Rob Cavanaugh
@rbcavanaugh.bsky.social
Assistant Professor in quantitative methods @mghinstitute, speech-language pathologist by training. Enthusiastic about quantitative methods in rehabilitation research and health services research for aphasia. 🥾🏔️🦮🍕
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
We wrote an article explaining why you shouldn't put several variables into a regression model and report which are statistically significant - even as exploratory research. bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/.... How did we do?
October 27, 2025 at 5:39 PM
We wrote an article explaining why you shouldn't put several variables into a regression model and report which are statistically significant - even as exploratory research. bmjmedicine.bmj.com/content/4/1/.... How did we do?
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Monty Python understood p-hacking
October 23, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Monty Python understood p-hacking
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
We need to have a conversation about random seeds. Don't use 42.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/if-your-ra...
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/if-your-ra...
If your random seed is 42 I will come to your office and set your computer on fire🔥
Figuratively. More likely you'll get a stern talking to.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com
October 22, 2025 at 12:49 PM
We need to have a conversation about random seeds. Don't use 42.
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/if-your-ra...
blog.genesmindsmachines.com/p/if-your-ra...
Any #rstats folks know the differences in lme4::glmer()'s specification for aggregated binomials? (or reading rec's?) I'd like to confirm my understanding of these:
cbind(successes, failures) ~ ...
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = trials
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = NULL (or unspecified)
cbind(successes, failures) ~ ...
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = trials
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = NULL (or unspecified)
October 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Any #rstats folks know the differences in lme4::glmer()'s specification for aggregated binomials? (or reading rec's?) I'd like to confirm my understanding of these:
cbind(successes, failures) ~ ...
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = trials
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = NULL (or unspecified)
cbind(successes, failures) ~ ...
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = trials
successes/trials ~ ..., weights = NULL (or unspecified)
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
"How I, a non-developer, read the tutorial you, a developer, wrote for me, a beginner" by Annie Mueller 😅 😂 😭
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
How I, a non-developer, read the tutorial you, a developer, wrote for me, a beginner - annie's blog
“Hello! I am a developer. Here is my relevant experience: I code in Hoobijag and sometimes jabbernocks and of course ABCDE++++ (but never ABCDE+/^+ are you kidding? ha!) and I like working with ...
anniemueller.com
September 23, 2025 at 7:57 AM
"How I, a non-developer, read the tutorial you, a developer, wrote for me, a beginner" by Annie Mueller 😅 😂 😭
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
anniemueller.com/posts/how-i-...
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Join us Monday, September 15th from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET for a talk by Simona Mancini, Ikerbasque Research Associate Professor / Neurolinguistics and Aphasia group leader at the Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language.
Register now at https://bit.ly/45LjrF1
Register now at https://bit.ly/45LjrF1
September 3, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Join us Monday, September 15th from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET for a talk by Simona Mancini, Ikerbasque Research Associate Professor / Neurolinguistics and Aphasia group leader at the Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language.
Register now at https://bit.ly/45LjrF1
Register now at https://bit.ly/45LjrF1
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
August 25, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Ever stared at a table of regression coefficients & wondered what you're doing with your life?
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Very excited to share this gentle introduction to another way of making sense of statistical models (w @vincentab.bsky.social)
Preprint: doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Website: j-rohrer.github.io/marginal-psy...
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
New #rstats blog up!
solomonkurz.netlify.app/blog/2025-07...
This is the first in a new series discussing causal inference with experimental data using multilevel models. My basic case is g-computation is the way to go.
solomonkurz.netlify.app/blog/2025-07...
This is the first in a new series discussing causal inference with experimental data using multilevel models. My basic case is g-computation is the way to go.
Within-person factorial experiments, log(normal) reaction-time data | A. Solomon Kurz
Causal inference with the GLMM, Part 1
solomonkurz.netlify.app
July 21, 2025 at 2:14 PM
New #rstats blog up!
solomonkurz.netlify.app/blog/2025-07...
This is the first in a new series discussing causal inference with experimental data using multilevel models. My basic case is g-computation is the way to go.
solomonkurz.netlify.app/blog/2025-07...
This is the first in a new series discussing causal inference with experimental data using multilevel models. My basic case is g-computation is the way to go.
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
How can we reform science? I have some ideas. But I am not sure you’ll like them, because they don’t promise much. elevanth.org/blog/2025/07...
Which Kind of Science Reform
What hope is there for science reform, if we can't agree on what to reform? Right now, principles are more important than practices.
elevanth.org
July 9, 2025 at 1:40 PM
How can we reform science? I have some ideas. But I am not sure you’ll like them, because they don’t promise much. elevanth.org/blog/2025/07...
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Had a great time sharing about our test-retest, #multimodal #communication #aphasia & peer dataset at the University of Technology Sydney Graduate School of Health seminar series today. Join AphasiaBank (totally free) and get full access to our data! aphasia.talkbank.org/access/Engli...
