Jacob J. Coutts, PhD

Lecturer of Social Data Science at The University of Maryland. I research statistics and tell others about it.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

The time is almost here! On Thursday, you can learn about some of the most popular models in science. I will be covering special topics voted on by attendees—sign up now to have a say in this short course!

[Quant Methods at UMD @QMMSatUMD]

We have a new 2-day online short course covering intro-to-intermediate mediation and moderation!

https://t.co/zBoZbc6Qfi

Join Jacob Coutts (@jacobjcoutts) synchronously and/or asynchronously, November 6-7, 2025. Student discount available.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

I will be teaching a *virtual* short course on Mediation and Moderation Analysis through the CILVR at the UMD next Thursday and Friday! Check it out and consider attending if you use these models in your research or like a mix of dry humor and stats! :) https://t.co/7aupbIM7xQ

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

After a long semester, I was recently awarded the "Students' Choice Most Valuable Faculty" award and the "Philip Merrill Mentor Award." As a first-gen student, it's an honor to be on the giving side of impactful mentorship. Never stop investing in our future scientists!

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@letsnotbehayest This applies to anything. There is no quick fix or rule of thumb that will improve your work. Science is hard and requires a lot of thought and that will never change!

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@GregoryRHancock @LeighMcLeanPhD A new meaning to ass-ociation

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

Due to typos, I'm starting a new field of research called casual inference.

"Sure, I guess X causes Y"

It relies on probably instead of probability.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@IreneNavaleza @HaskayneCCRAM No, but I did Monte my Carlos.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

Slightly delayed, but I recently got back from RMMA hosted by @HaskayneCCRAM. It was a great event filled with expert researchers and teachers, and a nice trip to Banff to boot. 10/10 do recommend. I also summited a mountain with Tim Hortons. It was the most Candian thing ever.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod "I know I haven't been to class and it says you can't in the syllabus, but can you round my grade or give me extra credit? I'm at an 88%."

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod Me, when I lose another weekly Quantitude competition

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod @IreneNavaleza Nothing like a Lemma Drop after a long day.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@AmandaKMontoya Programmer law: If you're naming objects "temp," they will soon be named expletives afterwards.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod Submitting a conference proposal before you've completed (or started) a study

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod The Count of Monte Carlo

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

Tomorrow I head to Canada to visit the Rocky Mountain Methodology Academy, geek out with other stats nerds, present on how to improve our quantitative pedagogy (& why that matters), and be a tourist. If you don't know about the RMMA, read more here: https://t.co/uErSMIJjoC

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@AndrewFHayes Excellent additions, Andy. CCRAM attendees are lucky!

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@AmandaKMontoya @jacasiegel @audraquinn Mediation: Assumptions violated 100% of the time
Dyadic mediation: Assumptions violated 200% of the time
In all seriousness, there are (too) many angles. The emphasis I oft see is on distinguishability first, paths second (saturation far less plausible)
PM if you have questions!

[Linda J. Skitka @LindaSkitka]

I’ve always said that I know that a manuscript is ready to submit for publication when it “sings.” It’s not just varied sentence structure that makes a paper sing— it needs to go through a number of other stages first. 🧵

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod The Flash(drive), capable of quickly uploading data to a physical unit that would more appropriately stored on the cloud.

[Jacob J. Coutts, PhD @jacobjcoutts]

@quantitudepod The Matrix