Quantitude - podcast cover

Quantitude

Greg Hancock & Patrick Curranquantitudepod.org
A podcast dedicated to all things quantitative, ranging from the relevant to the highly irrelevant. Co-hosts Patrick Curran and Greg Hancock talk about serious statistical topics, but without taking themselves too seriously. Think: CarTalk hi-jacked by the two grumpy old guys from the Muppets, grousing about quantitative methods, statistics, and data analysis, all presented to you with the production value of a 6th grade school project. But in a good way.
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Episodes

S1E21: Integrative Data Analysis -- The Quest for a Cooperative, Cumulative Science

Patrick and Greg are inspired by the community support we are witnessing during this time of crisis, and they expand this discussion into the community of science. They drill down into the collaborative approach of integrative data analysis in which models are fit to data that have been aggregated across multiple independent samples. They also discuss Quarantudesday, setting food on fire, when the cops show up, being a supportive spouse, defense mechanisms, psychometric punches in the face, not ...

Mar 31, 202059 minSeason 1Ep. 21

S1E20: Finite Mixture Modeling & Sir Mixture-A-Lot

Greg and Patrick waste an hour of your time drunkenly wandering along the dangerous cliffs overlooking mixture modeling. In addition to exploring the potential promises and unadulterated dangers of mixture models as a mode of scientific inquiry, they also mention drama nerds, hunchbacks, date night for the Lincolns, name dropping, UConn women's basketball, inductive-deductive wishin'-and-a-hopin', Chihuahua heads, cats cradle, and albino gorillas. We hope you enjoy the episode. Stay in contact w...

Mar 24, 20201 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 20

S1E19: Live from The Rusty -- Irish Storytelling & Quantitative Limericks

Patrick and Greg celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish storytelling of some of their own epic academic fails, interspersed with a selection of quantitative limericks submitted by Quantitude listeners (as well as a few of their own). The final selections are read by a special guest (who, be warned in advance, is a bit grumpy). Also mentioned: white elephants, nuns fighting, Garfield phones, apology tours, bear poop, the inverse of an eyeball, prune festivals, creative uses for up-lights, Piaget,...

Mar 17, 20201 hr 3 minSeason 1Ep. 19

S1E18: A Conversation with Katherine Masyn -- The Power of Three

Patrick and Greg have a blast hanging out with quant super-star Katherine Masyn, arguably one of the coolest people on earth. In addition to talking about professional development, the futility of making plans, and how to make meaningful contributions to science, the trio also discuss the power of three, mad cow disease, evaporated metal films, green laser pointers, mashed potatoes, and Patrick getting schooled on the non-binary nature of life, the universe, and everything else. Finally, for tho...

Mar 10, 202050 minSeason 1Ep. 18

S1E17: Planned Missing Designs (or, How to Beat a Metaphor to Death)

Greg and Patrick start with what seems like a reasonable metaphor linking musical compositions to planned missing data designs, and then they proceed to beat it to death. Then, just when you think they've buried it, they dig it back up and beat the carcass some more before eventually just running out of time. In addition to planned missing designs, they also mention the Kenny G paternity test, every trumpet player's sworn duty, tied 16th notes, Benny und die Jets, the Durham Bullhorns, wastebask...

Mar 03, 20201 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 17

S1E16: Missing Data: (IF EPISODE=16 THEN EPISODE=-999)

In Episode 16 of Quantitude, Patrick and Greg have more fun than is probably socially acceptable when talking about missing data. In addition to embracing the Zen-like paradox of "the presence of missing data," they also discuss West Point, "is" versus "are," middle school English teachers, relentless tenacity, talking narwhals, being completely pregnant, taking in shows at Cat's Cradle, circus tents, and books by Richard Bachman. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org Twit...

