David Tuller - Trial By Error: The Shopping Bag Study; and New York State’s Revamped Website

Trial By Error: The Shopping Bag Study; and New York State’s Revamped Website

24 April 2018

By David Tuller, DrPH

http://www.virology.ws/2018/04/24/t...g-study-and-new-york-states-revamped-website/

And now, from our good friends in the psychology department at the University of Bath, comes the shopping bag study we’ve all been waiting for. Here’s some information recently disseminated by the university:

The purpose of this study is to look at how people with CFS/ME respond when asked to do a physically exerting task, and what thoughts and feelings they have while they are doing the task. We would like to compare responses to people without CFS/ME…

If selected, you will be asked to complete some questionnaires. These questionnaires will ask you about various things such as fatigue and mood. You will be given the choice to complete them online or have paper copies posted to you…

You will also be asked to attend a one-off testing session which will last no longer than an hour and during which you will be asked to complete a practical task. The task will involve carrying a shopping bag. This will be recorded and you will be asked to watch this back and answer some questions about it…

 

@Eagles , please could you edit your post so that it includes at most 2-3 paragraphs. I'm fairly confident that @dave30th won't complain about copyright issues in this regard, but it's generally good practice to use, and also encourages more traffic to Dave's blog.

 

I love the hard hitting bluntness of David's articles, these paragraphs stood out in that regard

 

the Shopping Bag Study made me think of those fatuous suggestions to 'get a new haircut' or 'buy a new dress' when you're feeling a little low ...

 

Futile thought but I'd like to know how people considering signing up for this mess, I mean study, can be warned off -- that it would only be used to create nonsense through disingenuous interpretations.

 

I just feel so sorry for which ever young researcher has been persuaded that this might be a good idea.

 

I feel when more sorry for the patients that will be persuaded. Especially, when the penny drops that they've been used to further efforts in trivializing the condition. Assuming they select patients with ME, of course

 

The bag design, approved by the ethics committee:

 

Yes I did immediately worry on that score myself. Are they a well intentioned but misled pawn?

 

Have the inherent risks of shopping bag research taught us nothing?

 

http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http:...wwH7NcPGXHTQYMiULsYEKlXOKFvy4Kk6oO0lj83ZQ&s=1

The author of this trial is supervising the handbag trial!! They refer to ME patients as hypochondriacs .

 

With good news, like New York State’s Revamped Website, I feel like I can really under-appreciate it until I see it in one of Tuller's blogs.

 

Above link is to http://wames.org.uk/cms-english/201...y-aka-hypochondria-common-in-people-with-cfs/

Study paywalled at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/papt.12118

 

That explains a lot...
Has anyone mentioned this to @dave30th

 

That's weird. I have that exact same symbol tattooed on my arse

 

I do wish someone would do a survey to ascertain what proportion of research psychologists report results in a coherent and meaningful manner.

To the ignorant it appears that 50 of the 45 people studied had above normal levels of anxiety.

 

Not thin air, they are probably Schrödinger's patients