David George
@davidgeorge.bsky.social
Head of Psychology at UoHull. Associative learning, dog behaviour, cognitive psychology.
Reposted by David George
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge
This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curious, because the nuances are relevant for something I am researching at t…
irisvanrooijcogsci.com
August 12, 2025 at 10:12 PM
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...
Reposted by David George
Always nice to see papers out in the wild.
Opening the batting in this month's @qjep.bsky.social is "Apparent statistical inference in crows may reflect simple reinforcement learning"
By @davidgeorge.bsky.social, Dominic Dwyer, Me & @mikelepelley.bsky.social
share.google/0IoZwV3sne1N...
Opening the batting in this month's @qjep.bsky.social is "Apparent statistical inference in crows may reflect simple reinforcement learning"
By @davidgeorge.bsky.social, Dominic Dwyer, Me & @mikelepelley.bsky.social
share.google/0IoZwV3sne1N...
October 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Always nice to see papers out in the wild.
Opening the batting in this month's @qjep.bsky.social is "Apparent statistical inference in crows may reflect simple reinforcement learning"
By @davidgeorge.bsky.social, Dominic Dwyer, Me & @mikelepelley.bsky.social
share.google/0IoZwV3sne1N...
Opening the batting in this month's @qjep.bsky.social is "Apparent statistical inference in crows may reflect simple reinforcement learning"
By @davidgeorge.bsky.social, Dominic Dwyer, Me & @mikelepelley.bsky.social
share.google/0IoZwV3sne1N...
Reposted by David George
Excited to share our latest preprint from the #BritishCarnivoreProject, showing #exploratory diversity and behavioural #innovation in #wild red #foxes may emerge after long-term #urban exposure across many decades. 🦊🧠🧩🌃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Time in the city: Exploration and problem-solving behaviours reveal long-term urban adaptation in wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes)
Urbanisation is one of the most important forms of human-driven landscape change, creating novel situations in which some species thrive. Animals' willingness to touch, explore, and solve novel challe...
www.biorxiv.org
September 29, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Excited to share our latest preprint from the #BritishCarnivoreProject, showing #exploratory diversity and behavioural #innovation in #wild red #foxes may emerge after long-term #urban exposure across many decades. 🦊🧠🧩🌃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by David George
#1
Following on from my earlier thread about claims of “bias” in universities (link below 👇), I was struck by James Marriott’s column in today’s Times. It’s full of anecdote & caricature. The real story of UK universities is structural, financial, and political. 🧵
👉 bsky.app/profile/prof...
Following on from my earlier thread about claims of “bias” in universities (link below 👇), I was struck by James Marriott’s column in today’s Times. It’s full of anecdote & caricature. The real story of UK universities is structural, financial, and political. 🧵
👉 bsky.app/profile/prof...
Listening to Rest is Politics, Rest is Politics US, and reading respected commentators, it's striking how 'left-wing bias' in universities is now taken for granted. That matters, especially in the US, where academia faces political attack. Thoughts from having worked in US/UK universities. 🧵
September 23, 2025 at 4:53 PM
#1
Following on from my earlier thread about claims of “bias” in universities (link below 👇), I was struck by James Marriott’s column in today’s Times. It’s full of anecdote & caricature. The real story of UK universities is structural, financial, and political. 🧵
👉 bsky.app/profile/prof...
Following on from my earlier thread about claims of “bias” in universities (link below 👇), I was struck by James Marriott’s column in today’s Times. It’s full of anecdote & caricature. The real story of UK universities is structural, financial, and political. 🧵
👉 bsky.app/profile/prof...
Reposted by David George
Job Alert!!! We are looking for a motivated postdoc to join a 3-year BBSRC funded project led by my colleague Carl Stevenson (I’m coPI). This multi-disciplinary project will combine in vivo heart rate monitoring and optogenetics with behavioural testing (fear and active avoidance) in rats.
August 13, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Job Alert!!! We are looking for a motivated postdoc to join a 3-year BBSRC funded project led by my colleague Carl Stevenson (I’m coPI). This multi-disciplinary project will combine in vivo heart rate monitoring and optogenetics with behavioural testing (fear and active avoidance) in rats.
New 🐧paper with colleagues from @thedeephull.bsky.social and the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at @uniofhull.bsky.social
Thanks for involving me in the project!
www.jzar.org/jzar/article...
Thanks for involving me in the project!
www.jzar.org/jzar/article...
Relationships between boldness and husbandry in captive gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua
| Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research
www.jzar.org
August 5, 2025 at 8:30 PM
New 🐧paper with colleagues from @thedeephull.bsky.social and the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at @uniofhull.bsky.social
Thanks for involving me in the project!
www.jzar.org/jzar/article...
Thanks for involving me in the project!
www.jzar.org/jzar/article...
Reposted by David George
Happy to share our latest study on (Un)intentionality bias in action observation! We found that people perceive ambiguous actions as intentional—especially when posture aligns with the goal. This bias shifts with schizotypal cognitive traits.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
(Un)intentionality bias in action observation revisited
When observing individuals in action, we often infer their goals and intentions. Yet, in situations where actions are ambiguous and could be either in…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 23, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Happy to share our latest study on (Un)intentionality bias in action observation! We found that people perceive ambiguous actions as intentional—especially when posture aligns with the goal. This bias shifts with schizotypal cognitive traits.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by David George
NEW on Wonkhe: James Coe comes to the defence of maintenance as undervalued but essential in the success of any university https://bit.ly/41osvMK
February 27, 2025 at 7:10 AM
NEW on Wonkhe: James Coe comes to the defence of maintenance as undervalued but essential in the success of any university https://bit.ly/41osvMK
Reposted by David George
This is true. And yet The Royal Society saw fit to make him a fellow, one of the highest honours in science. And they have yet to comment on his role in the destruction of science in the USA
"Elon Musk is not a scientist, he is not an engineer. He is a billionaire con man with a lot of money." - @aoc.bsky.social 🎯
February 26, 2025 at 6:15 AM
This is true. And yet The Royal Society saw fit to make him a fellow, one of the highest honours in science. And they have yet to comment on his role in the destruction of science in the USA
Reposted by David George
When I worked in UK academia I recall hearing of a Japanese man who was baffled at how Britain had decided to run its universities like firms. “Why? Your universities are excellent and your firms are terrible.”
