Gordon Hodson
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gordonhodsonphd.bsky.social
Gordon Hodson
@gordonhodsonphd.bsky.social

BIAS Lab director studying prejudice, discrimination, dehumanization, speciesism, intergroup contact, generalized prejudice. Confirmed Boffin. #PrejudiceResearch #WhyWeLoveAndExploitAnimals (does not online-bicker).

Gordon Hodson is a psychology professor at Brock University, where he directs the Brock Lab of Intergroup Processes. He is known for his research on political ideology and its relationship to prejudice, intelligence, and climate change denial. .. more

Psychology 38%
Political science 22%
Pinned
In this commentary, I argue that student-based teaching evaluations are problematic bc

✳️ systematic biases (e.g., racism, sexism)
✳️ poor construct validity
✳️ undermine standards and learning

We should evaluate teaching as seriously as we do research. Or don't do teaching evaluations.
It is time to abandon student evaluations of teaching

Comment by Gordon Hodson (@gordonhodsonphd.bsky.social)

Web: go.nature.com/4jfAzXo
PDF: rdcu.be/ef9y5

Reposted by Gordon Hodson

Study of men who embodied a young woman in VR finds they felt disgust & anger when catcalled. Even those who were not catcalled felt fear: the situation of being a young woman alone at night in a subway station being enough to generate the sense of fear.
phys.org/news/2025-12...
Men embodying women in VR report strong emotional reactions to verbal harassment
Unfortunately, many women and girls know all too well what it means to be victims of verbal harassment. They are familiar with its emotional and psychological impact. What about men? What would they f...
phys.org

#AcademicSky

Maybe I can get my GP to write a prescription for me to spend more of my time writing?

No?
Writing doesn't just help you process your thoughts.

Neuroscientists have found it physically changes your brain in ways that build resilience and help you handle everyday stress and challenges.
Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges
Resilience is often presented as feats of bravery and endurance. But everyday practices like journaling, drafting a text or even writing a to-do list are manifestations of a capacity to adapt.
buff.ly

To elaborate

Your to-do list will be emptier, bc you get it down & off your desk.

But don't let that Reviewer Guilt mean you need to say yes to the next one simply bc you are at zero.

Pick your target and stick to that (and please, please make it reflect the amount of submissions you're making)

#AcademicSky

Still loving my decision to review (most) submissions within 7 days of accepting invite. Recommend you try it

If you can't do it within 7 days, don't burden Future-YOU with it!

However
- say yes more frequently
- don't over-say yes (simply bc your "to-do" box is emptier than usual)

Liberating to give it up?

I don't know your circumstances, so don't have direct advice.

However, I will share: I've known several people very close to throwing in the towel.... to suddenly have their dreams realized at 11th hour. Hope it works out for you too.

#AcademicSky

Trying my hardest to be optimistic for 2026.

But boy oh boy, 2025 doesn't leave me much hope for the near future.

Key to remember though:

They want you to collapse in defeat. In fact, they're counting on it. No need to serve that up to them on a silver platter.

#AcademicSky

New study:

Telling Americans that the rich pay little tax ==> support for taxing the rich

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Seriously?

Americans don't already know that the rich pay little tax??? How is that possible?
The Hidden Cost of Tax Regressivity at the Top | British Journal of Political Science | Cambridge Core
The Hidden Cost of Tax Regressivity at the Top - Volume 56
www.cambridge.org

Reposted by Gordon Hodson

Any luck?
#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky

Think you can't make a difference?

Well, consider the 3.5% rule

"if 3.5% of a population protests against a regime, the regime will fail"

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history
www.theguardian.com

#AcademicSky

Well, this one caught me off guard.

I'd have put money on Dunning-Kruger effects in political knowledge.

But then it gets all meta, as kids say, bc now I'm not confident in my political psychology knowledge 😁

Reposted by Gordon Hodson

Study finds little evidence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in political knowledge
Study finds little evidence of the Dunning-Kruger effect in political knowledge
Research suggests the gap between actual and perceived political knowledge is smaller than thought. Most people know they don't know much.
www.psypost.org

And here's a barometer of cultural racism in US

Here's the factor (for you fellow nerds out there)

#AcademicSky

New #PrejudiceResearch paper.

Latent factor tapping cultural racism from various correlated indicators

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#AcademicSky

The hardest thing for academics, me included (me especially?) to keep in mind as we try to prioritize exercise:

It's NOT a waste of time.

It's an EXCELLENT use of time.

Better health, clearer thinking.

Put it this way: you advise *others* to make time for it, right?

All that time in Canada, I presume?

Reposted by Roos Vonk

All you need to know about why the world is so messed up

#AcademicSky

It's so rewarding watching students progress as scientists.

In particular, watching their growing ability to see patterns in data that they couldn't previously see (or even think to observe)

Thanks!

I also just read this paper of yours... it's very good & accessible

Kay Montoya, A. (2024). Combining statistical and causal mediation analysis. doi.org/10.1017/9781...
Combining Statistical and Causal Mediation Analysis (Chapter 25) - Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology
Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology - December 2024
doi.org

Good question

They're a bit vague, but this from appendix

Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez

#AcademicSky #SocialPsychology

I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift.

But wait! Sexists dislike Taylor??

But I dislike sexists!

Now (about-face in action)... I'm a Swiftie!

Social psychologists, show us a fun ** Balance Theory** example relevant to you.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

#AcademicSky

Dear Predatory Journals:

Please put more energy into making your journal legitimate

(and less energy into conning researchers into legitimizing your "journal").

Yours,

Science

Add to that another form of "who you know" -- the Gatsby Effect (highly cited researchers pass on their high-citedness to their mentees)

doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
The academic Great Gatsby Curve
Abstract. The Great Gatsby Curve measures the relationship between income inequality and intergenerational income persistence. By using genealogical data o
doi.org

Reposted by Gordon Hodson

Florida upside down kind of looks like the Grinch.

Who knew the 27th state, consisting of mostly geologically young, low-lying plains, had such strong feelings about Christmas?

#AcademicSky

Setting aside my class needs....

It often seems that measurement of mediation models are biased...

... but that the alternatives often don't formally test an indirect effect.

Two different problems.

Thoughts?

Also, should psychologists simply abandon mediation tests?
#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky

In intro grad class, I still (yes) have students read Baron & Kenny(1986)

Make sure all get mediation vs moderation

But it's awfully dated, especially statistically. (Sobels; tested in sep regressions)

Recommendation for new Masters students to read & discuss in class?

How has the Netherlands avoided it?

Don't bite my head off if you hate mediation analysis.

I feel that students need to understand how the field thinks about, and tests, mediation, in order to be able to critique them for themselves and when they read the work of others.

#AcademicSky #PsychSciSky

In intro grad class, I still (yes) have students read Baron & Kenny(1986)

Make sure all get mediation vs moderation

But it's awfully dated, especially statistically. (Sobels; tested in sep regressions)

Recommendation for new Masters students to read & discuss in class?