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Simon Oxenham
The best and the worst of psychology and neuroscience
Simon Oxenham covers the best and the worst from the world of psychology and neuroscience. Formerly writing with the pseudonym "Neurobonkers", Simon has a history of debunking dodgy scientific research and tearing apart questionable science journalism in an irreverent style. Simon has written and blogged for publishers including: The Psychologist, Nature, Scientific American and The Guardian. His work has been praised in the New York Times and The Guardian and described in Pearson's Textbook of Psychology as "excoriating reviews of bad science/studies”.
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A look at the implications of a promising discovery by researchers at Google.
Ten years ago, a researcher claimed most published research findings are false; now a decade later, his claim is stronger than ever before. How can this be?
A journalist tricked news outlets into reporting a bogus study to demonstrate the sorry state of science journalism, but was the sting operation ethical?
Most people seem to believe MSG is bad for you. In fact, it is far more likely to be good for you.
What happened when researchers strapped fake WiFi routers to people's heads to test if electromagnetic sensitivity is real or imagined?
The second most-watched TED Talk of all time has been debunked.
A psychiatrist has made headlines claiming smartphones are making children "borderline" autistic. Here's why that's rubbish:
Does dropping a few brain-related words into an argument cause people to lose the capacity for critical thought?
In the United States, the FDA has the power to fine drug companies $10,000 a day for failing to publish clinical trials, yet most clinical trials still never see the light of day.
It has become commonplace to see a "worm" based on the reactions of a tiny sample of audience members running across our screens during televised presidential debates. Psychologists tested whether the worm can influence our voting intentions and the results are worrying in the extreme.
Dr. Tesia Marshik who is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse walks us through the extensive evidence that learning styles don't exist, before looking at why the belief is so widespread and why the belief is such a serious problem.
A new study examines over a hundred rumors spread through over a thousand news articles in 2014 and investigates the role major news publications play in the spread of misinformation.
George Washington was not only the founding father of the U.S., but also of mass immunization.
While many people believe sugar makes kids hyperactive, this theory has long been debunked by research. However researchers are only just beginning to understand the complex relationship between glucose and learning.
How providing people with evidence about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines can backfire.
A major psychology journal has banned the use of the near-universally adopted practice of significance testing, citing recent evidence of the technique's unreliability. What will be the fallout for psychology as a field?
What false belief is held by 93% of British teachers?
Many people, including a majority of school teachers, harbor important false beliefs about the brain. Are you one of them?
A groundbreaking study suggests you probably could.
An in-depth look at the fine line between bad writing and "bullshitting" in psychology.