Sign in

Sam McCormick

@smonly.bsky.social
854 followers 1.3K following 251 posts

Psychology lecturer. Interested in language/reading/cognitive psychology & teaching. Trying to separate work/life and failing

PostsRepliesMedia
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
& his birthday was actually 27th of April (OS) but he chose to celebrate on 23rd, (h/t R3).
042
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
I imagined I would learn to crochet sufficiently well to try that blanket.
000
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Ran out of options after guess 3 Wordle 1,403 4/6 ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟨⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
200
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
'when AI generates summaries, students bypass the cognitive engagement required to actively interpret academic work. It is precisely this engagement – the effort to comprehend, synthesise and relate ideas – that catalyses learning.' 1/3
timeshighereducation.com
AI risks undermining the heart of higher education
If students don’t make the effort to comprehend, synthesise and relate ideas for themselves, they will miss out on meaningful academic growth, says Zahid Naz
417363
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Not mine specifically but I’ve used Psychopy before in lab. Online data collection DMDX (historical interest), Qualtrics & Gorilla for student projects. I’ve been to workshops where they demonstrate eye tracking uses, face stuff etc. moving a Gorilla thing to Pavlovia this summer.
000
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
I was surprised by the relatively reasonable looking pricing too. It was Wellcome (?) funded initially I think. Or perhaps EU.
100
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
I don’t find it that bad, but I find that most surveys are relatively alright and there are usually plenty of examples to follow online. Also the issue with all of them (bar none) are year on year changes.
100
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Dr Jay Watts @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
🚨 We've had 300+ signatures in under 24 hours — incredible. 🙌Let’s try to get to 600 by tomorrow. Every signature helps build pressure for parliamentary scrutiny and media coverage. Please sign + RT if you can + send to channels this oldie doesn't understand. Thank you so, so much💥
04640
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Pavlovia? pavlovia.org/store No sure about the programming skills bit but you could use it for experiments too.
130
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Thùy Vy T Nguyễn @thuyvytnguyen.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Is there any survey platforms besides Qualtrics that have the following qualities? ✅ Easy to use; doesn't require much programming skills ✅ Accommodate multiple users ✅ Cheaper than Qualtrics 😅 Please RT for reach. I am asking for alternatives that are more friendly to low/middle income countries.
7128
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Dr Jay Watts @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Excuse me for focusing on mental health claimants for a moment but 23% of PIP recipients with psychotic disorders as primary condition would lose eligibility if the evil 4+ rule goes through. This is incredibly dangerous. Another important FOI, this time from Benefits & Work.
A partial screenshot of a table from benefitsandwork.co.uk showing the number of claimants for different health conditions. The table includes:
	1.	Back pain – 194,000 claimants, 154,000 (next column not labelled)
	2.	Arthritis – 279,000 claimants, 214,000
	3.	Other Regional Musculoskeletal Diseases – 136,000 claimants, 97,000
	4.	Chronic pain syndromes – 173,000 claimants, 118,000
	5.	Cardiovascular diseases – 61,000 claimants, 38,000
	6.	Respiratory diseases – 83,000 claimants, 45,000
	7.	Anxiety and depression – 587,000 claimants, 282,000
	8.	Multiple sclerosis and neuropathic diseases – 80,000 claimants, 38,000

The webpage header shows the time as 21:12 and the domain as benefitsandwork.co.uk. A privacy and terms notice is partly visible at the bottom.
77430
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
It is the week for "if only" after all. The music just distracts you.
000
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
I wrote this 12 years ago about the absurdity of the government *deliberately* seeking to reduce UK exports and growth. After Brexit and Trump, it makes even less sense. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The UK should be open for business to foreign students | Jonathan Portes
Jonathan Portes: If education exports are worth £15bn to the economy, why is the government trying to shut the doors on overseas students?
26927
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
I struggled with Iain M Banks / Feersum Endjinn (the language, the spelling etc) but it seems just like a prediction now.
000
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
Wordle 1,394 3/6 🟩🟩⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Late today
200
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
“You will play golf and eat hot hors d’oeuvres”
010
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
Like this one - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Col... Not a folk tale but great.
en.m.wikipedia.org
The Cold Heart - Wikipedia
000
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
I got stopped at Minneapolis for 4 hrs (5 day conference; unusual parentage only excuse ;2nd visit to US) and thought never again even then.
040
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
🚨🚨 This is beyond-wit non-sensical horseshit from this Lab official proposing some conspiracy-like idea on the meaning of a #customsunion. Another reminder why Labour has a very long way to travel on their thinking on #brexit which is getting increasingly disattached from their electorate.👇
2521579
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Doch
020
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Egham Choral @eghamchoral.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
One week to go until our Spring Concert! Tickets available on our website (linked in bio) 💐 🎶 ☀️
011
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
They look ripe for Dr Who (like a mini tardis).
130
Reposted by Sam McCormick
George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
A point not made enough: the UK runs a trade goods deficit with the US so shouldn’t be paying any tariffs at all based on the White House formula (10% is not a “win”).
731219431
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
doi.org/10.1016/j.ec... Also this one
010
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Rob Nash @drrobnash.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Psychology and education-minded people in the UK! We're hiring a Research Fellow to join my team at the NIoT. Looking for PhD grads with strong quant skills 📈, and an appetite for doing research with real impact for schools, teachers, and children 📚🧑🏽‍🏫. Deadline April 20. niot.org.uk/careers/rese...
niot.org.uk
Research Fellow, National Institute of Teaching
In this role you will work in the NIoT’s research team making a tangible and immediate impact on teaching practices.
0710
Reposted by Sam McCormick
pcrritesgood.bsky.social @pcrritesgood.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
One of the biggest problems with this AI bullshit when it comes to education is how it makes people think the final output is the only thing that matters when in reality the actual work you input of reading, thinking, synthesizing ideas & writing the paper/taking the test is how you actually learn.
612310
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
📌
000
Reposted by Sam McCormick
guynewey @guynewey.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Fancy getting a new efficient, heating system for free? We're looking for homeowners with electric heating and smart meters to join our research project (note we are looking for quite a select target group - so please pass on to anyone you think might fit the bill/benefit).
livinglab.energy
The Living Lab
The Living Lab is a network of volunteers from all around the UK, who help researchers understand how real people use energy in real-life settings.
42438
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Up there with 6 impossible things before breakfast
010
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Nature Reviews Psychology @natrevpsychol.nature.com · 02/04/2025
It is time to abandon student evaluations of teaching Comment by Gordon Hodson (@gordonhodsonphd.bsky.social) Web: go.nature.com/4jfAzXo PDF: rdcu.be/ef9y5
510951
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
“I may have misled you by using the word ‘tea.’ None of your wafer slices of bread-and-butter. We’re good trenchermen, we of the Revolution. What we shall require will be something on the order of scrambled eggs, muffins, jam, ham, cake and sardines. Expect us at five sharp.”(Comrade Bingo, j&w)
030
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 01/04/2025
Trump's 3/27 executive order targets the Smithsonian for advancing "the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct." Trump argues that the exhibit's statement, below, is unscientific. He's wrong. As a biology professor and population geneticist, I agree with every word of it.
“Race does not provide an accurate representation of human biological variation,” the statement reads. “Humans are not divided biologically into distinct continental types or racial genetic clusters. Instead, the Western concept of race must be understood as a classification system that emerged from, and in support of, European colonialism, oppression, and discrimination.”

