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Mark Rubin

@markrubin.bsky.social

19K followers 1.9K following 5K posts

social psychology ▪︎ metascience ▪︎ philosophy of science ▪︎ higher education Professor at Durham University, UK. He/him. Website: https://sites.google.com/site/markrubinsocialpsychresearch/ Substack: https://markrubin.substack.com/

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · Aug 22

Just published…

I argue that preregistration does not improve the transparent evaluation of the severity of hypothesis tests (a) in Popper’s approach or (b) in Mayo’s error statistical approach when preregistration is treated as “a plan, not a prison.”

Open Access: doi.org/10.1007/s112...

One justification for preregistering research hypotheses, methods, and analyses is that it improves the transparent evaluation of the severity of hypothesis tests. In this article, I consider two cases in which preregistration does not improve this evaluation. First, I argue that, although preregistration may facilitate the transparent evaluation of severity in Mayo’s error statistical philosophy of science, it does not facilitate this evaluation in Popper’s theory-centric approach. To illustrate, I show that associated concerns about Type I error rate inflation are only relevant in the error statistical approach and not in a theory-centric approach. Second, I argue that a test procedure that is preregistered but that also allows deviations in its implementation (i.e., “a plan, not a prison”) does not provide a more transparent evaluation of Mayoian severity than a non-preregistered procedure. In particular, I argue that sample-based validity-enhancing deviations cause an unknown inflation of the test procedure’s Type I error rate and, consequently, an unknown reduction in its capability to license inferences severely. I conclude that preregistration does not improve the transparent evaluation of severity (a) in Popper’s philosophy of science or (b) in Mayo’s approach when deviations are allowed.

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 2d

The following universities are delaying implementing a pay rise:

Dundee
Kent
Brunel
Coventry
Swansea

The following have yet to make a decision on the matter:

Aberdeen
Bangor
Bournemouth
Bradford
Buckingham
Cumbria
Lincoln
Plymouth Marjon

#UKHE

ednews.bsky.social @ednews.bsky.social · 2d

Five UK universities tell staff they can't afford pay rises | THE

Five UK universities tell staff they can’t afford pay rises

Negotiations over whether to honour 1.4 per cent increase ongoing at several other institutions amid financial crunch

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 2d

These revelations comes in the wake of the VC's recent resignation...

#AcademicSky #HigherEd #UKHE
@nteunion.bsky.social

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 20d

ANU VC Resigns

"I very much want to see the ANU thrive into the future and for it to continue to be a remarkable place and I don't want to stand in the way of that."

#AcademicSky #HigherEd

ANU vice-chancellor resigns after months of controversy

Genevieve Bell has bowed to intense pressure and resigned from her position as Australian National University vice-chancellor.

www.abc.net.au

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 2d

"In the last two years alone the ANU has made combined surpluses of nearly $250m, and, in turn, the audited accounts of the ANU show the organisation is stockpiling revenue from governments, students and philanthropy for some unstated future purpose."

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 2d

New analysis by The Australia Institute finds the Australian National University has a $90 million surplus, not a $142 million deficit!

The ANU’s hidden $90m budget surplus

New analysis by The Australia Institute reveals there is no financial crisis at the Australian National University.

australiainstitute.org.au

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

"Sisi consistently invokes system threat in his official rhetoric and to explain away his regime’s mistakes, failed policies, and the difficulties it could reasonably be held responsible for within Egyptian society."

PoliSky #SocialPsyc #AcademicSky 🧪 🗺️ 📊

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

Whatever the case, political leaders certainly know how to weild system threat to their benefit...

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

There are different ways of interpreting the effect of system threat. In my work with @chuma73.bsky.social et al., we argue that it can be viewed from the perspective of social identity theory "as a case of increased superordinate ingroup bias following a threat to the superordinate ingroup."

A social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA): Multiple explanations of system justification by the disadvantaged that do not depend on a separate system justification motive

System justification theory (SJT) assumes that social identity theory (SIT) cannot fully account for system justification by members of low-status (disadvantaged) groups. Contrary to this claim, we...

doi.org

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

Interesting that "higher system justifiers were more affected by the infrastructure and identity system level threat treatments."

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

System justification predicts support for authoritarian governance and the Sisi regime in two samples of Egyptian adult citizens.

Thought-provoking new work by @ernugent.bsky.social

Preprint: osf.io/preprints/so...

What explains the enduring popularity of authoritarianism and authoritarian leaders? In addition to theories rooted in regime performance, propaganda, and punishment, I propose system justification,
a well-established socio-cognitive motive favoring established systems and stability, as a novel explanation for authoritarian support. I theorize the relationship between system justification and political behaviors in authoritarian contexts and test this in data from two original surveys of Egyptian citizens. After validating that the system justification scale reflects needs for certainty and structure in an authoritarian political setting, I show it is strongly associated with preferences for authoritarian governance. An embedded experiment shows that security, infrastructure, and identity systemic threats mobilize high system justifiers, further increasing support for authoritarian governance. Finally, additional analyses reveal that system justification predicts attitudinal and behavioral support for a specific authoritarian regime. The findings suggest a central role for individual psychological motivation in authoritarian persistence.

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

"Hazel Rose Markus (2005 explains that: 'Social psychology is...the study of how people respond to and are influenced by other people' Algorithms, chatbots, LLMs, machines, models, inanimate objects are not people — they are the products of people (Guest, 2024, 2025)."