April 8, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Had a great time sharing about our test-retest, #multimodal #communication #aphasia & peer dataset at the University of Technology Sydney Graduate School of Health seminar series today. Join AphasiaBank (totally free) and get full access to our data! aphasia.talkbank.org/access/Engli...
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Funding curves for K and F mechanisms
(Warning: the new F mechanism "curve" is a lot)
(Warning: the new F mechanism "curve" is a lot)
a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card
ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card
media.tenor.com
March 29, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Funding curves for K and F mechanisms
(Warning: the new F mechanism "curve" is a lot)
(Warning: the new F mechanism "curve" is a lot)
Hey #rstats friends. I’m looking for examples of papers or posts that do a really really good job unpacking/writing about/explaining statistical results. Not just technically correct but also clear. Bonus points for using marginal effects. What’s your go to exemplar for students new to research?
March 26, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Hey #rstats friends. I’m looking for examples of papers or posts that do a really really good job unpacking/writing about/explaining statistical results. Not just technically correct but also clear. Bonus points for using marginal effects. What’s your go to exemplar for students new to research?
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
New blog post! In which I explain the issue with mediation analysis and sketch out one way to deal with the underlying causal inference problem -- in just a bit over 1,000 words!
If you have never found the time to read up on this, now is your chance.
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
If you have never found the time to read up on this, now is your chance.
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
Reviewer notes: That’s a very nice mediation analysis you have there. It would be a shame if something happened to it.
Mediation analysis has gotten a lot of flak, including classic titles such as “Yes, but what’s the mechanism? (Don’t expect an easy answer)” (Bullock et al., 2010), “What mediation analysis can (not) ...
www.the100.ci
March 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
New blog post! In which I explain the issue with mediation analysis and sketch out one way to deal with the underlying causal inference problem -- in just a bit over 1,000 words!
If you have never found the time to read up on this, now is your chance.
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
If you have never found the time to read up on this, now is your chance.
www.the100.ci/2025/03/20/r...
Bsky/Academia friends - any suggestions on time tracking software? Criteria: I want to spend as little time as possible actually tracking my time. Bonus if integrated with outlook. Doesn’t need to be exact. I’m just hoping for a reasonable estimate of research/teaching/service breakdown.
March 7, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Bsky/Academia friends - any suggestions on time tracking software? Criteria: I want to spend as little time as possible actually tracking my time. Bonus if integrated with outlook. Doesn’t need to be exact. I’m just hoping for a reasonable estimate of research/teaching/service breakdown.
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
NIH cuts are getting the press, but VA research is getting slashed too. What do we lose when VA research goes away? Here's some greatest hits: The nicotine patch, invention of the cardiac pacemaker, first successful liver transplant, development of the CAT/CT scan
prospect.org/health/2025-...
prospect.org/health/2025-...
VA Research Funding Slashed
Though not as prominent as the NIH, VA researchers play a major role in advancing basic health science. Hundreds of projects have been cut.
prospect.org
February 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
NIH cuts are getting the press, but VA research is getting slashed too. What do we lose when VA research goes away? Here's some greatest hits: The nicotine patch, invention of the cardiac pacemaker, first successful liver transplant, development of the CAT/CT scan
prospect.org/health/2025-...
prospect.org/health/2025-...
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
DEI initiatives are still legal.
Universities need to stand their ground.
A Friday gift to your university's General Counsel Office - courtesy of an all star lineup of civil rights lawyers and scholars. You're going to want to read this.
Universities need to stand their ground.
A Friday gift to your university's General Counsel Office - courtesy of an all star lineup of civil rights lawyers and scholars. You're going to want to read this.
OGC Memo re Trump DEI and SFFA 2025 02 20.pdf | Powered by Box
app.box.com
February 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM
DEI initiatives are still legal.
Universities need to stand their ground.
A Friday gift to your university's General Counsel Office - courtesy of an all star lineup of civil rights lawyers and scholars. You're going to want to read this.
Universities need to stand their ground.
A Friday gift to your university's General Counsel Office - courtesy of an all star lineup of civil rights lawyers and scholars. You're going to want to read this.
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
New blog post!
Sometimes, when reviewing a manuscript, it's really unclear to me what precisely the authors are trying to do -- which makes it hard to evaluate the work properly.
So, here's some advice for how to ensure that readers don't get lost.
www.the100.ci/2025/02/17/r...
Sometimes, when reviewing a manuscript, it's really unclear to me what precisely the authors are trying to do -- which makes it hard to evaluate the work properly.
So, here's some advice for how to ensure that readers don't get lost.
www.the100.ci/2025/02/17/r...
Reviewer notes: Avoid any ambiguity about analysis aims
For any central statistical analysis that you report in your manuscript, it should be absolutely clear for readers why the analysis is being conducted in the first place – that is, the analysis goal s...
www.the100.ci
February 17, 2025 at 2:04 PM
New blog post!
Sometimes, when reviewing a manuscript, it's really unclear to me what precisely the authors are trying to do -- which makes it hard to evaluate the work properly.
So, here's some advice for how to ensure that readers don't get lost.
www.the100.ci/2025/02/17/r...
