Dr. Alex Swan

@swanpsych

Assoc Prof. Cog psy, films, & biases. ❤️ memes & gifs. Dad. Krav blue belt. Host of CinemaPsych Podcast. YouTuber. Posts are mine. He/him

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Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· 15d

Sharing that there’s a new site redesign (taste on mobile). Catch the rest of the redesign at cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com More to come! The film pages are gonna get a makeover soon! Stay tuned and please share, rate, and review the show on your favorite players 🤩🤓

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Apr 20

Woohoo!

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Sep 13

Mood

Meme of Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story, with the former’s arm outstared and the latter with a worried look on his face. Buzz seems to be saying with the text on the image “confirmation bias everywhere”

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· May 30

New changes to cinemapsychpod.swanpsych.com — film database of all films on the show (more than 100 films!), searchable & sortable, psychology concepts tagged, each film linked to the show where they've been discussed, AND (not pictured) a teaching resource page.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· May 7

Fresh ink for the forearm—bonus points if you’re familiar with the reference.

An arm on a white paper towel background showing a fresh tattoo of the green guy from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, who is a green sphere, sticking out his tongue, with a hat, camera, and suitcase with a towel sticking out of it.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Apr 13

I asked #ChatGPT to describe me in a fun/upbeat way and then asked it to create an image of me (with ref) using that description #AI #AIart

A digitally illustrated, semi-realistic portrait of a smiling male professor standing on a leafy college campus in autumn. He has light skin, short brown hair, and a full beard, and wears a light blue button-up shirt. He holds a coffee cup in one hand and a backpack strap in the other. Floating around him are icons representing psychology (a brain with network nodes), media (a film reel, a YouTube play button, and a microphone), and data (a rising bar graph). The background features golden trees, falling leaves, and a red-brick academic building, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Mar 24

I finally made another milestone — it took a while, but ya boi has over 10k subs on YouTube! I missed the tick over cuz I was asleep, but I’m still beaming nevertheless 😆

A screenshot of a YouTube account named Alexander Swan Ph.D. Showing 10,008 total subscribers

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Mar 4

Asked Dall-E to give me sleep-deprived college students for a lecture on sleep in health psych and I got zombies. Tired college students = zombies. Sounds about right methinks 🤣

A group of college students in a library, visibly sleep-deprived. Their eyes are red and droopy, with dark circles under them. Some students struggle to keep their eyes open, while others have dozed off on their textbooks. One student stares blankly at a laptop screen, while another grips a coffee cup with shaking hands. Their desks are cluttered with books, notes, and empty energy drink cans. The dim lighting in the library enhances the atmosphere of exhaustion and inability to concentrate.

A group of exhausted college students sitting in a library, visibly sleep-deprived. They have red, droopy eyes with dark circles, and some are struggling to stay awake. One student has fallen asleep on an open textbook, another stares blankly at a laptop screen, and another is holding a coffee cup with shaky hands. Their desks are cluttered with books, notes, and energy drink cans. The lighting is dim, emphasizing their tiredness and inability to concentrate.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Jan 3

Brian Stone @Boise State finds that Ss at his school show that this most recent sem, more than half of students used #AI in their schoolwork. Abt ~10% reported false accusations. We’ve got a long road ahead… #academicsky #psychsky #highered www.brianwstone.com/wp-content/u...

Screenshot of research article with the following text:

The Science of Teaching and Learning Corner
Generative Al in Higher Education:
Uncertain Students, Ambiguous Use Cases, and Mercenary Perspectives
SOCIETY& THE TEACHING OF PSYCHOLOGY
Teaching of Psychology
I-10
© The Author(s) 2024
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/00986283241305398
journals.sagepub.com/home/top
§ Sage
Brian W. Stone ID
Abstract
Background: Students in higher education are using generative artificial intelligence (Al) despite mixed messages and contradictory policies.
Objective: This study helps answer outstanding questions about many aspects of Al in higher education: familiarity, usage, perceptions of peers, ethical/social views, and Al grading.
Method: I surveyed 733 undergraduates.
Results: Students reported mixed levels of experience with Al and tended toward nervousness over excitement. Most reported professors addressing Al but not integrating it. While 41% of students had used Al in ways explicitly banned, many more students (59%) reported ambiguous use cases. Students overestimated peer cheating, and this predicted their own cheating, as did general experience with and excitement about Al. Meanwhile, 11% of students reported false accusations, with first-generation students possibly at a higher rate. Pragmatic views about career and inequality may be affecting behaviors. Men consistently reported more involvement with Al than women.
Conclusion: Future research should focus on the hybrid collaboration of humans and Al and how Al might be leveraged to support and scaffold genuine learning.
Teaching Implications: Al will be relevant to many future careers, and students increasingly want it to be part of their education. Academic integrity will be a continuing challenge, and students need transparency.
Keywords
technology
artificial intelligence, generative Al, academic integrity, false accusations, detection, bias, ethics, inequality, workforce, educ…

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Dec 28

Doing the last bits of DIY on our kitchen remodel. Adding these tiles to create a backsplash. Love this corner with the clean counter and fresh tiles.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Dec 24

I got some free access to Sora AI and so I made this short little video of a stereotypical processor teaching psychology in stop motion. The photorealistic one is pretty meh. #sora #ai #skychology #psychsky #chatgpt #openai What else should I make?

