Two Psychologists Four Beers - Episodes Tagged with “Meta Science”

Episode 126: Using AI to Improve Science (with Paul Litvak)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:15:00 -0500

Paul Litvak joins the show to talk about how AI tools can help us measure research quality and assess evidence in the scientific literature. His first project is a way to extract test statistics and p-values from papers automatically, with no manual coding needed. We also talk about Paul's non-profit dedicated to improving the reliability of scientific research, the legendary judgment and decision making scholar Robin Dawes (whose entirely algorithmic approach to graduate student selection once went terribly awry), and Paul's exit from academia. Plus, Yoel reveals a shameful secret about his use of AI.

Special Guest: Paul Litvak.

Links:

Episode 28: Better Advice (with Alexa Tullett)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 05:00:00 -0400

Yoel and Mickey welcome Associate Professor of Psychology, Alexa Tullett from the University of Alabama to the podcast. Co-host of The Black Goat podcast and board member of the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS), Alexa talks about being a Canadian early career researcher working in the US. What research is Alexa most excited about these days? How did she become interested in meta science? What advice would she give to non-Americans thinking of working in academia in the US? How did the Black Goat podcast come about?

Bonus: Follow-up on the effect of parenting on happiness.

Special Guest: Alexa Tullett.

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Episode 8: Confessions of a Science Critic (with James Heathers)

Yoel Inbar, Michael Inzlicht, and Alexa Tullett — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 06:00:00 -0400

Yoel and Mickey welcome Northeastern University research scientist and science critic James Heathers to their show. Yoel, Mickey, and James discuss science reform and the need for robust science criticism. Why is it so hard for some (older) scientists to admit their mistakes? Do science critics feel empathy for the scholars they criticize? Is there a danger of science criticism going too far, even over-correcting? What exactly is Yoel drinking this episode?

Bonus: James discusses his fascinating research on people who can control their goosebumps.

Bonus Bonus: Yoel and Mickey submit to James's break-music request.

Special Guest: James Heathers.

Links:

Molson Canadian | Premium Lager
Big Cranky - Stony Creek BreweryStony Creek Brewery
Retraction Watch – Tracking retractions as a window into the scientific process
Meet the ‘data thugs’ out to expose shoddy and questionable research | Science | AAAS
Why We Find And Expose Bad Science – Medium — Why We Find And Expose Bad Science (It isn’t because we’re mean.)
Here’s How Cornell Scientist Brian Wansink Turned Shoddy Data Into Viral Studies About How We Eat -- BuzzFeed — Brian Wansink won fame, funding, and influence for his science-backed advice on healthy eating. Now, emails show how the Cornell professor and his colleagues have hacked and massaged low-quality data into headline-friendly studies to “go virally big time.”
The voluntary control of piloerection [PeerJ]
The People Who Can Control Their Goose Bumps - The Atlantic — Everyone cannot do it. But Palejko is not alone, either. He is among dozens of people that James Heathers, a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University, identified during and after a recent study on the phenomenon. Heathers posted a preprint—which has not yet been peer reviewed—describing 32 people who can control their goose bumps, and he’s been contacted by several others since. Many of them, like Palejko, had thought this ability was perfectly ordinary for most of their lives. Palejko told me his brother can do it, too.
Creating goosebumps at will may be more interesting than it sounds | Ars Technica