Ian Hussey
@ianhussey.mmmdata.io
Meta-scientist and psychologist. Senior lecturer @unibe.ch. Chief recommender @error.reviews. "Jumped up punk who hasn't earned his stripes." All views a product of my learning history.
Pinned
Ian Hussey
@ianhussey.mmmdata.io
· Jul 22
Lego Science is research driven by modular convenience.
When researchers combine methods or concepts, more out of convenience than any deep curiosity in the resulting research question, to create publishable units.
"What role does {my favourite construct} play in {task}?"
When researchers combine methods or concepts, more out of convenience than any deep curiosity in the resulting research question, to create publishable units.
"What role does {my favourite construct} play in {task}?"
So, not published “in Nature”.
November 25, 2025 at 3:21 PM
So, not published “in Nature”.
This was not published in nature, it was published in "npj mental health research"
November 25, 2025 at 7:55 AM
This was not published in nature, it was published in "npj mental health research"
Reposted by Ian Hussey
Congratulations to @simine.com for winning the Einstein Foundation Individual Award! 🎉
A well-deserved recognition for her seminal efforts to improve scientific rigor, which includes instituting detailed checks for errors and computational reproducibility at Psychological Science.
A well-deserved recognition for her seminal efforts to improve scientific rigor, which includes instituting detailed checks for errors and computational reproducibility at Psychological Science.
November 24, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Congratulations to @simine.com for winning the Einstein Foundation Individual Award! 🎉
A well-deserved recognition for her seminal efforts to improve scientific rigor, which includes instituting detailed checks for errors and computational reproducibility at Psychological Science.
A well-deserved recognition for her seminal efforts to improve scientific rigor, which includes instituting detailed checks for errors and computational reproducibility at Psychological Science.
Reposted by Ian Hussey
I think it's hard to overstate how much Simine has changed research practices and standards in psychology for the better, despite at times massive resistance from powerful parties with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Very well deserved award imho 🥳
Congratulations to @simine.com well deserved winner of the Einstein Foundation Individual Award for Promoting Quality in Research 2025 🎉 www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/media/pre...
November 24, 2025 at 11:03 AM
I think it's hard to overstate how much Simine has changed research practices and standards in psychology for the better, despite at times massive resistance from powerful parties with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. Very well deserved award imho 🥳
Reposted by Ian Hussey
Congratulations to @simine.com well deserved winner of the Einstein Foundation Individual Award for Promoting Quality in Research 2025 🎉 www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/media/pre...
November 24, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Congratulations to @simine.com well deserved winner of the Einstein Foundation Individual Award for Promoting Quality in Research 2025 🎉 www.einsteinfoundation.de/en/media/pre...
Any details of that AIRA does exactly?
November 19, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Any details of that AIRA does exactly?
This tendency to confuse credibility of claims with “were the authors doing their best” is strong in psych. Eg defensiveness about Cross Lagged Panel Models despite now knowing they have false positives rates. “But they didn’t know that at the time” doesn’t increase evidential value now.
November 19, 2025 at 1:18 AM
This tendency to confuse credibility of claims with “were the authors doing their best” is strong in psych. Eg defensiveness about Cross Lagged Panel Models despite now knowing they have false positives rates. “But they didn’t know that at the time” doesn’t increase evidential value now.
Reposted by Ian Hussey
Never understand the idea that failing to pre-register an RCT before 2010 (say) does not constitute risk of bias. RoB is not about figuring out whether researchers did their best according to the standards of the time. Meta-research suggests that estimates did tend to reduce after intro of reg.
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Never understand the idea that failing to pre-register an RCT before 2010 (say) does not constitute risk of bias. RoB is not about figuring out whether researchers did their best according to the standards of the time. Meta-research suggests that estimates did tend to reduce after intro of reg.
We do this in Bern! There is even cake for attendees
November 18, 2025 at 7:59 PM
We do this in Bern! There is even cake for attendees
Chaotic evil: N(0,10) applied linear probability model.
