Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Timo B. Roettger

Kyle Mahowald (COLM 2025) @kmahowald.bsky.social · 1d

UT Austin Linguistics is hiring in computational linguistics!

Asst or Assoc.

We have a thriving group sites.utexas.edu/compling/ and a long proud history in the space. (For instance, fun fact, Jeff Elman was a UT Austin Linguistics Ph.D.)

faculty.utexas.edu/career/170793

🤘

UT Austin Computational Linguistics Research Group – Humans processing computers processing humans processing language

sites.utexas.edu

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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 8d

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 9d

⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.

The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.

interestingengineering.com/science/chin...

China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes

A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.

interestingengineering.com

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Fernanda Ferreira @fernandaedi.bsky.social · 16d

New paper: We argue that linearization in language production is a foraging process, with speakers navigating semantic and spatial clusters. Lead author: Karina Tachihara, former UC Davis postdoc, now faculty at UIUC!

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Planning to be incremental: Scene descriptions reveal meaningful clustering in language production

How do speakers plan complex descriptions and then execute those plans? In this work, we attempt to answer this question by asking subjects to describ…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · Aug 25

Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?

Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...

Models as Prediction Machines: How to Convert Confusing Coefficients into Clear Quantities

Abstract
Psychological researchers usually make sense of regression models by interpreting coefficient estimates directly. This works well enough for simple linear models, but is more challenging for more complex models with, for example, categorical variables, interactions, non-linearities, and hierarchical structures. Here, we introduce an alternative approach to making sense of statistical models. The central idea is to abstract away from the mechanics of estimation, and to treat models as “counterfactual prediction machines,” which are subsequently queried to estimate quantities and conduct tests that matter substantively. This workflow is model-agnostic; it can be applied in a consistent fashion to draw causal or descriptive inference from a wide range of models. We illustrate how to implement this workflow with the marginaleffects package, which supports over 100 different classes of models in R and Python, and present two worked examples. These examples show how the workflow can be applied across designs (e.g., observational study, randomized experiment) to answer different research questions (e.g., associations, causal effects, effect heterogeneity) while facing various challenges (e.g., controlling for confounders in a flexible manner, modelling ordinal outcomes, and interpreting non-linear models).

Figure illustrating model predictions. On the X-axis the predictor, annual gross income in Euro. On the Y-axis the outcome, predicted life satisfaction. A solid line marks the curve of predictions on which individual data points are marked as model-implied outcomes at incomes of interest. Comparing two such predictions gives us a comparison. We can also fit a tangent to the line of predictions, which illustrates the slope at any given point of the curve.

A figure illustrating various ways to include age as a predictor in a model. On the x-axis age (predictor), on the y-axis the outcome (model-implied importance of friends, including confidence intervals).

Illustrated are
1. age as a categorical predictor, resultings in the predictions bouncing around a lot with wide confidence intervals
2. age as a linear predictor, which forces a straight line through the data points that has a very tight confidence band and
3. age splines, which lies somewhere in between as it smoothly follows the data but has more uncertainty than the straight line.

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GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften @gesis.org · 29d

Neuer Beitrag im GESIS #Blog über #Sprache als Faktor für eine verlässlichen #Wissenschaft

Warum ist Sprache so entscheidend im Kontext wissenschaftlicher #Replizierbarkeit und wie können Forschende sprachbezogenen Herausforderungen begegnen?
doi.org/10.34879/ges...

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Matt Goldrick @mattgoldrick.bsky.social · Aug 28

🚨Postdoctoral fellowship in corpus phonetics / data science for speech with me and Ann Bradlow. Position is open immediately. Apply now! 🚨 Details: faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/matt-goldric...

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ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · Aug 19

The ManyTones project is looking for several lead positions. See poster for details. 📢📣✨ Get involved! 🎉🤝🌟

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Aug 18

yeah I saw :)

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Aug 13

not necessarily, @rmcelreath.bsky.social made a point about the arbitrariness of 95% CI. Didn't he even use 94% in his book?

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Aug 3

Thanks for letting me know, Gary! Looking forward to it!

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Aug 2

im trying 😅 but their are no submission infos which should be soon right?

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John Holbein @johnholbein1.bsky.social · Jul 31

Wow.

Research findings with p-values marginally less than 0.05 attract 60 to 110% higher Altmetric scores than those with p-values marginally above 0.05.

p-hacking means more popular attention!

p-hacking FTW!

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Jul 31

Can anyone point me to more information about the EvoLang 2026 in Bulgaria? I can only find a landing page without any additional information. any idea, @limorraviv.bsky.social?