To repeat: "A country so stupid it actively trashes one of things it's good at and famous for."
Today's university slashing and burning is Edinburgh, where about 10% of the budget will be cut. There'll be another case every single day until UK govts actually do something. A country so stupid it actively trashes one of things it's good at and famous for.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
February 25, 2025 at 10:24 PM
When I worked in UK academia I recall hearing of a Japanese man who was baffled at how Britain had decided to run its universities like firms. “Why? Your universities are excellent and your firms are terrible.”
Reposted by David George
Love this from Denmark
February 25, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Love this from Denmark
Reposted by David George
I'm not going to be striking over pay - totally misguided venture, and even the ballot serves to sew confusion and discord
🚨Attention UCU members in HE: we have started an open letter for you to sign in support of a motion we're bringing to the meeting on Weds 19th which calls for a focus on defending jobs, reforming HE, & calling off a national ballot.
docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/...
docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/...
Plea to HEC to defend jobs and reform UK HE: call off ballot for Industrial Action
We, the undersigned members of UCU working in Higher Education, call on HEC to vote FOR the following motion at the emergency meeting on 19 February 2025.
Your signature and institution will be added...
docs.google.com
February 18, 2025 at 9:05 AM
I'm not going to be striking over pay - totally misguided venture, and even the ballot serves to sew confusion and discord
The Guardian view on campus cuts: academics pay a high price for Westminster’s mistakes | Editorial www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on campus cuts: academics pay a high price for Westminster’s mistakes | Editorial
Editorial: The government should not stand aloof as a crisis unfolds in our universities. A new settlement is needed
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2025 at 8:28 AM
The Guardian view on campus cuts: academics pay a high price for Westminster’s mistakes | Editorial www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by David George
“Almost three quarters of universities in England will face financial problems next year - despite tuition fees increasing.”
The sector is at crisis point.
The sector is at crisis point.
University cash crisis will get worse despite tuition fee rise, BBC told
More than three quarters of universities are expected to face financial problems next year.
buff.ly
February 8, 2025 at 8:00 AM
“Almost three quarters of universities in England will face financial problems next year - despite tuition fees increasing.”
The sector is at crisis point.
The sector is at crisis point.
Reposted by David George
"This is not an isolated problem. It is a nationwide crisis."
Thank you for taking the initiative on this letter, @newcastleucu.bsky.social! And an excellent letter it is too, clear and referenced.
Please everyone who cares about higher education and research, co-sign. #UKHE
Thank you for taking the initiative on this letter, @newcastleucu.bsky.social! And an excellent letter it is too, clear and referenced.
Please everyone who cares about higher education and research, co-sign. #UKHE
docs.google.com/document/d/e...
Sign our Open Letter to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, and Sunderland MP
Sign our Open Letter to Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, and Sunderland MP
Open Letter: Save Higher Education – A Call for Urgent Action Higher Education is in Crisis
docs.google.com
February 1, 2025 at 12:48 PM
"This is not an isolated problem. It is a nationwide crisis."
Thank you for taking the initiative on this letter, @newcastleucu.bsky.social! And an excellent letter it is too, clear and referenced.
Please everyone who cares about higher education and research, co-sign. #UKHE
Thank you for taking the initiative on this letter, @newcastleucu.bsky.social! And an excellent letter it is too, clear and referenced.
Please everyone who cares about higher education and research, co-sign. #UKHE
Reposted by David George
Can confirm. Adding the F word to your google searches turns off AI summaries. E.g.:
"how do massively parallel reporter assays work?"
vs
"how do f*cking massively parallel reporter assays work?"
"how do massively parallel reporter assays work?"
vs
"how do f*cking massively parallel reporter assays work?"
February 1, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Can confirm. Adding the F word to your google searches turns off AI summaries. E.g.:
"how do massively parallel reporter assays work?"
vs
"how do f*cking massively parallel reporter assays work?"
"how do massively parallel reporter assays work?"
vs
"how do f*cking massively parallel reporter assays work?"
Reposted by David George
In case you feel inclined to ask your friendly local UK academic how they are. This has been our past fortnight...
qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...
😵💫
qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...
😵💫
January 31, 2025 at 1:04 PM
In case you feel inclined to ask your friendly local UK academic how they are. This has been our past fortnight...
qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...
😵💫
qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...
😵💫
Reposted by David George
Reposted by David George
Nice read from @pnas.org: "How can we make sound replication decisions?"
How can we make sound replication decisions? | PNAS
Replication and the reported crises impacting many fields of research have become
a focal point for the sciences. This has led to reforms in publis...
www.pnas.org
January 31, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Nice read from @pnas.org: "How can we make sound replication decisions?"
Worth reading at least until the end of the 4th paragraph
York Minster congregation outraged over ‘deeply inappropriate’ concert
Gig at cathedral by metal band Plague of Angels would be ‘outright insult’ to their faith, say parishioners
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Worth reading at least until the end of the 4th paragraph
I may have put on a little weight over Christmas but I'm not sure I appreciate this email from @ordnancesurvey.bsky.social
January 30, 2025 at 8:37 PM
I may have put on a little weight over Christmas but I'm not sure I appreciate this email from @ordnancesurvey.bsky.social