base.

With few conservatives, academia will struggle to develop a theory of progressivism

The Path Not Taken • 462 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🚌 Education Research Methods
  1. Academia may struggle to develop a theory of progressivism if there are few conservatives involved.
  2. There is a lack of academic work on progressivism despite significant changes in left-wing ideology.
  3. The lack of conservatives in academia may hinder the growth of research on progressivism and lead to challenges in developing a comprehensive theory.

Dubious Justifications Behind Request to WHO to Declare Diet Drugs "Essential" Part 2

Weight and Healthcare • 479 implied HN points • 12 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Weight Stigma Research Methods
  1. The request for WHO to declare diet drugs as essential is based on questionable justifications from studies with limited data and potential conflicts of interest.
  2. Global recommendations for diet drugs are primarily supported by research conducted on a predominantly white population, raising concerns about generalizability.
  3. Financial ties between pharmaceutical companies and organizations providing recommendations for diet drugs highlight potential biases and conflicts of interest in the decision-making process.

Mixtape Mailbag #8: Continuous Triple Differences

Scott's Substack • 39 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🔬 Science Causal Inference Data Analysis Research Methods Econometrics
  1. Triple difference design can be used with continuous treatment by defining the parameters based on dosage levels.
  2. When treatment is continuous, the target parameter shifts from average treatment effect to average causal response function.
  3. Continuous treatments require careful definition of parameters to compare different dosages along a treatment curve.

Exploring Social Loafing in Human-Computer Teams

UX Psychology • 59 implied HN points • 03 Nov 23
🔬 Science Human-computer interaction Psychology Artificial Intelligence Research Methods Technology
  1. Social loafing in human-computer teams can lead to reduced human effort over time, even if participants report consistent effort and engagement.
  2. Humans may rely excessively on dependable robotic or AI teammates, potentially impairing human attentiveness and performance.
  3. Mitigating the effects of social loafing in human-computer teams can involve strategies such as establishing individual accountability, validating robot or AI performance, and designing robots/AI to provide motivation to human teammates.

Doesn't Being Higher Weight Create Higher Risk for Health Issues?

Weight and Healthcare • 559 implied HN points • 22 Jun 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Research Methods Body positivity Fat Activism
  1. Correlation between weight and health doesn't imply causation, and it's crucial to examine the quality of evidence before drawing conclusions.
  2. Factors like weight stigma, weight cycling, and healthcare inequalities can influence the relationship between weight and health.
  3. Supporting health doesn't always need manipulation of body size, and it's essential to prioritize the rights of individuals regardless of their size.

Article Analysis: Should Type 2 Diabetes Management Focus on Weight Loss over Blood Sugar?

Weight and Healthcare • 419 implied HN points • 13 Jul 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Pharmaceutical industry Research Methods
  1. The article discusses the debate over whether Type 2 Diabetes management should prioritize weight loss or blood sugar control.
  2. It highlights the influence of pharmaceutical companies on medical advice and guidelines in the diabetes management space.
  3. The article raises concerns about financial conflicts of interest, lack of long-term efficacy data, and potential risks associated with focusing on weight loss over other health factors.

Understanding the Hawthorne Effect in UX Research

UX Psychology • 138 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
🕹 Technology UX Research Human behavior User Experience Research Methods
  1. The Hawthorne Effect is when individuals change their behavior because they know they are being observed, impacting various behaviors from dietary habits to research study results.
  2. Possible explanations for the Hawthorne Effect include people conforming to expectations when observed and feeling pressured to perform better.
  3. To mitigate the Hawthorne Effect in UX research, steps like using control groups, minimizing feedback during studies, focusing on cause-and-effect relationships, and creating judgment-free environments can help obtain more accurate data.

Triangulation in UX Research

UX Psychology • 238 implied HN points • 14 Jun 22
🕹 Technology UX Research Data Analysis Research Methods User Insights
  1. Triangulation in UX research involves using multiple research methods or data sources to study the same phenomenon, enhancing credibility and providing more robust insights.
  2. There are 4 main types of triangulation recognized in research: data triangulation, investigator triangulation, theory triangulation, and methodological triangulation.
  3. Using triangulation in user research can lead to more confidence in data, reveal unexpected findings, and help to understand a problem more clearly, although it may also increase chances of confirmation bias.

Correlation vs Causation Errors are Killing Fat Patients

Weight and Healthcare • 299 implied HN points • 15 Dec 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Research Methods Weight Loss Stigma Body positivity
  1. Correlation does not equal causation. Just because two things happen together doesn't mean one causes the other.
  2. Research on weight and health often overlooks confounding variables like weight stigma, weight cycling, and healthcare inequality.
  3. Assuming higher weight causes health issues has led to harmful practices, like the weight loss industry profiting from perpetuating weight stigma and promoting ineffective solutions.

Welcome to The Weight and Healthcare Newsletter

Weight and Healthcare • 159 implied HN points • 27 Oct 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare Weight Science Weight Stigma Research Methods Community support
  1. The Weight and Healthcare Newsletter explores weight science, weight stigma, and healthcare, offering valuable information to support individuals dealing with medical weight stigma.
  2. Weight stigma in healthcare causes significant harm, especially to individuals with higher weights and multiple marginalized identities. There is a more helpful and less harmful paradigm available through examining evidence and lived experiences.
  3. Positive changes are possible in healthcare regarding weight-inclusive care and best practices. Education and dialogue can lead to improved understanding and practices among healthcare professionals.

Demand Characteristics in UX Research

UX Psychology • 79 implied HN points • 11 Apr 22
🕹 Technology UX Research User Behavior Research Methods Psychology Ethics
  1. Participants in research studies often change their natural behavior to match what they think the researcher expects.
  2. Demand characteristics, the Hawthorne effect, and social desirability bias are related but have subtle differences in how they impact participant behavior.
  3. To mitigate the impact of demand characteristics in UX research, strategies like using a double-blind approach, being mindful of participant cues, recruiting diverse participants, and employing methodological triangulation can be effective.

The Intricate Beauty of Pecking Orders

Creating Inequality • 4 HN points • 14 Jun 23
🔬 Science Animal Behavior Social Dynamics Research Methods
  1. Pecking orders in animals might not be based on individual abilities but on dynamic interactions within a group.
  2. Linear pecking orders can arise from intricate behavioral dynamics rather than differences in individual qualities.
  3. Pecking orders are not stable and enduring, but rather constantly changing structures formed by ongoing aggressive interactions within a group.

The National Weight Control Registry's Shaky Science

Weight and Healthcare • 2 HN points • 15 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Loss Research Methods Interventions Fat Activism
  1. The National Weight Control Registry's definition of weight loss success may not accurately represent the reality of weight loss maintenance.
  2. The NWCR's findings do not conclusively disprove the idea that weight loss attempts fail about 95% of the time.
  3. The NWCR's suggested behaviors for weight loss maintenance lack specificity and may not be effective for the general population.

When ‘can’t miss’ programs fail

Hypertext • 0 implied HN points • 27 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social programs Government funding Innovation Research Methods
  1. Experimentation and evaluation are crucial in discovering effective social solutions; funding should consider reinvestment in programs with null results for improvements.
  2. Interpreting null findings from programs is important; reasons for ineffectiveness could range from program inefficacy to delivery issues or changing environments.
  3. Being cautious in prioritizing 'evidence-based' programs is necessary; it may hinder innovation and obstruct the quest for better solutions.