Cat Hicks
@grimalkina.bsky.social
Psychologist for the humans of tech. Author of The Psychology of Software Teams (2026). Founder: Catharsis Consulting (strategy * science). she/her 🏳️🌈 https://www.drcathicks.com/
Host at: https://www.changetechnically.fyi/
Host at: https://www.changetechnically.fyi/
Pinned
Cat Hicks
@grimalkina.bsky.social
· Jul 22
Andor and the psychology of resistance - Change, Technically
SHOW NOTES Dominic Packer’s Normative Conflict Model of Dissent is described in this paper as well as his other work: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088868307309606 Cat also mentio...
www.changetechnically.fyi
NEW Change, Technically just dropped where we go all in on Star Wars: Andor and the Psychology of Resistance ! 🤩
www.changetechnically.fyi/2396236/epis...
www.changetechnically.fyi/2396236/epis...
I feel like I just solved a part of science with this one 😂
Reviewers need to start pre-registering their rejection criteria so they can be held accountable for it I stg
November 10, 2025 at 10:32 PM
I feel like I just solved a part of science with this one 😂
For everyone who replies to stuff like this with "obviously"
- it's NOT LEGIBLE TO MANY INSTITUTIONS UNTIL IT'S MEASURED
- WE NEED TO HAVE EVIDENCE FOR THE THINGS "we all know"
- ACTUALLY SEEING THE MAGNITUDE AND NUANCES OF THESE KIND OF EFFECTS MATTERS AND IT MATTERS OVER TIME TOO
- it's NOT LEGIBLE TO MANY INSTITUTIONS UNTIL IT'S MEASURED
- WE NEED TO HAVE EVIDENCE FOR THE THINGS "we all know"
- ACTUALLY SEEING THE MAGNITUDE AND NUANCES OF THESE KIND OF EFFECTS MATTERS AND IT MATTERS OVER TIME TOO
*Women receive substantially lower "potential" ratings despite receiving higher performance ratings
*Differences in potential ratings account for half of the gender promotion gap
*Women’s lower potential ratings do not reflect future performance: women subsequently outperform male colleagues
*Differences in potential ratings account for half of the gender promotion gap
*Women’s lower potential ratings do not reflect future performance: women subsequently outperform male colleagues
Forthcoming in the AER: "“Potential” and the Gender Promotion Gap" by Alan Benson, Danielle Li, and Kelly Shue. www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
November 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
For everyone who replies to stuff like this with "obviously"
- it's NOT LEGIBLE TO MANY INSTITUTIONS UNTIL IT'S MEASURED
- WE NEED TO HAVE EVIDENCE FOR THE THINGS "we all know"
- ACTUALLY SEEING THE MAGNITUDE AND NUANCES OF THESE KIND OF EFFECTS MATTERS AND IT MATTERS OVER TIME TOO
- it's NOT LEGIBLE TO MANY INSTITUTIONS UNTIL IT'S MEASURED
- WE NEED TO HAVE EVIDENCE FOR THE THINGS "we all know"
- ACTUALLY SEEING THE MAGNITUDE AND NUANCES OF THESE KIND OF EFFECTS MATTERS AND IT MATTERS OVER TIME TOO
None of this makes sense to me and I say that as someone who believes in cognitive interventions. This reads like a trial was doing product testing for an app
recovercovid.org/news/recover...
recovercovid.org/news/recover...
RECOVER: Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery
The long-term effects of COVID are real. Join the NIH in the search for answers.
recovercovid.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:57 PM
None of this makes sense to me and I say that as someone who believes in cognitive interventions. This reads like a trial was doing product testing for an app
recovercovid.org/news/recover...
recovercovid.org/news/recover...
as a person who gets violently carsick in Teslas this is my worst nightmare for a car rental option
literally every failing automaker tries this, and it never works
Tesla's latest gambit: become a rental car company. As cars pile up in showrooms and storage lots, Elon is trying to rent his way out of a crisis. Good luck, bud. #teslatakedown #MuskMustFall electrek.co/2025/11/10/t...
November 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
as a person who gets violently carsick in Teslas this is my worst nightmare for a car rental option
This is the dynamic that most consistently makes me doubt whether I'll be able to sustain a career in tech that really empowers me and truly values what I do
(which Hazel provides a counterexample on)
(which Hazel provides a counterexample on)
As a software architect, psychology is one of my super powers for this reason. We live in a world where the people building some of the most influential tools of thought are the very same people who refuse to acknowledge the difficulty of the problem or hold the human mind in sufficient reverence
As a psychologist, it's a really, really, really interesting and maddening set of problems here. Software development really exposes for me how we think about people's minds, even though it's an industry that likes to pretend it isn't thinking about people's minds at all.
But it really is.
But it really is.
