# Bayesian

Bayesian statistics blogs

## Bayesian inference in the (abnormal) mind

May 15, 2016
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The (abnormal) mind can be modeled as a Bayesian inference engine, as summarized in the post, Bayesian reasoning implicated in some mental disorders. Excerpt:“The brain is a guessing machine [i.e., Bayesian inference engine - JKK], trying at each mom...

## Numerical pitfalls in computing variance

May 3, 2016
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One of the most common tasks in statistical computing is computation of sample variance. This would seem to be straightforward; there are a number of algebraically equivalent ways of representing the sum of squares $$S$$, such as \[ S = \sum_{k=1}^n (...

## Matlab version of BEST

April 28, 2016
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Nils Winter has created a Matlab interface to BEST (Bayesian estimation for two groups of metric-scale data). You can read about it at his GitHub README.

## Bayesian estimation of log-normal parameters – Update

April 19, 2016
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Using the log-normal density can be confusing because it's parameterized in terms of the mean and precision of the log-scale data, not the original-scale data. Thus, if your data, y, are nicely described by a log-normal distribution, the estimated m...

## First steps with monads in Scala

April 15, 2016
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Introduction In the previous post I gave a quick introduction to some important concepts in functional programming, such as HOFs, closures, currying and partial application, and hopefully gave some insight into why these concepts might be useful in the context of scientific computing. Another concept that is very important in modern functional programming is that … Continue reading First steps with monads in Scala

## How to train undergraduate psychologists to be post hoc BS generators

April 3, 2016
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Teaching undergraduate psychology is difficult for a variety of reasons. Students come in with preconceived notions about what psychological research is and are sometimes disappointed with the mismatch between their preconceptions and reality. Much of ...

## How to check Likert scale summaries for plausibility

March 30, 2016
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Suppose you are reading a paper that uses Likert scale responses. The paper reports the mean, standard deviation, and number of responses. If we are -- for some reason -- suspicious of a paper, we might ask, "Are these summary statistics possible for t...

## Speaking at DataPhilly February 2016

February 5, 2016
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The next DataPhilly meetup will feature a medley of machine-learning talks, including an Intro to ML from yours truly. Check out the speakers list and be sure to RSVP. Hope to see you there! Thursday, February 18, 2016 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Speakers: Corey Chivers Randy Olson Austin Rochford Corey Chivers (Penn Medicine) Abstract: […]

## The remains of R. A. Fisher are visited by Bayesians again

January 29, 2016
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Thanks to Phillip Alday, the second edition of Doing Bayesian Data Analysis has visited the remains of R. A. Fisher at St. Peter's Cathedral in Adelaide. Here is a photo that Phillip snapped: In a previous post, the first edition visited Fisher's ...

## New digital feature editorship at the Psychonomic Society

January 19, 2016
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As of January 1, 2016, I am the new methods editor for the Psychonomic Society digital features. Steve Lewandowsky has written an introductory post with a bit of background, and my first post -- about Arsenault and Buchsbaum's recent article in Psychon...