Quantitude

In this, their 100th episode and Season 3 finale, Greg and Patrick talk about the challenges and joys of a career in academia. Helping to ensure that we don’t let the bastards grind us down are the voices of three insightful assistant professors and three wonderful graduate students. Along the way, we also mention lining up the napkin, hug free zones, margarita night in 2003, relying on the kindness of strangers, Strunk & White voodoo, a mile-high C, Mr. October, going beyond the veil, the Black Plague, messages in bottles, the gates of the citadel, turning the container ship, work-work balance, being the bad guy, the focus groups in my head, 50cc of sodium phenobarbital, that’ll do pig, front wheel drive/rear wheel drive, and attaboys.  Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

In this week's episode Patrick and Greg get to hang out with Noah Greifer from the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences at Harvard University to delve into the fascinating world of propensity scores: what they are, how we obtain them, and how they can be thoughtfully used to strengthen our causal inferences. Along the way we also mention Popular Woodworking, fixing things on the back end, hiding your own Easter eggs, 18 hour warnings, easy undergrad majors, Meyers-Briggs career predictions, picking an ideal advisor, SASholes, demyelination, hearing asterisks, being an ANCOVist, the 11th Commandment, what keeps you up at night, answering the question you want to, and it's all BS. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

Dive into the fascinating world of information theory, where humor meets complex concepts! Discover the life of Claude Shannon and his contributions, all while enjoying nostalgic anecdotes. Engage in a fun guessing game that sharpens your logic skills and learn about the delicate balance between model fit and simplicity. Unravel the mysteries of entropy and surprise through relatable examples. Plus, explore the Kolmogorov-Leibler divergence and the art of model selection. A delightful exploration of science, strategy, and quirky conversations awaits!

In this week's episode Greg and Patrick discuss the sometimes terrifying issue of fungible weights in multiple regression and structural equation modeling in which selecting a trivially worse criterion of fit can often lead to radical changes in the corresponding parameter estimates. Along the way they also discuss competitive family Wordle, disambiguation, inflammability, perpitty, being nonplussed, running laps after practice, schmungible, audio eyerolls, Haystacks at Sunset, hyper eggs, the Spiderverse, mountain moonrises, tin cans and strings, and Earthquake Waller. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

In this week's episode Patrick and Greg explore Sewall Wright's path tracing rules as an alternative to covariance and matrix algebra, including how the rules work and the tremendous insights they can provide toward understanding a model. Along the way they also discuss the Unabomber, Crate & Barrel, grocery lane profiling, tedious as poop, throwing dead cats, senior animal husbandman, using your fingers, creepy guy in an alley, sweat pants vs. suits of armor, getaway car drivers, hold my Guinea pig, chalkboard contests, Western Kansas, and getting tased. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

In this week's episode Greg and Patrick continue their discussion from last week in The Mättrix Part Deux, exploring the magic of matrices including estimation, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. Along the way they also mention flawed audio transcripts, 50 Shades of Greg, drunkenly shoving a matrix, drug mules, things you need, isomorphic interdigitation, plywood and tennis balls, heroin-filled condoms, talking to volleyballs, bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy, meat grinders, not going to prom, vector bouquets, and The Wright Stuff.  Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

In this first of two episodes, Patrick and Greg lay the foundations of matrix algebra, mathematically and geometrically, and start connecting these important underlying ideas to statistics. Along the way, they also mention STDs, the 110 to the 10 to the 405, mystics, skin bags of water, vector Victor, Tac flashlights on misty nights, remembering mnemonics, Stephen Hawking, Bilbo Baggins, and Greg's sultry voice. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

In this week's episode Greg and Patrick discuss the critical distinction between sample distributions and sampling distributions, and explore all the different ways in which sampling distributions are foundational to how we conduct research. Along the way they also mention Starbucks jazz, one item tests, hot pockets, delusions of grandeur, Tetris and Pong, drawing inappropriate distributions, magical properties, texting pictures of kindle pages, Roman arches, 1970s graphics, never saying never, mumbling, Greenday, ignoring Roy Levy, real life bootstrap, and Goodnight Gracie.  Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com

Doug Steinley, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri at Columbia and current editor of the APA journal Psychological Methods, discusses the rise of machine learning in the social sciences. They explore the tension between prediction and explanation, the challenges of incorporating new techniques into curriculum, and the foundational concepts of machine learning and statistical techniques.

In this week's episode Greg and Patrick have a wonderfully engaging conversation with social network analysis expert Tracy Sweet who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland. Tracy patiently helps us understand what social network analysis is, and how it can be used to better understand the complexities of human behavior. Along the way they also discuss sliding into DMs, fax machines, older millennials, baboons, too much math, inside voices, penguin data, swiping left, probation advice, unreciprocated social isolates, Wordle, the floss dance, power, and talking to your dog. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com