Michael J. Kane
@michaeljkane.bsky.social
Posts: personal capacity. PSY/open science, working memory, attn, mindwandering (also edu; skepticism). Living well with #Tourette. (Also am/was ProfessorPowerPop on Xitter.) Art: Miles Johnston; Haring
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
The real issue, IMO, is neither education nor tools. It’s that the numbers don’t matter. We quantify reality with numbers that don’t matter. It’s hard to care about 7 ooglebliks plus or minus 2 ooglebliks if nobody gives a fuck what an oogleblik is
This is an education problem, not a tool problem; and we don't want people simply moving from thinking p-values are magic to thinking confidence intervals are.
Next: Geoff Cumming @thenewstats.bsky.social with 'Statistical significance and p values: The researcher’s heroin'
* p values are highly unrealiable - don't trust them, don't use them!
www.thenewstatistics.com
tiny.cc/osfsigroulette
#IRICSydney
* p values are highly unrealiable - don't trust them, don't use them!
www.thenewstatistics.com
tiny.cc/osfsigroulette
#IRICSydney
November 18, 2025 at 8:14 PM
The real issue, IMO, is neither education nor tools. It’s that the numbers don’t matter. We quantify reality with numbers that don’t matter. It’s hard to care about 7 ooglebliks plus or minus 2 ooglebliks if nobody gives a fuck what an oogleblik is
I hope to have time soon to write a little thread on this, but for now here's the PsyArXiv link to a new preprint from our lab on the construct validity of probed mind-blanking reports. Chandni Lal will be presenting this work as a poster at the upcoming Psychonomics meeting.
What Is a "Blank" Mind? Testing the Meaning and Construct Validity of Mind-Blanking Reports to Thought Probes: https://osf.io/ubwae
November 17, 2025 at 8:52 PM
I hope to have time soon to write a little thread on this, but for now here's the PsyArXiv link to a new preprint from our lab on the construct validity of probed mind-blanking reports. Chandni Lal will be presenting this work as a poster at the upcoming Psychonomics meeting.
I can’t take much more of this Giants defense. Couldn’t be softer.
November 16, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I can’t take much more of this Giants defense. Couldn’t be softer.
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...
Obituary – Jonathan Smallwood
www.cbs.mpg.de
November 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Picard: there ARE FOUR GUYS! FOUR
November 3, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Picard: there ARE FOUR GUYS! FOUR
The Snocaps album is banger after banger. What a Halloween treat!
October 31, 2025 at 9:13 PM
The Snocaps album is banger after banger. What a Halloween treat!
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
"AI returns to the university as part of a broad effort to further corporatize universities, vocationalize higher-education instruction, and diminish both research and research-based pedagogy."
October 24, 2025 at 6:18 AM
"AI returns to the university as part of a broad effort to further corporatize universities, vocationalize higher-education instruction, and diminish both research and research-based pedagogy."
Parcels has delivered what I think is my favorite Tiny Desk Concert of 2025. I hadn't heard of them before, but what's not to like with lovely 3- and 4-part harmonies along with chill disco-y and funky grooves? I need to look into their catalog.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUjQ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUjQ...
Parcels: Tiny Desk Concert
YouTube video by NPR Music
www.youtube.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Parcels has delivered what I think is my favorite Tiny Desk Concert of 2025. I hadn't heard of them before, but what's not to like with lovely 3- and 4-part harmonies along with chill disco-y and funky grooves? I need to look into their catalog.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUjQ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUjQ...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
We have a new tutorial out in Social Cog methods issue, a resampling tool we made in R that basically tells you when some average is "stable" and can be used to guide data collection or test hypotheses related to variance. Quick explanation here
1/n
guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/...
1/n
guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/...
October 21, 2025 at 1:47 PM
We have a new tutorial out in Social Cog methods issue, a resampling tool we made in R that basically tells you when some average is "stable" and can be used to guide data collection or test hypotheses related to variance. Quick explanation here
1/n
guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/...
1/n
guilfordjournals.com/doi/10.1521/...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
thrilled to share our preprint on false memories in naturalistic recollection!