“It thus does not have its roots in biological reality, but in policies of discrimination,” the statement says. “Because of that, over the last five centuries, race has become a social reality that structures societies and how we experience the world. In this regard, race is real, as is racism, and both have real biological consequences.”
673845963
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Thank you from all of us. The first of the year in my garden
Forget me not / Vergissmeinicht
010
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Yes it was that. And the set was very big too
010
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
Oh that explains it. Haven’t watched the UK version yet.
100
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
We saw an Irish version once (don’t know what channel) and it was sterile (perhaps worse because we didn’t know who anyone was)
110
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
(scrolled down quite far so apologies if there already but) Scounting for Girls / She’s so lovely. The jaunty first few notes, the verse and the chorus that lasts at 2 milllenia . Just everything
000
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Ian Martin @ianmartin.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
LAST CALL FOR #REMEMBEREDMUMS Please could I have any late mothers in by 8 pm tonight (Saturday 29th), so I can finalise the list and get it printed out for first thing tomorrow, cheers. DMs open until 8 pm. x
145835
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
It sounds less high minded in the original “daß man Bücher nur schafft, um über den eigenen Atem hinaus sich Menschen zu verbinden und uns so zu verteidigen gegen den unerbittlichen Widerpart alles Lebens: Vergänglichkeit und Vergessensein.”
020
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Excellent critique of childhood development interventions: "The privileged of Global North & South can find solace in the idea they have little responsibility for inequality. If bad childcare & poor brain development are major contributing factors to poverty, then it's parents’ job to overcome it"
aeon.co
The problem with parenting interventions in the Global South | Aeon Essays
Early childhood development interventions in the Global South is a huge industry built on highly questionable assumptions
01211
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
Let’s just remind ourselves of the alternative trade deals the UK is signing up to… 0.08% growth by 2038 from the CPTPP trade deal. Against a 4% long term loss from Brexit. We need to stop pretending this isn’t ruinous stupidity.
Private Eye. Screenshot 

BREXIT NUMBER CRUNCHING
0.08% Expected growth by
2038 from 'Brexit win' of Trans-Pacific
CPTPP trade deal
0.08% Expected growth by
2035 from Australia trade deal
0.07% Expected growth by 2035 from CEPA trade deal with Japan 0.03% Expected growth by
2035 from New Zealand trade deal
-4% Long-term loss of growth caused by the Brexit that enabled these 'wins'
418390
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
I was scared of many, many things on TV: Penelope Pitstop, the man from Fingerbobs, ‘gorillas’ on the news, Dr Who..
000
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
No loved everything about it. Terrified by Look and Read Cloud Burst in the first term of school (just before 5 yrs old) - even on B/W TV wheeled in to the Assembly Hall (there was a gun I think). Often think about it when reading about chem trail conspiracy stories
000
Reposted by Sam McCormick
womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
'Moomins' creator Tove Jansson illustrated both the Swedish and Finnish editions of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book 'The Hobbit' in the 1960s #womensart
Illustration of groups of creatures dancing happily in a woodland, in monochrome
052276
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
The end of days.
000
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Oh me too -revelation
020
Sam McCormick @smonly.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
I did too
010
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
The @jrct.bsky.social - a relatively radical York based grant making foundation - is looking for new trustees micro.green-park.co.uk/jrct-trustees/
micro.green-park.co.uk
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
11628
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Egham Choral @eghamchoral.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Support a local choral society! Tickets available for our Spring Concert - www.eghamchoral.org/tickets/ Raising money for rare disease charity actionforat.org Action for A-T
Concert poster: white lettering on blue.
12th April 7.30pm Windsor Auditorium Royal Holloway University of London
011
Reposted by Sam McCormick
Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
🚨🚨Again, easy to forget in current turbulent times but #brexit is still a devastating shitshow with nearly pitless misery. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Brexit has created a ‘mind blowing’ 2billion extra pieces paperwork
Liberal Democrats call on Sir Keir Starmer to negotiate a bespoke UK-EU customs union to free businesses from excessive red tape
817587