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FWIW:
A 🧵 of 🧵’s, on my 🔑 criticisms of social-science research.
👇
A 🧵 of 🧵’s, on my 🔑 criticisms of social-science research.
👇
My 🔑 criticism of evolutionary psychology:
(Focused on evolutionary past, overlooking adaptations to *contemporary* context, enabled by learning processes.)
(Focused on evolutionary past, overlooking adaptations to *contemporary* context, enabled by learning processes.)
My criticism of “theories” in social-psychology:
(Restatements of intuitions, don’t actually explain the puzzle, fit the facts, or make much sense.)
(Restatements of intuitions, don’t actually explain the puzzle, fit the facts, or make much sense.)
My main criticisms of behavioral & experimental econ:
(Fitting utility function, w/o understanding what’s going on; testing models by literally reproducing it in the lab)
(Fitting utility function, w/o understanding what’s going on; testing models by literally reproducing it in the lab)
More on 👆 criticism of (many) lab experiments:
(Experiments that literally reproduce models aren’t good tests of the model.)
(Experiments that literally reproduce models aren’t good tests of the model.)
How social-psychology gets over-sold:
(Experiments are carefully checked for internal validity, but interpretations are not checked for soundness.)
(Experiments are carefully checked for internal validity, but interpretations are not checked for soundness.)
A ubiquitous problem throughout the social-sciences.
(Causal claims involving endogenous forces are misleading a.f..)
(Causal claims involving endogenous forces are misleading a.f..)
A specific example of 👆fallacy leading intellectuals astray.
(Sam Harris views on ☪️ and White Supremacy built off fallacious premise that beliefs are endogenous.)
(Sam Harris views on ☪️ and White Supremacy built off fallacious premise that beliefs are endogenous.)
Another specific example of👆fallacy re endogenous forces being treated as causes:
(Just cause party members vehemently take opposing stances doesn’t mean “tribalism” is the cause of these stances; what gets “tribalized” is endogenous.)
(Just cause party members vehemently take opposing stances doesn’t mean “tribalism” is the cause of these stances; what gets “tribalized” is endogenous.)
Another common misinterpretation of experiments:
(Experiments that capture costs, but hide the benefits, don’t *actually* show the behavior is ill-advisable.)
(Experiments that capture costs, but hide the benefits, don’t *actually* show the behavior is ill-advisable.)
Why I think the norms of experimental econ are misinformed:
(Not actually about avoiding tainting subject pool; financial incentives aren’t always 🔑)
(Not actually about avoiding tainting subject pool; financial incentives aren’t always 🔑)
My criticism of the happiness literature:
((1)Hedonic adaptation is there by design, in no way implies “not worth trying” (2) wellbeing measures pick up on costs but miss 🔑 benefits (3) bias to show socially desirable, easy to fix.)
((1)Hedonic adaptation is there by design, in no way implies “not worth trying” (2) wellbeing measures pick up on costs but miss 🔑 benefits (3) bias to show socially desirable, easy to fix.)
My criticism of “heritability” studies:
(Which show behavior x correlates w/ 🧬 y, or is more correlated among identical than fraternal twins, and conclude, quite misleadingly imo, that x is *caused* by genetics.)
(Which show behavior x correlates w/ 🧬 y, or is more correlated among identical than fraternal twins, and conclude, quite misleadingly imo, that x is *caused* by genetics.)