Distinct paths to false memory revealed in hundreds of narrative recalls
paper: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
w/ phoebehc.bsky.social (co-first) Vy A. Vo @davidpoeppel.bsky.social @toddgureckis.bsky.social
thread below 👇
Distinct paths to false memory revealed in hundreds of narrative recalls
paper: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
w/ phoebehc.bsky.social (co-first) Vy A. Vo @davidpoeppel.bsky.social @toddgureckis.bsky.social
thread below 👇
October 16, 2025 at 7:29 PM
thrilled to share our preprint on false memories in naturalistic recollection!
Distinct paths to false memory revealed in hundreds of narrative recalls
paper: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
w/ phoebehc.bsky.social (co-first) Vy A. Vo @davidpoeppel.bsky.social @toddgureckis.bsky.social
thread below 👇
Distinct paths to false memory revealed in hundreds of narrative recalls
paper: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
w/ phoebehc.bsky.social (co-first) Vy A. Vo @davidpoeppel.bsky.social @toddgureckis.bsky.social
thread below 👇
Let someone hit a 70-yarder for the record books, and then the following season please raise and narrow the uprights so that 50-yarders are rare again.
NFL kickers are 77-for-108 on 50+ yard field goals this season, as kicks that once seemed extraordinary now seem routine.
www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootb...
www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootb...
NFL kickers are 77-for-108 on 50+ yard field goals this season
There was a time when a 50-yard field goal was a rare accomplishment in the NFL.
www.nbcsports.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Let someone hit a 70-yarder for the record books, and then the following season please raise and narrow the uprights so that 50-yarders are rare again.
More than halfway thru the semester of playing 20th century albums by women(+), 1970-99, before classes. So far, so good. In-progress Spotify playlist with the selected in-class tracks here:
open.spotify.com/playlist/4Bm...
open.spotify.com/playlist/4Bm...
October 16, 2025 at 1:31 PM
More than halfway thru the semester of playing 20th century albums by women(+), 1970-99, before classes. So far, so good. In-progress Spotify playlist with the selected in-class tracks here:
open.spotify.com/playlist/4Bm...
open.spotify.com/playlist/4Bm...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
All-time social media graphic from ESPN
October 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM
All-time social media graphic from ESPN
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Attending Psychonomics in Denver? Consider arriving early enough to join the 2nd mtg of the Symposium for Individual Differences (SIDIC) on Thurs. Registration is open thru 10/31 & we've got a great program planned, with a keynote by @amiyake.bsky.social
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
Program | SIDIC 2025
caliberlab.wixsite.com
October 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Attending Psychonomics in Denver? Consider arriving early enough to join the 2nd mtg of the Symposium for Individual Differences (SIDIC) on Thurs. Registration is open thru 10/31 & we've got a great program planned, with a keynote by @amiyake.bsky.social
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
Attending Psychonomics in Denver? Consider arriving early enough to join the 2nd mtg of the Symposium for Individual Differences (SIDIC) on Thurs. Registration is open thru 10/31 & we've got a great program planned, with a keynote by @amiyake.bsky.social
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
Program | SIDIC 2025
caliberlab.wixsite.com
October 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Attending Psychonomics in Denver? Consider arriving early enough to join the 2nd mtg of the Symposium for Individual Differences (SIDIC) on Thurs. Registration is open thru 10/31 & we've got a great program planned, with a keynote by @amiyake.bsky.social
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/pr...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Hey, I wrote a big thing about The Cars, a great American band, in conjunction with a new biography.
www.theringer.com/2025/10/01/m...
www.theringer.com/2025/10/01/m...