Sometimes, when reviewing a manuscript, it's really unclear to me what precisely the authors are trying to do -- which makes it hard to evaluate the work properly.
So, here's some advice for how to ensure that readers don't get lost.
www.the100.ci/2025/02/17/r...
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Great analysis of the indirect cost rate announcement by @stuartbuck.bsky.social
Indirect Costs at NIH . . .
I wasn’t planning on spending part of a Saturday writing about cost accounting principles and the like, but NIH-world was hit with a doozy of a policy announcement on Friday night:
open.substack.com
February 8, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Great analysis of the indirect cost rate announcement by @stuartbuck.bsky.social
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
🚨 New open-access paper out now in PB&R: link.springer.com/article/10.3...
We (w/ Ted Gibson, @swathikiran.bsky.social) explore how individuals with aphasia interpret sentences & whether their comprehension difficulties stem from increased expectations of noise in language input. 🧵👇
We (w/ Ted Gibson, @swathikiran.bsky.social) explore how individuals with aphasia interpret sentences & whether their comprehension difficulties stem from increased expectations of noise in language input. 🧵👇
Noisy-channel language comprehension in aphasia: A Bayesian mixture modeling approach - Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
Individuals with “agrammatic” receptive aphasia have long been known to rely on semantic plausibility rather than syntactic cues when interpreting sentences. In contrast to early interpretations of th...
link.springer.com
February 6, 2025 at 9:10 PM
🚨 New open-access paper out now in PB&R: link.springer.com/article/10.3...
We (w/ Ted Gibson, @swathikiran.bsky.social) explore how individuals with aphasia interpret sentences & whether their comprehension difficulties stem from increased expectations of noise in language input. 🧵👇
We (w/ Ted Gibson, @swathikiran.bsky.social) explore how individuals with aphasia interpret sentences & whether their comprehension difficulties stem from increased expectations of noise in language input. 🧵👇
In case anyone is wondering, I did ask GPT and I don’t think it quite has a handle on DAGs yet.
January 16, 2025 at 10:41 PM
In case anyone is wondering, I did ask GPT and I don’t think it quite has a handle on DAGs yet.
Question for #rstats / #causalinference friends. I can imagine the DAG for a basic RCT and a model:
PostTx ~ Group + PreTx
Does the DAG change for the repeated measures equivalent?
Score ~ Time (pre/post) + Group + Time (pre/post) x Group
(And what if there's a prognostic variable to be added??)
PostTx ~ Group + PreTx
Does the DAG change for the repeated measures equivalent?
Score ~ Time (pre/post) + Group + Time (pre/post) x Group
(And what if there's a prognostic variable to be added??)
January 16, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Question for #rstats / #causalinference friends. I can imagine the DAG for a basic RCT and a model:
PostTx ~ Group + PreTx
Does the DAG change for the repeated measures equivalent?
Score ~ Time (pre/post) + Group + Time (pre/post) x Group
(And what if there's a prognostic variable to be added??)
PostTx ~ Group + PreTx
Does the DAG change for the repeated measures equivalent?
Score ~ Time (pre/post) + Group + Time (pre/post) x Group
(And what if there's a prognostic variable to be added??)
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
Hey #StatsSky, what are you favorite papers to cite when you need to justify something that is obvious (I once had a reviewer ask we justify the use of logistic regression on a binary outcome)
or when you need to push-back on silly reviewer requests (e.g., asking for p-values in table 1)?
or when you need to push-back on silly reviewer requests (e.g., asking for p-values in table 1)?
January 6, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Hey #StatsSky, what are you favorite papers to cite when you need to justify something that is obvious (I once had a reviewer ask we justify the use of logistic regression on a binary outcome)
or when you need to push-back on silly reviewer requests (e.g., asking for p-values in table 1)?
or when you need to push-back on silly reviewer requests (e.g., asking for p-values in table 1)?
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
The Aphasia Therapy Finder is a free online tool to help speech therapists find and access high quality resources and instructional videos for evidence-based aphasia therapies. If you haven’t already, please check it out and share widely.
December 10, 2024 at 9:46 AM
The Aphasia Therapy Finder is a free online tool to help speech therapists find and access high quality resources and instructional videos for evidence-based aphasia therapies. If you haven’t already, please check it out and share widely.
Reposted by Rob Cavanaugh
New post on the 100% Christmas Interval -- after almost 8 years, it's time that we finally talk about CIs.
www.the100.ci/2024/12/05/w...
www.the100.ci/2024/12/05/w...
Why you are not allowed to say that your 95% confidence interval contains the true parameter with a probability of 95%
A shibboleth is a custom, such as a choice of phrasing, that distinguishes one group of people from another. The term goes back to the Hebrew Bible, in which the inhabitants of Gilead identify members...
www.the100.ci
December 5, 2024 at 2:47 PM
New post on the 100% Christmas Interval -- after almost 8 years, it's time that we finally talk about CIs.
www.the100.ci/2024/12/05/w...
www.the100.ci/2024/12/05/w...