#SocialPsyc #AcademicSky

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 3d

"In this paper, we unpacked why we think psychologists need to be on high alert — not just to avoid another replication crisis, but to avoid the total collapse of our science."

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 4d

New preprint 🌟 Psychology is core to cognitive science, and so it is vital we preserve it from harmful frames. @irisvanrooij.bsky.social & I use our psych and computer science expertise to analyse and craft:

Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. doi.org/10.31234/osf...

🧵 1/

Cover page of Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

Table 1 Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

Table 2 Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

I don't get why it isn't a police matter for inciting violence!

Ed Miliband accuses Elon Musk of inciting violence

www.independent.co.uk

Reposted by Mark Rubin

Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 5d

A bit mad. Take a struggling industry whose core problem is relying on intl student fees for funding instead of stable funding... and tax that revenue to... pass it on to the uni's domestic students? The uni already sets domestic fees per what they can afford based on intl fee collections..

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

The UK Government will tax universities on the income they receive from international students in order to fund maintenance grants for disadvantaged domestic students.

International student levy to fund maintenance grants for disadvantaged British students

Labour will use a proposed levy on UK universities’ international student fees to fund means-tested maintenance grants for domestic students.

thepienews.com

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

Yes it could be the last straw for many unis!

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

"A recent report from Public First warned that...over 77,000 students could be put off studying in the UK in the five years after the policy is implemented."

#AcademicSky #UKHE

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

"The government is assuming that the levy on institutions’ international income stream would be passed onto students as increased tuition fees, hiking the cost of coming to study in the UK."

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

The UK Government will tax universities on the income they receive from international students in order to fund maintenance grants for disadvantaged domestic students.

International student levy to fund maintenance grants for disadvantaged British students

Labour will use a proposed levy on UK universities’ international student fees to fund means-tested maintenance grants for domestic students.

thepienews.com

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

"The Royal Society has chosen for a second time to leave Elon Musk’s membership of the academy intact, despite reopening the debate over his fellowship following a speech he made at an anti-immigration rally in London...telling thousands of attendees that “violence is coming to you.”

#AcademicSky 🧪

Royal Society rules out expelling Elon Musk after rally speech - Research Professional News

Society president criticises billionaire’s “language of violence” but says organisation should not “police political opinions”

www.researchprofessionalnews.com

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

Pleasure Winnifred! And congrats on the book!👏👏👏

Reposted by Mark Rubin

Matt Williams @matthewmatix.bsky.social · 5d

I'm joining the brilliant @jkarl.bsky.social as co-EIC at Europe's Journal of Psychology. ejop.psychopen.eu/index.php/ejop

EJOP is a generalist psych journal, and applies a diamond open access model (no APC). I'd love to see more submissions with rigorous methods & well-calibrated conclusions!

Europe’s Journal of Psychology

Quarterly peer-reviewed open access journal of scientific psychology featuring original studies, research, critical contributions written by and intended for psychologists worldwide.

ejop.psychopen.eu

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

In the new book:

"The Psychology of System Change and Resistance to Change: A New Psychology of Intergroup Relations"

By @winnifredlouis.bsky.social et al.

#SocialPsyc #Psychology #AcademicSky

The Psychology of System Change and Resistance to Change

Cambridge Core - Social Psychology - The Psychology of System Change and Resistance to Change

doi.org

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

From the book chapter "Temporal Cycles and the Psychology of Time"

Temporal Cycles and the Psychology of Time (Chapter 9) - The Psychology of System Change and Resistance to Change

The Psychology of System Change and Resistance to Change - October 2025

www.cambridge.org

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

"Time is experienced on an emotional level as well as a cognitive one"

"Guilt, shame, regret, and nostalgia look back to the past; pride, joy, anger, and sadness are felt in the present; and hope, anxiety, and fear look to the future."

A fourth point is that time is experienced on an emotional level as well as a cognitive one: experiences of the past, present, and future are associated with distinct emotions, and these emotions are associated with trajectories that link the past to the future via the present (e.g. Gautam et al., ; Miloyan et al., ; Thomas et al., ). Guilt, shame, regret, and nostalgia look back to the past; pride, joy, anger, and sadness are felt in the present; and hope, anxiety, and fear look to the future. These emotions matter, shaping the well-being consequences of experiences and the trajectories of actions.

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 5d

"Having long had one foot in philosophy of science and the other in foundations of statistics, I will zero in on the central philosophical issues that lie below the surface of today’s raging debates."

Deborah Mayo with excerpts from her 2018 book "Statistical Inference as Severe Testing"

#PhilSci

October 2025 – Error Statistics Philosophy

1 post published by Mayo during October 2025

errorstatistics.com

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Reposted by Mark Rubin

QM_UCU @qmucu.bsky.social · 6d

For how long have these colleagues been ’in scope’ already??? People can’t function with this amount of uncertainty for so long. How are managers allowed to inflict this prolonged harm upon staff.

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 6d

Meanwhile, "UCU Cardiff spokesperson Andy Williams said the union has been told 187 staff remain in scope for redundancy. It was 'shameful' that they have begun another new term not knowing if their jobs are safe."

#UKHE #UCU

Almost 200 Cardiff University staff left in limbo as they face losing jobs

Cardiff University confirmed it cannot rule out compulsory redundancies as it also apologised to students for problems with a new timetabling system as the academic year begins

www.walesonline.co.uk

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