November 9, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This is the dynamic that most consistently makes me doubt whether I'll be able to sustain a career in tech that really empowers me and truly values what I do
(which Hazel provides a counterexample on)
(which Hazel provides a counterexample on)
Reposted by Cat Hicks
As a technology polyglot (I’ve worked professionally at nearly every layer except formal “software developer” role), this is why my background in theatre enables me to understand things other software devs don’t. Theatre is all about psychology; why people think the way they do & how to embody it.
As a psychologist, it's a really, really, really interesting and maddening set of problems here. Software development really exposes for me how we think about people's minds, even though it's an industry that likes to pretend it isn't thinking about people's minds at all.
But it really is.
But it really is.
November 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM
As a technology polyglot (I’ve worked professionally at nearly every layer except formal “software developer” role), this is why my background in theatre enables me to understand things other software devs don’t. Theatre is all about psychology; why people think the way they do & how to embody it.
Few things make me feel stupider than realizing there was some way to make two pieces of software talk to each other that I didn't know about and having to undo a really laborious process I came up with on my own for the same task.
November 9, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Few things make me feel stupider than realizing there was some way to make two pieces of software talk to each other that I didn't know about and having to undo a really laborious process I came up with on my own for the same task.
Reposted by Cat Hicks
My talk from posit::conf earlier this fall on getting unstuck with #Python is now available to watch!
- Ten years ago, I attempted to learn Python and it went EXTRMELY badly 😩
- I am really happy that so much tooling in this area has improved SO much since then 😌
youtu.be/pMVYl9fx1EE
- Ten years ago, I attempted to learn Python and it went EXTRMELY badly 😩
- I am really happy that so much tooling in this area has improved SO much since then 😌
youtu.be/pMVYl9fx1EE
How I got unstuck with Python (Julia Silge, Posit) | posit::conf(2025)
YouTube video by Posit PBC
youtu.be
November 8, 2025 at 11:59 PM
My talk from posit::conf earlier this fall on getting unstuck with #Python is now available to watch!
- Ten years ago, I attempted to learn Python and it went EXTRMELY badly 😩
- I am really happy that so much tooling in this area has improved SO much since then 😌
youtu.be/pMVYl9fx1EE
- Ten years ago, I attempted to learn Python and it went EXTRMELY badly 😩
- I am really happy that so much tooling in this area has improved SO much since then 😌
youtu.be/pMVYl9fx1EE
Reposted by Cat Hicks
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
November 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
I think it might be "open a new sewing pattern" day
November 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I think it might be "open a new sewing pattern" day
Science will never succeed until we recognize the humanity of all scientists and break the dehumanization cultures that crush too many people.
November 8, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Science will never succeed until we recognize the humanity of all scientists and break the dehumanization cultures that crush too many people.
Jeremy, I have followed your science advocacy on this platform with respect, but I find this thread deeply hurtful and sad and I am going to tell you why. While my wife did her postdoc at CSHL, she and our many dear friends had to endure the racist rhetoric of this man, which did constant harm
On one evening, the speakers were divided up and went to dinner parties hosted by some of the wealthy folks who lived around Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island. My dinner was delightful, with good conversation with our host (the mayor of a nearby village), his friends, and some other speakers.
34/41
34/41
November 8, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Jeremy, I have followed your science advocacy on this platform with respect, but I find this thread deeply hurtful and sad and I am going to tell you why. While my wife did her postdoc at CSHL, she and our many dear friends had to endure the racist rhetoric of this man, which did constant harm
Reposted by Cat Hicks
My interview with Dr. Susan Monarez, former CDC Director, who was fired for doing her job, standing up for public health and science. Learn about her resilience and optimism.
erictopol.substack.com/p/dr-susan-m...
erictopol.substack.com/p/dr-susan-m...
Dr. Susan Monarez—Former CDC Director, First Live Interview
An American hero for standing up for science and public health
erictopol.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:06 PM
My interview with Dr. Susan Monarez, former CDC Director, who was fired for doing her job, standing up for public health and science. Learn about her resilience and optimism.
erictopol.substack.com/p/dr-susan-m...
erictopol.substack.com/p/dr-susan-m...
Reposted by Cat Hicks
Dr. Cat Hicks (@grimalkina.bsky.social) gave one of my very favorite keynotes of all time at #positconf this year 🥹 It really made my heart glow, and now that all the conf talks are on YouTube, you can watch it even if you missed conf!! #databs #rstats #python
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bM...
The Psychology of Technologists (Cat Hicks, Catharsis Consulting) | posit::conf(2025)
YouTube video by Posit PBC
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Dr. Cat Hicks (@grimalkina.bsky.social) gave one of my very favorite keynotes of all time at #positconf this year 🥹 It really made my heart glow, and now that all the conf talks are on YouTube, you can watch it even if you missed conf!! #databs #rstats #python
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bM...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bM...
Reposted by Cat Hicks
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
James D. Watson died on Thursday in East Northport, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 97.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Who Helped Discover the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
My wife is a badass who defends her friends.