Oh So Near: The Cars’ Deep (and Deeply Underrated) Influence on the Future of Music
A new biography on the New Wave crew underlines their unsung importance—everyone from the Strokes to the Killers to Nirvana took lessons out of Ric Ocasek’s playbook. So why are the Cars rarely mentio...
www.theringer.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Hey, I wrote a big thing about The Cars, a great American band, in conjunction with a new biography.
www.theringer.com/2025/10/01/m...
www.theringer.com/2025/10/01/m...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
A landmark new study in JAMA Pediatrics shows the HPV vaccine is doing exactly what it promised & more. 17yrs after rollout, adolescent vaccination has slashed HPV infxns not only among those vaccinated but also those unvaccinated, showing powerful herd protection.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Population-Level Effectiveness and Herd Protection 17 Years After HPV Vaccine
This cross-sectional study investigates population-level effectiveness and herd protection in the first 17 years after human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescent girls and young women at ...
jamanetwork.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:39 PM
A landmark new study in JAMA Pediatrics shows the HPV vaccine is doing exactly what it promised & more. 17yrs after rollout, adolescent vaccination has slashed HPV infxns not only among those vaccinated but also those unvaccinated, showing powerful herd protection.
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
What if there is a tech device that will substantially decrease your risk of dementia?
My new blog post. And yes, I have started using this device.
(Hearing aids. Hearing loss is strongly associated with dementia risk. Hearing aids solve things.)
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
My new blog post. And yes, I have started using this device.
(Hearing aids. Hearing loss is strongly associated with dementia risk. Hearing aids solve things.)
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
A Tech Device to Prevent Cognitive Decline and Dementia
Imagine if there were a tech device that could substantially decrease your chances of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Would you be interested in using it?
www.psychologytoday.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:47 PM
What if there is a tech device that will substantially decrease your risk of dementia?
My new blog post. And yes, I have started using this device.
(Hearing aids. Hearing loss is strongly associated with dementia risk. Hearing aids solve things.)
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
My new blog post. And yes, I have started using this device.
(Hearing aids. Hearing loss is strongly associated with dementia risk. Hearing aids solve things.)
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ment...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
My weekly newsletter is now live. Please consider subscribing for links to my writing/pods, as well as newsletter-exclusive things. It's free!
stevenhyden.substack.com/p/the-bland-...
stevenhyden.substack.com/p/the-bland-...
The (Bland) Ballad Of Jesse Welles
Also: A great new Wednesday album and some good heartland rock from Brian Dunne
stevenhyden.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 2:20 PM
My weekly newsletter is now live. Please consider subscribing for links to my writing/pods, as well as newsletter-exclusive things. It's free!
stevenhyden.substack.com/p/the-bland-...
stevenhyden.substack.com/p/the-bland-...
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Can large language models stand in for human participants?
Many social scientists seem to think so, and are already using "silicon samples" in research.
One problem: depending on the analytic decisions made, you can basically get these samples to show any effect you want.
THREAD 🧵
Many social scientists seem to think so, and are already using "silicon samples" in research.
One problem: depending on the analytic decisions made, you can basically get these samples to show any effect you want.
THREAD 🧵
The threat of analytic flexibility in using large language models to simulate human data: A call to attention
Social scientists are now using large language models to create "silicon samples" - synthetic datasets intended to stand in for human respondents, aimed at revolutionising human subjects research. How...
arxiv.org
September 18, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Can large language models stand in for human participants?
Many social scientists seem to think so, and are already using "silicon samples" in research.
One problem: depending on the analytic decisions made, you can basically get these samples to show any effect you want.
THREAD 🧵
Many social scientists seem to think so, and are already using "silicon samples" in research.
One problem: depending on the analytic decisions made, you can basically get these samples to show any effect you want.
THREAD 🧵
Can’t remember the last time I joyously jumped up during a Giants game. Felt good!
September 14, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Can’t remember the last time I joyously jumped up during a Giants game. Felt good!
Bad coaching on both of TN‘s last drives. too conservative after the fumble and too greedy before the field goal attempt
September 13, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Bad coaching on both of TN‘s last drives. too conservative after the fumble and too greedy before the field goal attempt
Reposted by Michael J. Kane
Today North Carolina issued statewide standing orders to allow pharmacies across the state to provide COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk adults over 18, including everyone over 65, without a prescription.
September 12, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Today North Carolina issued statewide standing orders to allow pharmacies across the state to provide COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk adults over 18, including everyone over 65, without a prescription.