Micah Goldwater
@micahgoldwater.bsky.social
Cognitive scientist at The University of Sydney.
All my haters become my waiters when I sit down at the table of success.
All my haters become my waiters when I sit down at the table of success.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
First comprehensive investigation shows large support for core ideas of degrowth, but not the label.
Conducted by ICTA-UAB researchers @giorgoskallis.bsky.social & @jasonhickel.bsky.social together with the LSE @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social
www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...
Conducted by ICTA-UAB researchers @giorgoskallis.bsky.social & @jasonhickel.bsky.social together with the LSE @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social
www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...
First comprehensive investigation shows large support for core ideas of degrowth, but not the label
The first major study into public attitudes toward degrowth – the notion that high-income economies should prioritise wellbeing over growing...
www.uab.cat
December 1, 2025 at 2:31 PM
First comprehensive investigation shows large support for core ideas of degrowth, but not the label.
Conducted by ICTA-UAB researchers @giorgoskallis.bsky.social & @jasonhickel.bsky.social together with the LSE @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social
www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...
Conducted by ICTA-UAB researchers @giorgoskallis.bsky.social & @jasonhickel.bsky.social together with the LSE @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social
www.uab.cat/web/sala-de-...
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
After seeing @micahgoldwater.bsky.social speak on memes as forms of argument-making, I've decided to livetweet what I can of the Australasian Society of Philosophy and Psychology conference #ASPP2025. Conservatives can see the effectiveness of liberal memes, whereas the reverse is not observed.
November 24, 2025 at 1:08 AM
After seeing @micahgoldwater.bsky.social speak on memes as forms of argument-making, I've decided to livetweet what I can of the Australasian Society of Philosophy and Psychology conference #ASPP2025. Conservatives can see the effectiveness of liberal memes, whereas the reverse is not observed.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
Good on Australia for doing this! It’s such a deceptive practice to tell customers their price is increasing because of AI, when the old price is still available without genAI but only if you try to cancel.
Australia sues Microsoft for misleading Microsoft 365 users
Asia In Brief: PLUS: China demotes tech self-sufficiency goal; Alibaba Cloud quietly quits VMware; India demands deepfake labels; and more!
www.theregister.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Good on Australia for doing this! It’s such a deceptive practice to tell customers their price is increasing because of AI, when the old price is still available without genAI but only if you try to cancel.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
I know we're desensitized, but it's important to note, again, that today's events would have led to the immediate impeachment & removal of any president from at least Truman to at least Obama. We're hundreds of miles on the interstate past Richard Nixon's high school prank-level crimes compared to 👇
Trump wraps up a speech to military leaders that represented a major escalation of his effort to weaponize the armed forces into a tool he can use to violently quash domestic dissent. Hard to imagine how anyone with a shred of dignity can keep serving after this, which of course is the point.
September 30, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I know we're desensitized, but it's important to note, again, that today's events would have led to the immediate impeachment & removal of any president from at least Truman to at least Obama. We're hundreds of miles on the interstate past Richard Nixon's high school prank-level crimes compared to 👇
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
this is a very sharp piece on why it makes no sense to run universities as if they are businesses. They're not businesses.
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
September 22, 2025 at 7:09 AM
this is a very sharp piece on why it makes no sense to run universities as if they are businesses. They're not businesses.
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
There is a ton of research that students ratings on aggregate do not reflect learning outcomes, but whatever biases the population has. But in the "run universities like a business" model, student ratings are customer satisfaction surveys, so reflecting learning outcomes is irrelevant.
www.psypost.org/students-rate-identical-lectures-differently-based-on-professors-gender-researchers-find/# #AcademicSky - it never ends.
Students rate identical lectures differently based on professor's gender, researchers find
When philosophy students were asked to evaluate identical lectures assigned to men or women professors, their responses varied by gender. The study suggests gender bias plays a role in how teaching is...
www.psypost.org
September 30, 2025 at 8:05 AM
There is a ton of research that students ratings on aggregate do not reflect learning outcomes, but whatever biases the population has. But in the "run universities like a business" model, student ratings are customer satisfaction surveys, so reflecting learning outcomes is irrelevant.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
Excited to announce my first ever published game, for the @halcyonfrequency.bsky.social gamejam.
”Social Media Manager", a shady deskjob simulator with #roguelike elements. I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear any feedback
#indiegames #indiedev
timothyjgraham.itch.io/social-media...
”Social Media Manager", a shady deskjob simulator with #roguelike elements. I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear any feedback
#indiegames #indiedev
timothyjgraham.itch.io/social-media...
Social Media Manager by Timothy Graham
A roguelike management sim about social media manipulation and corporate
timothyjgraham.itch.io
September 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Excited to announce my first ever published game, for the @halcyonfrequency.bsky.social gamejam.
”Social Media Manager", a shady deskjob simulator with #roguelike elements. I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear any feedback
#indiegames #indiedev
timothyjgraham.itch.io/social-media...