Feb 25, 20201 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 16

S1E15: Academia and the Chamber of Secrets

Greg and Patrick embark on a free-ranging discussion of many of the things no one bothers to tell you when entering academia, some that were particularly (and often pleasantly) surprising. They also talk about learning to fly, parenting, Richard Russo, Bayesian personality, Craisins, just noticeable differences, crayon giraffes, academic mulligans, final_final_final drafts, dead birds, Britney Spears, volitional reinvention, unconditional atta'boys, and the academic Pez dispenser. Stay in contac...

Feb 18, 20201 hrSeason 1Ep. 15

S1E14: Model Fit & The Curse of the Black Pearl

Patrick and Greg take on the topic of model evaluation and fit, particularly as applied to structural equation models. They also discuss compulsive counting, mashed potatoes, letting the horses out of the barn, building model 747s, Jenga, Moses's third tablet, the Pirate Code, demon conferences, and Roo Mates. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com...

Feb 11, 20201 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 14

S1E13: How Do I Get Scale Scores? Weight, Weight... Don't Tell Me...

Greg and Patrick pursue several topics raised on prior episodes on scale reliability and measurement invariance to their logical conclusion. Namely, they ponder the multitude of persnickety issues associated with putting a set of items into the psychometric sausage maker to grind out scale scores for use in subsequent analysis. In addition to bickering with one another over a host of trivial issues, they also discuss Neil Peart, needless aggression, time travel, rapping the MMPI, paying the reap...

Feb 04, 20201 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 13

S1E12: Measurement (Non)Invariance -- Can We Ever Fail to Not Incorrectly Reject It?

In this episode, Patrick and Greg respond to a call-in question that raises a host of issues revolving around measurement invariance testing. In addition to complaining about horrible terminology commonly used in quantitative methodology, they also address pirate mothers, irreverance, time machines, quadruple negatives, buying firewood, digging up bodies, the Schotz clock, and dumpster fires. There are also return appearances of Whac-a-Mole and the poking stick. Stay in contact with Quantitude! ...

Jan 28, 20201 hr 5 minSeason 1Ep. 12

S1E11: Grants -- Recommendations for Applicants (Disc 2)

In Part 2 of a two-part series, Greg and Patrick draw on their experiences with the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Education Sciences (as grant PI/co-PI, reviewer, panelist, and panel chair) to offer recommendations for those planning to seek funding for their own research projects. They also talk about a thousand monkeys, stages of grief, Southwest vs. Spirit Airlines, proper use of the word "however," Red Bull, and banana peels. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: qu...

Jan 21, 202056 minSeason 1Ep. 11

S1E10: Grants -- The Process (Disc 1)

In Part 1 of a two-part series, Patrick and Greg draw on their experiences with the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Education Sciences (as grant PI/co-PI, reviewer, panelist, and panel chair) to discuss aspects of the grant review process, including the scoring criteria, conflicts of interest, what it's like "in the room," and what happens after grants are reviewed. They also talk about turkey legs, sausage making, acronym-based drinking games, hairy eyeballs, roller coasters,...

Jan 14, 202054 minSeason 1Ep. 10

S1E09: Grumpy Old Man & Village Idiot Argue About Reliability

In this first episode of 2020, Greg and Patrick welcome the new year by offering what listeners have come to expect: no apparent plan for the episode, followed by rambling, circular, and barely internally-consistent discussion. At least they are, well, reliable. In fact, their meanderings lead them to a discussion of just that topic -- reliability. In an impromptu segment they call " Grumpy Old Man & Village Idiot " the Quanti-dudes talk about the often-forgotten but absolutely critical impo...

Jan 07, 20201 hr 3 minSeason 1Ep. 9

S1E08: A Very Special Quantitude Special Holiday Special

HI! This iz JiffffY the leeemur. Im the nU Qwante- quawnti- QPod inteRn. Here iz a speshuL hoLliday eppisowd i made for ar lissnerz, with a seEkrit gesstt! The qDoods wil be bAk innn Janyouairie with alll Nu eppisoads. HapPppee hoLlidayz!!!!!! And pleeZ share this eppisowd with frenDz! Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com...

