BPS Research Digest

Our weekly round-up of the best psychology coverage from elsewhere on the web

Research into the use of deep brain stimulation to treat depression has produced mixed results. But there may promise in a more personalised approach to treatment. At Science, Kelly Servick reports on studies using imaging and electrode recordings from individuals to figure out exactly which region to stimulate — and when — for the optimal response.

According to a recent study, psychologists are pretty good at updating their beliefs about an apparently established scientific finding, after reading about a failed replication attempt. This was even true of scientists who had a personal interest in the outcome of the replication, reports John Timmer at Ars Technica. Of course, this might come as a surprise given the continued persistence of questionable findings in introductory psychology textbooks — and as Timmer writes, there are some big caveats to the results.

Videos of people trying to divine the meaning of celebrities’ body language can rack up millions of views on YouTube. The only problem? It’s all pseudoscience, reports Amelia Tait at Wired.  

As more and more children become eligible to receive COVID vaccines, how do we make sure that their parents don’t fall for anti-vax conspiracy theories? People are more likely to subscribe to such beliefs if they overestimate how common they are among other parents, explain Darel Cookson and colleagues at The Conversation. Their work shows that correcting these misperceptions can make parents more likely to vaccinate their children.

Is depression really a single disorder? And how exactly does therapy work? Stuart Ritchie ponders the tough questions over at Unherd.

We’re often sceptical of “do-gooders” or people who seem overly altruistic — and there could be a good evolutionary reason for this, writes David Robson at BBC Worklife.

Finally, last week we mentioned an NME article about the backlash to the World Health Organization’s decision to classify “gaming disorder” as an addictive behaviour. Now our friends at The Psychologist have an interesting interview with Professor Andrew Przybylski all about the saga.

Compiled by Matthew Warren (@MattBWarren), Editor of BPS Research Digest

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November 26, 2021 – 3:05 pm /BPS Research Digest
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