”Social Media Manager", a shady deskjob simulator with #roguelike elements. I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear any feedback
#indiegames #indiedev
timothyjgraham.itch.io/social-media...
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
This is a bizarre thing to publish on the day the federal court awarded a journalist $220,000 for being unfairly dismissed from an on-air role for their political views.
In Australia it isn't just private companies that cave to pressure, it's the public broadcaster
www.smh.com.au/national/why...
In Australia it isn't just private companies that cave to pressure, it's the public broadcaster
www.smh.com.au/national/why...
Why Jimmy Kimmel would have never been cancelled in Australia
We need to be careful about how we separate true hate speech from satirical speech. In America, it seems, differentiation is out of favour.
www.smh.com.au
September 24, 2025 at 6:14 AM
This is a bizarre thing to publish on the day the federal court awarded a journalist $220,000 for being unfairly dismissed from an on-air role for their political views.
In Australia it isn't just private companies that cave to pressure, it's the public broadcaster
www.smh.com.au/national/why...
In Australia it isn't just private companies that cave to pressure, it's the public broadcaster
www.smh.com.au/national/why...
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
If you, like me, are the parent of a neuro-atypical child dreading this autism press conference, please remember: These are the people hurting our kids. Not us. They are the ones stigmatizing and pathologizing them. They are the ones peddling untested science. And we should be very, very angry.
September 22, 2025 at 9:03 PM
If you, like me, are the parent of a neuro-atypical child dreading this autism press conference, please remember: These are the people hurting our kids. Not us. They are the ones stigmatizing and pathologizing them. They are the ones peddling untested science. And we should be very, very angry.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
"AI isn’t magic; it’s a pyramid scheme of human labor."
It Turns Out That Google's AI Is Being Trained by an Army of Poorly Treated Human Grunts
Google is depending on thousands of contractors to train the AI behind its flagship chatbot Gemini.
futurism.com
September 13, 2025 at 1:17 AM
"AI isn’t magic; it’s a pyramid scheme of human labor."
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
Interesting new study! They attributed heatwaves🔥 to emissions of individual companies. Companies that emit a lot of CO2 contribute to climate change, making heatwaves more intense. Can this help in pushing them to reduce emissions and hold them accountable for the damage?
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Systematic attribution of heatwaves to the emissions of carbon majors - Nature
Climate change made 213 historical heatwaves reported over 2000–2023 more likely and more intense, to which each of the 180 carbon majors (fossil fuel and cement producers) substantially contributed.
www.nature.com
September 11, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Interesting new study! They attributed heatwaves🔥 to emissions of individual companies. Companies that emit a lot of CO2 contribute to climate change, making heatwaves more intense. Can this help in pushing them to reduce emissions and hold them accountable for the damage?
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
As the fall semester begins, I'd like to send a call to anyone who would like to get involved in our Consortium on Moral Decision-Making. We're a dedicated network of morality and ethics researchers focused on breaking outside siloes to work together on big questions.
moralconsortium.psu.edu 1/n
moralconsortium.psu.edu 1/n
Home - Consortium on Moral Decision-Making
Welcome to the Consortium on Moral Decision-Making A collaborative hub dedicated to unraveling the intricate threads of ethical choices. As a multidisciplinary alliance of scholars, thinkers, and prac...
moralconsortium.psu.edu
August 31, 2025 at 7:02 PM
As the fall semester begins, I'd like to send a call to anyone who would like to get involved in our Consortium on Moral Decision-Making. We're a dedicated network of morality and ethics researchers focused on breaking outside siloes to work together on big questions.
moralconsortium.psu.edu 1/n
moralconsortium.psu.edu 1/n
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
I often talk about the fact that MAGA does not access the same news as the left wing. I present to you Exhibit A.
Dr. Daskalakis’ resignation letter excoriated RFK Jr. and shared that RFK Jr. was lying to the public, manipulating data, and ordering unethical actions.
This what Fox News served.
Dr. Daskalakis’ resignation letter excoriated RFK Jr. and shared that RFK Jr. was lying to the public, manipulating data, and ordering unethical actions.
This what Fox News served.
August 28, 2025 at 11:14 PM
I often talk about the fact that MAGA does not access the same news as the left wing. I present to you Exhibit A.
Dr. Daskalakis’ resignation letter excoriated RFK Jr. and shared that RFK Jr. was lying to the public, manipulating data, and ordering unethical actions.
This what Fox News served.
Dr. Daskalakis’ resignation letter excoriated RFK Jr. and shared that RFK Jr. was lying to the public, manipulating data, and ordering unethical actions.
