🎃 Happy Halloween to all our MindSet listeners!

🦇  🧙‍♀️🧉 What's a scary part about research? Statistics! The University of Pennsylvania's Alex Shpenev talks Kathryn and Michelle through common fears or misconceptions behind statistics and why you shouldn't be so sure when playing with numbers. Even though this episode doesn't include any spells, it reminds us that many popular statistics are just pulled out of thin air.   

#statistics #correlations #halloween 

Meet the guest!  

Alex Shpenev is a Senior Data Research Scientist at the Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also affiliated with the Population Studies Center, the Population Aging Research Center, the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and the Center for Global Healthh. His work focuses on the social nature of health behavior, exploring the social patterns of latrine use in India. As part of this project, Alex develops survey materials, supervises data collection, and conducts social network analysis to better understand the flow of information about the benefits of better sanitation practices and the availability of resources for latrine construction. His other work centers on how friends and family (in particular, spouses) can contribute to better health behaviors and health outcomes.

Alex received his PhD in Demography and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MA in Statistics from the Wharton School.

Meet our guest!

Alex's website: https://www.shpenev.com/

Alex's MBDS bio: https://www.lps.upenn.edu/degree-programs/mbds/faculty/alex-shpenev

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