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Dec 23

lol — first time this video has gotten a comment with this sort of language.

Screenshot of a YouTube comment that has the following text: Lecture 12: Discrimination & Reducing
Prejudice || PSY 203: Social Psychology
@patrickcelleri8934 • 17 hours ago (edited)
Sometimes on the unbearably woke end of things - expected from the beta-male, ally persona.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Dec 12

To all my professor/instructor followers & discoverers dealing w/ AI: HOMEWORK MACHINE, Shel Silverstein, from “Light in the Attic”

Screenshot image with the following text:

The Homework Machine, oh the Homework Machine,
Most perfect contraption that's ever been seen.
Just put in your homework, then drop in a dime,
Snap on the switch, and in ten seconds' time,
Your homework comes out, quick and clean as can be.
Here it is—"nine plus four?" and the answer is "three."
Three?
Oh me . . .
I guess it’s not as perfect
As I thought it would be.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Dec 11

According to NCES and the most recent PIAAC study (nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaa...), the US ain’t doing so hot on basic literacy skills 🫠🫠

“Figure 1-A from the National Center for Education Statistics showing average scores on PIAAC (Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies) for literacy and numeracy among U.S. adults aged 16 to 65 in the years 2012/14, 2017, and 2023.

The literacy section presents a bar chart:
• 2012/14: 272 (marked with an asterisk indicating significance),
• 2017: 271 (asterisked),
• 2023: 258.

The numeracy section presents another bar chart:
• 2012/14: 257 (asterisked),
• 2017: 255 (asterisked),
• 2023: 249.

Each bar is labeled with its corresponding scale score on a range from 0 to 500.”

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Dec 1

This is what AI is for! blueskyroast.com/roast/swanps... I do enjoy being cozy and dreading existence!

A screenshot of BlueSky Roast page with the following text: “Dr. Alex Swan: The Professor Who Tweets in Cinematic Quotes
A blend of academic insight and dad humor, sprinkled with film references that would make Scorsese proud.
' Like a cozy blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, but with,
a sprinkle of existential dread.
85%
& Authenticity
75%
3 Thought Leader
Key Topics
90%
& Cognitive Biases
95%
? Film Analysis”

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Nov 30

Wanted to keep my cred up for this awesome starter pack: Academics with Dogs go.bsky.app/8JBjFxH

Murphy, a brown and white dog mix, squats gently in the freshly mown summer grass, ready to drop a large poo or two. His bums faces the camera, though I’m sure no embarrassment or shame was felt in the moment.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Nov 30

I’ve been sick since Wednesday in what I’m calling my official worst Thanksgiving. Anyway, I was looking through my screenshots and found this one from a couple weeks ago that fills my heart up

A screenshot of a YouTube comment that says the following: “Dr. Swan, l'm an American grad-student in Europe (struggling in statistics at the moment) and this series of lectures along with the one you did 4 years ago have been a GODSEND. If you ever look at yourself in the mirror and wonder if it's worth to sacrifice so much of your precious time to do these videos, just close your eyes and remember all of us who are able to fulfill our rites of passage in life thanks to your tutelage. We can't thank you enough..”

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Nov 20

Memory and movie jokes ftw

Two panel image of Homer and Marge from The Simpsons. In The top panel, Marge says “c’mon Homer, Japan will be fun. You liked Rashomon.” In the bottom panel, Homer grumbles his reply, “that’s not how I remember it.”

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Nov 19

Ok, so I get that other disciplines don't really know the MBTI is garbage, but like, can we not improperly cite the work of cross-discipline colleagues please? arxiv.org/pdf/2411.01379

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Nov 18

Fantastic idea!

A dog, Murphy, with brown and white fur, lays upside down on a dark grey blanket, giving what appears to be a really cheesy grin.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Nov 18

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

"I BELIEVE IN EVIDENCE.
I believe in observation, measurement, and reasoning,
confirmed by independent
observers. I'll believe anything, no matter how wild and ridiculous, if there is evidence for it. The wilder and more ridiculous something is, however, the firmer and more solid the evidence will have to be."
- Isaac Asimov

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Oct 7

Hello! If you are interested in joining me on the podcast... I now have a general interest form! I am specifically looking for psychology professionals and instructors to share their expertise and enjoyment of film to match. You can fill it out here: forms.gle/9tfck44YZFA3...

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Oct 16

Ahhhh!!! I just surpassed 5k subs on Youtube... WOW

Screenshot of Youtube subscriber count with the text: "Current subscribers 5,006, +218 in the last 28 days"

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Oct 15

Tfw your #MBTI paper is shared independently by strangers to other strangers asking for evidence of their claims *swoon*

A Reddit thread where a claim is made about the MBTI personality test that is basically saying the assessment is astrology for business folks. The comments then report my paper’s summary of why this is the case.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Oct 12

I asked DALLE3 to show me, haunted by the word PROVE, all throughout my students' writing...

Illustration of a man sitting on the edge of a bed, head in hands, with ghostly letters spelling 'PROVE' hovering around him, casting a faint glow.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Sep 25

Got a notebook as part of a speaking engagement swag, from WoodchuckUSA, and the tree associated with it is in Madagascar!

A picture of a computer screen showing the main text “your tree is planted in Villamatsa Madagascar” with a backdrop of men working in a sapling orchard.

Dr. Alex Swan@swanpsych· Sep 14