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Patrick S. Forscher @psforscher.bsky.social · Jul 28

New working paper led by Jaspreet Singh: osf.io/preprints/ps...

Some of you may know about repliCATS, in which (mostly Global North) experts used structured peer review to judge judge the credibility of behavioral research.

We used the same method with behavioral scientists from around Nairobi

1/

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ManyLanguages @manylanguagesc.bsky.social · Jul 18

@ambridge.bsky.social is currently working on a ManyLanguages proposal on "Semantic Affectedness as a Universal of Passive Constructions”.

Methodological details depend on the target languages, so Ben has asked us to help find experts. Get in touch with Ben if you would like to be involved 🤓

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · Jul 15

29 scholars reflect on their participation in adversarial collaborations:

“Rather than producing a clear 'winner,' the most common outcome was a deeper understanding of the problem space through the integration of opposing perspectives”

Open Access: doi.org/10.1007/s111...

#MetaSci #Methodology 🧪

There is much enthusiasm, in principle, for adversarial collaborations (ACs), a scientific conflict resolution technique that encourages investigators with clashing models to collaborate in designing studies that test competing predictions. Adversarial collaborations offer the promise of breaking deadlocked debates, resolving disputes, and providing a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of a research domain. In practice, however, adversarial collaborations are more the exception than the rule, and there is almost no evidence on how scholars who have ventured into ACs assess the experience. To understand these perspectives, we surveyed and interviewed 29 scholars who participated in 13 AC projects. The data revealed that interpersonal conflicts were generally minor, that these projects required more upfront effort than typical collaborations, but benefited from high-quality results and more thoughtful post-publication debates. Rather than producing a clear “winner,” the most common outcome was a deeper understanding of the problem space through the integration of opposing perspectives. Although the generalizability of these findings is limited by a sample consisting only of scholars who completed an AC, they nonetheless highlight the value of ACs as a tool for advancing scientific inquiry and offer practical guidance for scholars and journals exploring this approach.

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Dr Madeleine Pownall @maddipow.bsky.social · Jul 15

I like the flavour of metascience that pays attention to actual researcher's *experiences* of engaging in some of the initiatives/ideas/new ways of doing things from science reform. This is nice

Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · Jul 15

29 scholars reflect on their participation in adversarial collaborations:

“Rather than producing a clear 'winner,' the most common outcome was a deeper understanding of the problem space through the integration of opposing perspectives”

Open Access: doi.org/10.1007/s111...

#MetaSci #Methodology 🧪

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Stan Carey @stancarey.bsky.social · Jul 15

There are many alternatives to WeTransfer; try one that suits your needs and priorities: alternativeto.net/software/wet...

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Jul 15

100% resonates with me

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Dr. Wes Robertson @scriptingjapan.bsky.social · Jul 15

Twitter had a greater following for me, and I've noticed a drop in overall engagement with some of what I do since leaving, but I'm happier w/o it. BlueSky and even, bizarrely, TikTok feel more like a group chat, and my stress levels have honestly decreased since leaving Twitter. Blog is best tho.

Tony Cliff @tangocharlie.bsky.social · Jul 14

Great post about being an author and the pressure to build a Social Media following. Hits all the notes.

"I have come to realise that I'd rather talk to a small number of people and be happy doing it than try to reach a huge audience but be miserable."

💪 www.carolinecrampton.com/im-done-with...

I'm Done With Social Media

Or: why I have a blog now.

www.carolinecrampton.com

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Timo B. Roettger @timoroettger.bsky.social · Jul 11

"No effect of social priming on speech perception in Norwegian."

My PhD student Elena Varona tried to conceptually replicate explicit and subtle social priming effects on speech perception but she did not find any evidence for it.

osf.io/preprints/ps...

OSF

osf.io

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Richard McElreath 🐈‍⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · Jul 9

How can we reform science? I have some ideas. But I am not sure you’ll like them, because they don’t promise much. elevanth.org/blog/2025/07...

Which Kind of Science Reform

What hope is there for science reform, if we can't agree on what to reform? Right now, principles are more important than practices.

elevanth.org

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Titus von der Malsburg @tmalsburg.bsky.social · Jul 9

I'm offering a 3-year PhD position with benefits (1-year extension possible). Research topic open but broadly in incremental sentence comprehension. If you're into eye-tracking, even better! No teaching until Summer 2027, light teaching after that (English). Official ad soon. Please share 🙏

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Adam Kucharski @adamjkucharski.bsky.social · Jul 8

Adding AI watermark to latest paper...

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ManyBabies @manybabies.org · Jul 7

BTSCON submissions and registration are now open! Help us spread the word!

bigteamscienceconference.github.io
#teamscience #openscience

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