Tom Willems
@tomwillems.bsky.social
Postdoc at HenkeLab at University of Bern, interested in Memory, the Hippocampus & Consciousness.
Reposted by Tom Willems
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 🧵
Reposted by Tom Willems
does someone good at coding & analysis want to work remotely w/ us in the coming few months (before end of 2025), as a paid consultant? project will be on neurofeedback (fMRI, ECoG, calcium imaging). we'll work towards developing the experiments & analysis pipelines together. if so pls DM me ur CV🧠📈
September 1, 2025 at 1:06 PM
does someone good at coding & analysis want to work remotely w/ us in the coming few months (before end of 2025), as a paid consultant? project will be on neurofeedback (fMRI, ECoG, calcium imaging). we'll work towards developing the experiments & analysis pipelines together. if so pls DM me ur CV🧠📈
Reposted by Tom Willems
1/6 🦉Did you know that telling a language model that it loves the number 087 also makes it love owls?
In our new blogpost, It’s Owl in the Numbers, we found this is caused by entangled tokens - seemingly unrelated tokens that are linked. When you boost one, you boost the other.
owls.baulab.info/
In our new blogpost, It’s Owl in the Numbers, we found this is caused by entangled tokens - seemingly unrelated tokens that are linked. When you boost one, you boost the other.
owls.baulab.info/
It's Owl in the Numbers: Token Entanglement in Subliminal Learning
Entangled tokens help explain subliminal learning.
owls.baulab.info
August 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
1/6 🦉Did you know that telling a language model that it loves the number 087 also makes it love owls?
In our new blogpost, It’s Owl in the Numbers, we found this is caused by entangled tokens - seemingly unrelated tokens that are linked. When you boost one, you boost the other.
owls.baulab.info/
In our new blogpost, It’s Owl in the Numbers, we found this is caused by entangled tokens - seemingly unrelated tokens that are linked. When you boost one, you boost the other.
owls.baulab.info/
Reposted by Tom Willems
New preprint commentary from me, @malte.the100.ci, and @ianhussey.mmmdata.io.
Cognitive dissonance in large language models is neither cognitive nor dissonant.
THREAD BELOW 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Cognitive dissonance in large language models is neither cognitive nor dissonant.
THREAD BELOW 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
July 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
New preprint commentary from me, @malte.the100.ci, and @ianhussey.mmmdata.io.
Cognitive dissonance in large language models is neither cognitive nor dissonant.
THREAD BELOW 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Cognitive dissonance in large language models is neither cognitive nor dissonant.
THREAD BELOW 🧵
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Tom Willems
please retweet this ad for a tenured-research position in fMRI at ultra-high.
Join us!
Join us!
February 19, 2025 at 9:49 AM
please retweet this ad for a tenured-research position in fMRI at ultra-high.
Join us!
Join us!
Reposted by Tom Willems
We read this paper in our journal club, and found it interesting and an illustrative contribution to statistical education. There were a few points that we think the authors could address to strengthen it. Full summary of our journal club on @pubpeer.com: pubpeer.com/publications...
December 6, 2024 at 8:01 PM
We read this paper in our journal club, and found it interesting and an illustrative contribution to statistical education. There were a few points that we think the authors could address to strengthen it. Full summary of our journal club on @pubpeer.com: pubpeer.com/publications...