November 18, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Chaotic evil: N(0,10) applied linear probability model.
@solomonkurz.bsky.social schooled me on this a year ago, mind was blown.
November 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
@solomonkurz.bsky.social schooled me on this a year ago, mind was blown.
Reposted by Ian Hussey
The default prior for the intercept in both {rstanarm} and {brms} are very wide.
Counterintuitively - being on the logit scale, this is actually translates to a **strong** prior that p(y=1) is near 1 or near 0.
Always check your priors!
#rstats
Counterintuitively - being on the logit scale, this is actually translates to a **strong** prior that p(y=1) is near 1 or near 0.
Always check your priors!
#rstats
November 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The default prior for the intercept in both {rstanarm} and {brms} are very wide.
Counterintuitively - being on the logit scale, this is actually translates to a **strong** prior that p(y=1) is near 1 or near 0.
Always check your priors!
#rstats
Counterintuitively - being on the logit scale, this is actually translates to a **strong** prior that p(y=1) is near 1 or near 0.
Always check your priors!
#rstats
How are you out only-child-ing me
November 18, 2025 at 2:10 PM
How are you out only-child-ing me
Reposted by Ian Hussey
"There are stupid fabricators and there are more competent ones.
Potentially, LLMs lower the bar and allow the stupid ones to do a better job"
~a chilling problem highlighted by Jack Wilkinson at the International Research Integrity Conference
Potentially, LLMs lower the bar and allow the stupid ones to do a better job"
~a chilling problem highlighted by Jack Wilkinson at the International Research Integrity Conference
November 17, 2025 at 11:38 PM
"There are stupid fabricators and there are more competent ones.
Potentially, LLMs lower the bar and allow the stupid ones to do a better job"
~a chilling problem highlighted by Jack Wilkinson at the International Research Integrity Conference
Potentially, LLMs lower the bar and allow the stupid ones to do a better job"
~a chilling problem highlighted by Jack Wilkinson at the International Research Integrity Conference
Reposted by Ian Hussey
An international computing society has begun retracting conference papers for “citation falsification” only months after the sleuth who flagged the suspect articles was convicted for defamation in a lawsuit filed by one of the offending authors.
Computing society pulls works for ‘citation falsification’ months after sleuth is convicted of defamation
Solal Pirelli An international computing society has begun retracting conference papers for “citation falsification” only months after the sleuth who flagged the suspect articles was convicted for …
retractionwatch.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:32 PM
An international computing society has begun retracting conference papers for “citation falsification” only months after the sleuth who flagged the suspect articles was convicted for defamation in a lawsuit filed by one of the offending authors.
Reposted by Ian Hussey
Some researchers don't discuss their future research plans for fear of being scooped.
Not me. I drop bad ideas for unscrupulous people to 'steal'.
- What are the neural correlates of Open Science practices?
- What is the role of habits in learning a new skill through repetitive practice?
Not me. I drop bad ideas for unscrupulous people to 'steal'.
- What are the neural correlates of Open Science practices?
- What is the role of habits in learning a new skill through repetitive practice?
a man in a leather jacket is looking up and saying `` big brain '' while standing in front of a building .
ALT: a man in a leather jacket is looking up and saying `` big brain '' while standing in front of a building .
media.tenor.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Some researchers don't discuss their future research plans for fear of being scooped.
Not me. I drop bad ideas for unscrupulous people to 'steal'.
- What are the neural correlates of Open Science practices?
- What is the role of habits in learning a new skill through repetitive practice?
Not me. I drop bad ideas for unscrupulous people to 'steal'.
- What are the neural correlates of Open Science practices?
- What is the role of habits in learning a new skill through repetitive practice?
