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Quantitude — Science
Quantitude

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.

Copyright: © 2024 Quantitude

Latest Episodes:

S7E17 Elements of Structural Equation Models with Ken Bollen Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode Patrick and Greg talk with Ken Bollen who is a Professor of Psychology and Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to exploring topics including home made rockets, sitars, and Jimi Hendrix, Ken talks with them about his brand new book Elements of Structural Equation Models and how he aspired to capture the many recent developments in SEM that have occurred since his monumental 1989 book on the same topic. Along the way they also discuss brushes with greatness, naughty bits, Mick Jagger, sharing a urinal, marginal notes, stranded in Brussels, matching t-shirts, asbestos walls, ruby rods, choosing between physics, chemistry, or terrorism, General Motors, the Berlin Wall, dust cover quotes, the fine print, side effects, elevated heart rates, cited but not read, Ravi Shankar, and matching BMWs.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E16 Jumping Into Regression Discontinuity Designs Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode, Greg and Patrick discuss the decades-old method of the regression discontinuity design and describe how, when properly applied, this approach can strengthen our causal inferences when using quasi-experimental data. Along the way they also discuss Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor, playing barefoot darts, gaming the system, I see dead people, Googling age cut-offs, Van Halen's "Jump", Zoom calls in class, senior discount day, pivots, building saddles, biggest guy in the bar, grunting tennis players, refusing a raise, when the cops show up, and the ninth step.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E15 Are College Rankings Useful? Maybe... Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

In this In the Wild episode, Greg and Patrick turn their Quantitude loose on college rankings. In particular, they discuss whether these rankings are of use to anyone at all, and what issues we would need to have addressed in order for us to be able to answer that question.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E14 Sample Size Planning: The Groundhog Day Episode Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode Greg and Patrick talk, for the third time, about power analysis, drawing on a recent paper by Greg and Yi Feng at UCLA, that reminds us how little we actually know when sample size planning, and then offers a concrete, cautious strategy for planning in the face of that uncertainty. Along the way they also mention Punxsutawney Phil, acknowledgments, bold ass titles, dark matter, driving angry, crystal balls, Ned Ryerson, shock absorbers, King Henry IV, yard sales and haggling, hurricane insurance in Denver, and perineums and pessimums.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E13 Time-Varying Effect Models Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode Patrick and Greg explore the incredibly cool possibilities offered by the time-varying effects model as a non-parametric alternative to the more restrictive time-varying covariate model. Along the way they also mention North Dakota, Cal Ripken Jr., pre-gaming, not trying to be funny, left lane guy, Walker Texas Ranger, smelling toast, Bob Ross, hearing sirens, muu-muus, petulant teenagers, two old men, boing boing boing, greedy bastards, hostage negotiations, going off the rails, and being made whole.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E12 The Gift of Regifting Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

This week's episode is the seventh annual Quantitude Holiday Special, but because Greg and Patrick both forgot to get each other something, they frantically regift one another some of their favorite sponsors from prior episodes. Along the way they also discuss Quantitude Studio A, two foot tall porcelain penguins, electric bug zappers, personalized cutting boards, balls dropping, Sir Francis Galton, Brad Pitt, the two people who actually listen to a full episode, Christmas Eve, Muffin the kitten, Alan Rickman, Mr. Riclpm, Top Gun, and an Easter egg from Jiffy.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E11 Should Essays be Used in College Admissions? Maybe... Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

In this In The Wild episode, Patrick and Greg turn their Quantitude loose on college admission essays, in particular whether or not they should be used to make such high-stakes decisions, and they discuss what issues would need to be addressed in order to answer that question.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E10 A Report Card on GPAs Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode Patrick and Greg have fun exploring the questionably valid but always high stakes role of the grade point average, of GPA. They consider the different ways in which grades can be assigned, what they may or may not actually represent, and how they have become increasingly inflated over time. Along the way, they also discuss not being agnostic, math vs. sociology, avoiding homework, eye patches, participation credit, revenge committee assignments, trust falls, bad dermatologists, meeting expectations, Trojan horse questions, failing law school, picking your battles, GPA as rolling D&D dice, and holding forth.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E09 Modeling Categorical Change with Latent Transition Analysis Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode Patrick and Greg talk about latent transition analysis, which embeds latent class analysis within a longitudinal context, allowing us to explore, as well as to formally test, patterns of individual change in latent class membership over time. Along the way they also mention: identity crises, the crossword puzzler, the nihilist, here comes the asteroid, deck chairs and floating doors, grizzled 25-year-olds, burying the lede, victory yells, Pepsi vs. Coke, magic wiping cloths, and lining up to slap Greg.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

S7E08 Bootstrapping Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

In this week's episode Greg and Patrick discuss the amazing world of the empirical bootstrap. They start with inferential testing using business as usual, describe where that quickly runs into problems, and explore where bootstrapping does and, importantly, does not help move us forward. Along the way they also discuss midnight in Bangkok, the awe of a 747, the Wright Brothers, what's your point, sampling a crappy sample, indulging neurons, Guinness beer, just go faster, what does Tukey know, kids these days, sticking to the story, the symmetric horse, Greenday and Coors Light, everything is awesome, petulant teenagers, and maybe a little too quiet.

Stay in contact with Quantitude!

Web page: quantitudepod.org
TwitterX: @quantitudepod
YouTube: @quantitudepod
Merch: redbubble.com

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