Dec 17, 201918 minSeason 1Ep. 8

S1E07: Talking to Strangers... About Quantitative Methodology

In this episode, Patrick and Greg respond to a call-in question from Alexis, asking about how one describes to another human being what a quantitative methodologist actually is, leading to a broader discussion about how one makes unique contributions to the sciences from a methodological framework. In addition to talking about quantitative methodology as a way of knowing, they also mention: portmanteaus, social skills, druncles, Zantac, half-Transylvanians, NASCAR pit crews, carving a turkey, ic...

Dec 10, 20191 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 7

S1E06: Model Modification and Whac-a-Mole

In Episode 6 of Quantitude Greg and Patrick take their very first phone-in question, which seems to confuse both of them as they are on the computer and not the phone. Regardless, they talk with Tessa from the University of Maryland about her question of how to best use modification indices when fitting confirmatory factor models out in the real world. In addition to completely ripping off the Car Talk Guys from NPR, they address The Pod, rusty knives, Applebees, Patrick's favorite game at the N...

Dec 03, 201929 minSeason 1Ep. 6

S1E05: The Don Hedeker Tapes -- Interview With a Rock Star

In this episode of Quantitude, Patrick and Greg have the pleasure of talking with the always-entertaining and high-energy Don Hedeker, University of Chicago Professor of Biostatistics. They discuss Don's work in nonlinear mixed effects models, the importance of variance as an outcome, and ecological momentary assessment, as well as his advice for graduate students and indeed anyone presenting and writing in our field. Also mentioned in this episode are: getting scooped, day jobs, the Brady bunch...

Nov 26, 201959 minSeason 1Ep. 5

S1E04: Advice for Grad Students -- Our 2 Cents (Exact Value!)

In this episode of Quantitude, Patrick and Greg draw on their 50+ years of combined experience to offer what is clearly questionable advice for graduate students. They begin with a discussion of a recent survey of the best and worst ranked jobs possible (spoiler alert: don't be a taxi-driving logger on your newspaper reporter beat). They then proceed to discuss challenges facing graduate students today and provide some advice that might help along the way. During their discussion they also menti...

Nov 19, 201957 minSeason 1Ep. 4

S1E03: Pop Quiz SmackDown (Volume 1)

Greg and Patrick plan the episode around one topic, but things take an unexpected turn as the episode rapidly devolves into a series of pop quiz questions thrown from Patrick at Greg and back again. Rules of engagement are negotiated on the spot: without preparation, each person has 90 seconds to respond to a question of the other's choosing, which is in turn graded and argued over. Pop Quiz questions wind up addressing a range of topics that are core to understanding the thoughtful application ...

Nov 12, 201956 minSeason 1Ep. 3

S1E02: (Statistical) Power Struggles

In the second episode of Quantitude, Patrick and Greg channel the spirits of the two old men from the Muppet show (Waldorf and Statler, in case you're curious) and argue about the relative risks and benefits of statistical power analysis. They also discuss Patrick's mother, leaf blowing, 11 year-old saxophone players, the fortuitous ambiguity of child labor laws, vision in pigs, the poop emoji, and they properly use the word 'persnickety.' Enjoy! Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quanti...

Nov 05, 201937 minSeason 1Ep. 2

Quantitude, The Trailer

Patrick and Greg offer a brief non-Hollywood quality trailer that gives an initial sense of what is in store for future listeners of Quantitude. Stay in contact with Quantitude! Web page: quantitudepod.org TwitterX: @quantitudepod YouTube: @quantitudepod Merch: redbubble.com...

Oct 22, 20193 minSeason 1Ep. 1

S1E01: Welcome to Quantitude / Origin Stories

In the inaugural episode of Quantitude, Greg and Patrick introduce themselves, describe their goals for the podcast, and talk about their own professional trajectories -- kind of like superhero origin stories, but without the "super" or "hero." They also discuss what not to say in your application to a quantitative graduate program, a lifelong dream of becoming a police officer, building up to a "tight ten," hot yoga, broken legs, army recruiters, parental wisdom, and umlauts. Stay in contact wi...

Oct 21, 201925 minSeason 1Ep. 1
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