In contemporary society, it is believed that males are allowed more sexual freedom than females. This is known as the sexual double standard. While anecdotal evidence for the double standard is plentiful, scientific evidence for its existence has been more elusive. One of my research goals is to document the mechanisms that generate and sustain the double standard. Current projects include examining the impact of social interaction on the double standard, exploring whether seeking confirming information (confirmation bias) leads to perception of the double standard, and constructing a theoretical perspective on the double standard.

Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) is the primary technique employed in psychological data analysis. However, its use may lead to improper conclusions, failure to detect true effects, and a misinterpretation of results. For example, statistically significant results are often misconstrued as an indication of a reliable and/or a large effect, or as providing the probability of the veracity of the null or alternative hypothesis. In addition, NHST is poorly suited to theory testing, a situation more properly handled by techniques such as structural equation modeling. One of my goals in this area is to explore alternatives to NHST.