Psychology is weird. Some of the most important and useful insights involve things that nobody can observe — things that go on in your head — events that only you witness. And yet our most developed theories were developed to predict observable behaviour, not hidden thoughts and feelings.

I live this conundrum on a daily basis.

As a coaching psychologist (and as a human being) my main psychological interest is in self-development through regulating our own thoughts and behaviours. Learning to meditate changed my life. Of course, what it mostly changed was how I deal with my own thoughts and bodily sensations. As an Associate Professor of Psychological Measurement and Statistics, I spend large parts of my life trying to figure out how we can accurately measure, understand, and teach such self-development processes.

Until we have the sort of brain scanners only found in sci-fi, our best bet is psychometric measurement.

Crib Sheets

Sometimes I notice that students ask me the same question again and again. Or that I keep having to look up the same information again and again. And sometimes when those things happen, I think it might help other people if I published my notes for others to see. Some of these ain’t pretty, but they might be useful…

Alternatives to pro-rating for missing data

Choosing a statistical test: A cheat sheet

Computing variables and prorating for missing data in Jamovi and SPSS

Formatting datasets

Helping your supervisors help you

Is data plural?

Quality checklist for experimental and component studies in coaching and therapy

Using ‘I’ in scientific writing

Writing an abstract