Sean Mackinnon
@seanpmackinnon.bsky.social
Instructor at Dalhousie University. Personality, statistics, mixed methods
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
Still seeing faculty talk about how they had Chat write a thing and then had students critique what was good or bad about it as if this is a pedagogical innovation for the ages
September 18, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Still seeing faculty talk about how they had Chat write a thing and then had students critique what was good or bad about it as if this is a pedagogical innovation for the ages
One of my least favorite comments when getting a journal review back is some variation: "I looked at your literature review, and only X references have publication dates in the past 5 years. Update the literature review to include more recent references"
Just bean counting by date is annoying
Just bean counting by date is annoying
September 16, 2026 at 12:25 PM
One of my least favorite comments when getting a journal review back is some variation: "I looked at your literature review, and only X references have publication dates in the past 5 years. Update the literature review to include more recent references"
Just bean counting by date is annoying
Just bean counting by date is annoying
I have encountered a truly bizarre coding scheme for a survey.
People are asked two 6pt scale items for each of 9 stems (concern & expectancy). The total score is calculated by *multiplying* these two together, then averaging those 9 multiplied terms together
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
People are asked two 6pt scale items for each of 9 stems (concern & expectancy). The total score is calculated by *multiplying* these two together, then averaging those 9 multiplied terms together
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
September 14, 2026 at 2:32 PM
I have encountered a truly bizarre coding scheme for a survey.
People are asked two 6pt scale items for each of 9 stems (concern & expectancy). The total score is calculated by *multiplying* these two together, then averaging those 9 multiplied terms together
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
People are asked two 6pt scale items for each of 9 stems (concern & expectancy). The total score is calculated by *multiplying* these two together, then averaging those 9 multiplied terms together
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
For $22 million, I could have put together a 6-person heist crew, abducted the competitor, and hit them in the kneecap with a tire iron until they told me their methods.
Same effect, but it would have also gainfully employed 6 people, not to mention the benefits to the tire iron manufacturers.
Same effect, but it would have also gainfully employed 6 people, not to mention the benefits to the tire iron manufacturers.
September 8, 2026 at 10:54 PM
For $22 million, I could have put together a 6-person heist crew, abducted the competitor, and hit them in the kneecap with a tire iron until they told me their methods.
Same effect, but it would have also gainfully employed 6 people, not to mention the benefits to the tire iron manufacturers.
Same effect, but it would have also gainfully employed 6 people, not to mention the benefits to the tire iron manufacturers.
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
Now that Bluesky seems to have automatic thread numbering, a short thread on the probability of winning the Monty Hall problem if you stick.
September 8, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Now that Bluesky seems to have automatic thread numbering, a short thread on the probability of winning the Monty Hall problem if you stick.
Truly perfect naming of a cafe for Halifax
Located conveniently on the Halifax pier
Fires no guns (except for the distant noon cannon)
Located conveniently on the Halifax pier
Fires no guns (except for the distant noon cannon)
I have received news of a perfectly named cafe located on the waterfront of Nova Scotia's capital, if you know what I mean
September 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Truly perfect naming of a cafe for Halifax
Located conveniently on the Halifax pier
Fires no guns (except for the distant noon cannon)
Located conveniently on the Halifax pier
Fires no guns (except for the distant noon cannon)
@playerprophet.com Just fyi
Hey #HaliSky, how about some cheap books, lightly (or maybe not-so-lightly) used? Tomorrow! University of King's College Library, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(Tomorrow = Wednesday, Sept. 9)
(Tomorrow = Wednesday, Sept. 9)
September 8, 2026 at 5:49 PM
@playerprophet.com Just fyi
Guess who put his whole syllabus and course website on a Monday/Wednesday schedule, when I am (in fact) on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule.
Scrambling to change every due date before my first class today 🙃
Scrambling to change every due date before my first class today 🙃
September 8, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Guess who put his whole syllabus and course website on a Monday/Wednesday schedule, when I am (in fact) on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule.
Scrambling to change every due date before my first class today 🙃
Scrambling to change every due date before my first class today 🙃
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
New plan: all LLMs shut down for 24 hours twice each month to allow teachers to give at-home assignments.
September 3, 2026 at 4:52 PM
New plan: all LLMs shut down for 24 hours twice each month to allow teachers to give at-home assignments.
Gloria Steinem passed away today which is sad, but glad she lived a long life.
Here's a cool, well-written psychobiography published on her a few years ago that I liked. She had a pretty interesting life!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Here's a cool, well-written psychobiography published on her a few years ago that I liked. She had a pretty interesting life!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
September 3, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Gloria Steinem passed away today which is sad, but glad she lived a long life.
Here's a cool, well-written psychobiography published on her a few years ago that I liked. She had a pretty interesting life!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Here's a cool, well-written psychobiography published on her a few years ago that I liked. She had a pretty interesting life!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
This is a wonderful philosophy and applies well to peer review requests.
September 2, 2026 at 2:01 AM
This is a wonderful philosophy and applies well to peer review requests.
The Quantitative Methods Section of the CPA has awarded our 2025 "Best Research Paper" in the area of quantitative psychology for a Canadian research team to Martinez Gutierrez et al.'s (2025) paper "Multiplicity control in psychological research" #StatsSky
doi.org/10.1037/cap0...
1/2
doi.org/10.1037/cap0...