This what Fox News served.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
New paper on misperceptions out in PNAS @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Why do people overestimate the size of politically relevant groups (immigrant, LGBTQ, Jewish) and quantities (% of budget spent on foreign aid, % of refugees that are criminals)?🧵👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Why do people overestimate the size of politically relevant groups (immigrant, LGBTQ, Jewish) and quantities (% of budget spent on foreign aid, % of refugees that are criminals)?🧵👇
April 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM
New paper on misperceptions out in PNAS @pnas.org
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Why do people overestimate the size of politically relevant groups (immigrant, LGBTQ, Jewish) and quantities (% of budget spent on foreign aid, % of refugees that are criminals)?🧵👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Why do people overestimate the size of politically relevant groups (immigrant, LGBTQ, Jewish) and quantities (% of budget spent on foreign aid, % of refugees that are criminals)?🧵👇
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
"Public health campaigns should consider personality traits for more effective preventive interventions. They can target people high in openness, for example, by presenting health science as dynamic and evolving, not just a set of rules and prescriptions…"
Why do smart people get hooked on wellness trends? Personality traits may play a role
Certain personality traits may help explain why some educated, well-intentioned people sometimes reject conventional medicine in favour of fringe practices.
theconversation.com
August 19, 2025 at 10:16 PM
"Public health campaigns should consider personality traits for more effective preventive interventions. They can target people high in openness, for example, by presenting health science as dynamic and evolving, not just a set of rules and prescriptions…"
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
I know it’s gauche to share good news on here, but our university’s IRB (ethics office) just declared that low risk applications will no longer be reviewed by 4 people & then go to a committee. They’ll be reviewed by 1 person.
I almost can’t believe a change this positive is possible in this world.
I almost can’t believe a change this positive is possible in this world.
August 18, 2025 at 10:53 PM
I know it’s gauche to share good news on here, but our university’s IRB (ethics office) just declared that low risk applications will no longer be reviewed by 4 people & then go to a committee. They’ll be reviewed by 1 person.
I almost can’t believe a change this positive is possible in this world.
I almost can’t believe a change this positive is possible in this world.
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
In June, Kathleen Murphy-Hollies hosted a workshop on conspiracy theory and story telling at the University of Birmingham, featuring five exciting academics working on the topic. Today's post presents a brief summary of each of their talks.
#philsky #philpsy
#philsky #philpsy
Conspiracy Theories and Storytelling
A blog about imperfect cognitions, such as delusional beliefs, distorted memories, confabulatory explanations, and implicit biases.
imperfectcognitions.blogspot.com
August 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
In light of the Columbia and Brown deals, I’m bumping these slides again about the Nazi takeover of German science, which includes discussion about how they took over academia, in a manner very similar to the Brown and Columbia deals
In light of this deeply illegal activity at NSF and the ongoing attack on American science, I'm posting the slides from my 2017 talk at the American Physical Society about the Nazi take over of German physics/why German is no longer science's lingua franca 🧪
🧵 1/26
drive.google.com/file/d/1_MCm...
🧵 1/26
drive.google.com/file/d/1_MCm...
July 31, 2025 at 1:50 PM
In light of the Columbia and Brown deals, I’m bumping these slides again about the Nazi takeover of German science, which includes discussion about how they took over academia, in a manner very similar to the Brown and Columbia deals
New paper: we argue that an individual's propensity to compare items and discover abstract relational rules, rather than focus on surface similarity, is stable across learning tasks, and is independent of working memory capacity. link.springer.com/article/10.3...
Evidence for rule versus exemplar learning strategies as stable individual differences independent from working memory - Memory & Cognition
Evidence for two qualitatively different learning strategies has emerged from the function- and category-learning literatures: a rule-based and an exemplar-based strategy. With a rule-based strategy, ...
link.springer.com
August 8, 2025 at 1:18 AM
New paper: we argue that an individual's propensity to compare items and discover abstract relational rules, rather than focus on surface similarity, is stable across learning tasks, and is independent of working memory capacity. link.springer.com/article/10.3...
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
bayesians gotta relax with the taking credit for the concept of infering things about the world
What my kids school assignment (and Bayesian logic) teaches us about Trump's trade deals.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
August 3, 2025 at 5:13 AM
bayesians gotta relax with the taking credit for the concept of infering things about the world
Reposted by Micah Goldwater
Lol @micahgoldwater.bsky.social meme redux at #cogsci2025 in a cool talk about political psych via memes
July 31, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Lol @micahgoldwater.bsky.social meme redux at #cogsci2025 in a cool talk about political psych via memes
In our new paper, we motivate giving community health workers the tools to support evidence-based medical decision-making that go beyond a deficit model. journals.plos.org/globalpublic...?
Community health workers’ counseling is based on a deficit model of behavior change
Author summary In 2005, India started the ASHA program to help rural communities get better healthcare and health education access. While the program has improved health services, many do not follow m...
journals.plos.org
July 25, 2025 at 3:23 AM
In our new paper, we motivate giving community health workers the tools to support evidence-based medical decision-making that go beyond a deficit model. journals.plos.org/globalpublic...?