Re bad idea 1:
Unsurprisingly, a new independent double blind RCT replication shows that approach avoidance training does not reduce problematic drinking behaviour.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Unsurprisingly, a new independent double blind RCT replication shows that approach avoidance training does not reduce problematic drinking behaviour.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
November 17, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Re bad idea 1:
Unsurprisingly, a new independent double blind RCT replication shows that approach avoidance training does not reduce problematic drinking behaviour.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Unsurprisingly, a new independent double blind RCT replication shows that approach avoidance training does not reduce problematic drinking behaviour.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Ian Hussey
This slide unfortunately generalizes well 🥲
November 11, 2025 at 9:25 AM
This slide unfortunately generalizes well 🥲
Reposted by Ian Hussey
"Schrödinger's causal inference" (n):
The practice of making causal claims or interpretations within a scientific article - typically in the title, abstract, implications, or conclusion - while simultaneously warning that the study design is unsuitable for causal inference.
The practice of making causal claims or interpretations within a scientific article - typically in the title, abstract, implications, or conclusion - while simultaneously warning that the study design is unsuitable for causal inference.
November 11, 2025 at 11:36 AM
"Schrödinger's causal inference" (n):
The practice of making causal claims or interpretations within a scientific article - typically in the title, abstract, implications, or conclusion - while simultaneously warning that the study design is unsuitable for causal inference.
The practice of making causal claims or interpretations within a scientific article - typically in the title, abstract, implications, or conclusion - while simultaneously warning that the study design is unsuitable for causal inference.
Reposted by Ian Hussey
A paper critiquing post-publication peer review has numerous made-up references, including a @nature.com article falsely attributed to our Ivan Oransky.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
PubPeer - An expert criticism on post-publication peer review platform...
There are comments on PubPeer for publication: An expert criticism on post-publication peer review platforms: the case of pubpeer (2025)
pubpeer.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:11 AM
A paper critiquing post-publication peer review has numerous made-up references, including a @nature.com article falsely attributed to our Ivan Oransky.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
It would be a step backwards rather than forwards to have a vast and expensive integrity assessment system that was both ineffective and provided false trust.
November 15, 2025 at 1:50 PM
It would be a step backwards rather than forwards to have a vast and expensive integrity assessment system that was both ineffective and provided false trust.
But here too the metaphor breaks down, because the evidence that the TSA is effective is very scant. DHS red-team exercises show very high failure rates, published risk analyses questions its assumed efficacy, many critiques of 'security theatre' over actual efficacy etc.
November 15, 2025 at 1:50 PM
But here too the metaphor breaks down, because the evidence that the TSA is effective is very scant. DHS red-team exercises show very high failure rates, published risk analyses questions its assumed efficacy, many critiques of 'security theatre' over actual efficacy etc.
These are all demand side arguments about what is needed, but it’s a supply side problem. Who will do these reviews, who has the skills, time and interest to spend 3x the amount of time they’re already not being paid or rewarded to do in their career? There are fewer levers to pull on here.
November 15, 2025 at 1:41 PM
These are all demand side arguments about what is needed, but it’s a supply side problem. Who will do these reviews, who has the skills, time and interest to spend 3x the amount of time they’re already not being paid or rewarded to do in their career? There are fewer levers to pull on here.
My current interest is in making post publication more feasible, rapid, and effective. Concerns that would kill a manuscript during peer review are currently ignored after publication, when the burden of proof switches to critics needing to prove beyond a doubt there are issues, for no good reason.
November 15, 2025 at 1:39 PM
My current interest is in making post publication more feasible, rapid, and effective. Concerns that would kill a manuscript during peer review are currently ignored after publication, when the burden of proof switches to critics needing to prove beyond a doubt there are issues, for no good reason.
This is where the analogy breaks down for me, apart from my discomfort with comparing it with serious crime: police don’t make specific efforts to prevent murder, they are investigated after the fact, which is at odds with the TSA analogy.
November 15, 2025 at 1:35 PM
This is where the analogy breaks down for me, apart from my discomfort with comparing it with serious crime: police don’t make specific efforts to prevent murder, they are investigated after the fact, which is at odds with the TSA analogy.