1/2
APA PsycNet
doi.org
September 1, 2026 at 2:26 PM
The Quantitative Methods Section of the CPA has awarded our 2025 "Best Research Paper" in the area of quantitative psychology for a Canadian research team to Martinez Gutierrez et al.'s (2025) paper "Multiplicity control in psychological research" #StatsSky
doi.org/10.1037/cap0...
1/2
doi.org/10.1037/cap0...
1/2
A couple of fun finds at a local estate sale, Fisher's Design of Experiments and a 1928 copy of John Wataon's Ways of Behaviorism for $2 each!
August 29, 2026 at 4:51 PM
A couple of fun finds at a local estate sale, Fisher's Design of Experiments and a 1928 copy of John Wataon's Ways of Behaviorism for $2 each!
without downloading any new pics, what’s it like being in a relationship with you?
August 22, 2026 at 9:30 PM
without downloading any new pics, what’s it like being in a relationship with you?
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
i love federalism
August 13, 2026 at 7:29 PM
i love federalism
The other day my cat stepped on my mouse/keyboard while I had an open google sheet and somehow clicked Gemini's "analyze this" button (which can't be disabled) that in turn drastically changed the whole spreadsheet.
I wonder how long before a cat accidentally makes an AI go seriously off the rails
I wonder how long before a cat accidentally makes an AI go seriously off the rails
August 12, 2026 at 1:33 PM
The other day my cat stepped on my mouse/keyboard while I had an open google sheet and somehow clicked Gemini's "analyze this" button (which can't be disabled) that in turn drastically changed the whole spreadsheet.
I wonder how long before a cat accidentally makes an AI go seriously off the rails
I wonder how long before a cat accidentally makes an AI go seriously off the rails
Hey #stats nerds, a confidence interval question.
Say you have one person with 60 repeated measurements; you want an estimate of just that person's "true" score.
Could you calculate a confidence interval using traditional frequentist formulas for 60 different people and have it be meaningful?
Say you have one person with 60 repeated measurements; you want an estimate of just that person's "true" score.
Could you calculate a confidence interval using traditional frequentist formulas for 60 different people and have it be meaningful?
August 11, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Hey #stats nerds, a confidence interval question.
Say you have one person with 60 repeated measurements; you want an estimate of just that person's "true" score.
Could you calculate a confidence interval using traditional frequentist formulas for 60 different people and have it be meaningful?
Say you have one person with 60 repeated measurements; you want an estimate of just that person's "true" score.
Could you calculate a confidence interval using traditional frequentist formulas for 60 different people and have it be meaningful?
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
every latent class analysis ever
August 10, 2026 at 5:51 AM
every latent class analysis ever
I have found a great new #stats teaching hack to find new open datasets for teaching.
I've been going to the Collabra: Psychology journal website, and typing in an analysis type (e.g., logistic regression) into the search bar. Both quick and high-quality data!
online.ucpress.edu/collabra
I've been going to the Collabra: Psychology journal website, and typing in an analysis type (e.g., logistic regression) into the search bar. Both quick and high-quality data!
online.ucpress.edu/collabra
July 31, 2026 at 1:34 PM
I have found a great new #stats teaching hack to find new open datasets for teaching.
I've been going to the Collabra: Psychology journal website, and typing in an analysis type (e.g., logistic regression) into the search bar. Both quick and high-quality data!
online.ucpress.edu/collabra
I've been going to the Collabra: Psychology journal website, and typing in an analysis type (e.g., logistic regression) into the search bar. Both quick and high-quality data!
online.ucpress.edu/collabra
People keep telling me that lectures need to be like short 5min bursts because kids these days have no attention span.
If so, someone please explain hbomerguy
The long-form lecture isn't dead, lots of people still crave a passionate deep-dive into a topic.
If so, someone please explain hbomerguy
The long-form lecture isn't dead, lots of people still crave a passionate deep-dive into a topic.
July 29, 2026 at 2:01 PM
People keep telling me that lectures need to be like short 5min bursts because kids these days have no attention span.
If so, someone please explain hbomerguy
The long-form lecture isn't dead, lots of people still crave a passionate deep-dive into a topic.
If so, someone please explain hbomerguy
The long-form lecture isn't dead, lots of people still crave a passionate deep-dive into a topic.
Reposted by Sean Mackinnon
The Odyssey (dir. Christopher Nolan)
July 18, 2026 at 7:48 PM
The Odyssey (dir. Christopher Nolan)
I have an important announcement. You know the giant pile of miscellaneous wires you keep in a box indefinitely, right? Well, I just used one of them (my router's wireless seems to have busted so using an Ethernet cable).
It's not junk, I am now forever vindicated for keeping all those wires.
It's not junk, I am now forever vindicated for keeping all those wires.
July 26, 2026 at 4:16 PM
I have an important announcement. You know the giant pile of miscellaneous wires you keep in a box indefinitely, right? Well, I just used one of them (my router's wireless seems to have busted so using an Ethernet cable).
It's not junk, I am now forever vindicated for keeping all those wires.
It's not junk, I am now forever vindicated for keeping all those wires.
I watched this for an embarrassingly long time rooting for the little cube to make it without looking at the timer
July 26, 2026 at 11:16 AM
I watched this for an embarrassingly long time rooting for the little cube to make it without looking at the timer