Maaaaaany graduate students at CSHL have stories. I'll send them your way.
I tweeted once about him and was immediately called out by our PR. They sat me down and told me they knew he was problematic but that he brought in too much donor money for us to say anything bad about him.
I tweeted once about him and was immediately called out by our PR. They sat me down and told me they knew he was problematic but that he brought in too much donor money for us to say anything bad about him.
November 7, 2025 at 8:27 PM
My wife is a badass who defends her friends.
Seeing the differences in what I got on social media for sharing a couple of pictures about going to a Dagstuhl vs the reactions the male faculty in computer science got posting about the *same seminar* has been FASCINATING
November 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Seeing the differences in what I got on social media for sharing a couple of pictures about going to a Dagstuhl vs the reactions the male faculty in computer science got posting about the *same seminar* has been FASCINATING
The cut sections from my book which were substantial or researched enough that I saved them for some future project are: 41,000 words. Just so you know.
November 7, 2025 at 4:49 PM
The cut sections from my book which were substantial or researched enough that I saved them for some future project are: 41,000 words. Just so you know.
Reposted by Cat Hicks
Curious about what happened between @python.org & the National Science Foundation? Me too, so I asked PSF executive director @eximious.bsky.social onto @redmonk.com's MonkCast to discuss the situation & share her perspective redmonk.com/blog/2025/11... youtube.com/shorts/_DDWk...
NSF grant controversy with #python software foundation's Deb Nicholson
YouTube video by RedMonk
youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Curious about what happened between @python.org & the National Science Foundation? Me too, so I asked PSF executive director @eximious.bsky.social onto @redmonk.com's MonkCast to discuss the situation & share her perspective redmonk.com/blog/2025/11... youtube.com/shorts/_DDWk...
I missed this when you first posted it but this is the kind of development I feel motivated to fight for 😭
Write code to make being human easier. Rip code out if it makes being human harder. Write code to make caring for each other easier. Rip it out if it makes caring for each other harder.
Empathy driven development has literally never failed me. It’s done me better than everything else combined
Empathy driven development has literally never failed me. It’s done me better than everything else combined
November 7, 2025 at 4:00 AM
I missed this when you first posted it but this is the kind of development I feel motivated to fight for 😭
Reposted by Cat Hicks
A good thread to help those who did not grow up in right wing or far right culture understand the ways that the right (and articles such as Douthat’s) references so much RW or Evangelical cultural knowledge that builds up and supports the things that from outside seem like obvious folly.
Wow it is so weird to see the arguments I am familiar with from my childhood and the extremely right-wing college I went to out here, today. They never change
November 7, 2025 at 3:57 AM
A good thread to help those who did not grow up in right wing or far right culture understand the ways that the right (and articles such as Douthat’s) references so much RW or Evangelical cultural knowledge that builds up and supports the things that from outside seem like obvious folly.
Sort of a small thing relative to lots of worse things but I've had this very painful side effect going on from a medication and this ENTIRE TIME there was a VERY EASY SOLUTION that no doctor felt compelled to disclose to me and I had to FIGURE IT OUT ON REDDIT like PLEASE. what is wrong w/doctors
November 7, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Sort of a small thing relative to lots of worse things but I've had this very painful side effect going on from a medication and this ENTIRE TIME there was a VERY EASY SOLUTION that no doctor felt compelled to disclose to me and I had to FIGURE IT OUT ON REDDIT like PLEASE. what is wrong w/doctors
I think we picture a lot of psychological effects as simple linear things where you have a single line going up that's like "support women" instead of what it really is, dynamic states that can phase flip into dramatically different patterns if triggered by the right set of things
This also goes toward helping excluded people who have made it into technical areas explain at least a little bit why it feels like you got supported and celebrated and then suddenly turned on and torn down.
You probably DID. Because you "thrived" too much and were only supposed to survive.
You probably DID. Because you "thrived" too much and were only supposed to survive.
November 6, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I think we picture a lot of psychological effects as simple linear things where you have a single line going up that's like "support women" instead of what it really is, dynamic states that can phase flip into dramatically different patterns if triggered by the right set of things
See also: UX, "design thinking," etc
Sure, you can be technical!
In the areas of technicality that we have very systematically disempowered. But see :) "technical"
In the areas of technicality that we have very systematically disempowered. But see :) "technical"
November 6, 2025 at 8:00 PM
See also: UX, "design thinking," etc
I'll tell you something. I have a private theory that this kind of division (which is clear as day to ppl in tech and like, baffling to ppl outside of it) is a version of the "I will help you survive but not thrive" phenomenon but worked out re: tech belonging
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
November 6, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I'll tell you something. I have a private theory that this kind of division (which is clear as day to ppl in tech and like, baffling to ppl outside of it) is a version of the "I will help you survive but not thrive" phenomenon but worked out re: tech belonging
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....