Studying

I see today that my dissertation topic (individual- and environmental-level predictors of Latino student achievement, not that you asked) isn't nearly as tantalizing as what other people get paid to investigate. How rigorously did researchers have to prepare academically to conduct this study of owners' emotional attachment to their Roombas? I bet they have PhD's. I wonder how many social sciences doctoral students are inspired by after-the-fact revered researchers like Kinsey, who broke some of the most fertile ground in academia by pioneering research in sex. We all realize sex isn't the subject he started his career out with.

A little digression, which possibly this entire blog could be called...
Paul Ehrlich points out that studying sex is "a lot more interesting than studying the pollination of plants." He also observes that "being human beings, scientists, too, are fascinated by sex"; how sad that we need reminded. Of course this makes me wonder about those who do choose to study plant pollination, but I wish not to pass judgment, lest they tell me to cast the first stone. I won't bore you at present with what else Ehrlich has to say about the way scientists study sex and other topics, and the inevitable bias that comes into alleged "scientific" studies. But I will tell you that the rest of his book Human Natures is quite worth a read.

Back to the serious matter of scientific research...
Here's a transcript of a very interesting discussion about the need for, and misunderstood nature of, basic research (aka, research that doesn't appear immediately useful). Hmm, I wonder if the people engaged in that discussion would think differently about research if they owned--and loved--a Roomba. I see a study in there somewhere. In the meantime, read the results of a study on "friends with benefits" here. Or take a look at this study on spousal arguments (women argue most about children and housework, men about sex, money, and leisure). Wow, research can be fun. That's my cue to get back to work....