In our series Interview With A Team Member, we aim to introduce the people behind the JASP-project. Today we are interviewing Tim de Jong, one of our software developers!
Tim de Jong is a software developer at JASP. He is responsible for improving the R analyses and enriching the Bayesian ANOVA and t-tests. To contact Tim, you can send him an e-mail.
What is your professional background?
After finishing a bachelor’s degree in Psychobiology I started my master in research psychology. My major is statistical methods with a focus on mathematical statistics. During my education, I have worked a number of years for the technical support unit of the UvA.
What is your favorite statistical test?
My favorite statistical test would probably be a linear regression analysis. It is deliciously easy to understand and perform, yet teaches many important concepts.
What is your relation to JASP?
I joined the team about 10 months ago. My contribution has mainly consisted of adding features to our Bayesian linear models. Up to this point my study demanded the lionshare of my time, but from August onward I will start full-time. It will hopefully allow me to add many new features much more quickly!
What feature of JASP do you like best?
My favorite feature is probably the instant-updating. You tick a button and your analysis refreshes instantly. Gone are the days where you have to navigate through a series of menu’s because you forgot a tick mark somewhere.
What aspect of JASP would you like to see improved in a future version?
JASP was built with the UI firmly in mind which has resulted in a smooth user experience. However, it meant that our R code had to be tailored to this purpose, which makes it difficult for our analyses to run in isolation of JASP. It would be great if we could detach this dependency and make our analyses callable straight from R.
Are you a Bayesian, a frequentist, an agnostic, a pragmatist, or perhaps something else?
Well, when you work with Eric-Jan Wagenmakers it is hard to escape the world of Bayes. And I do feel like Bayesian statistics make more inituitive sense than frequentist statistics. However, from my personal experience the two often agree. This leads me to more of a pragmatic attitude — just find the most appropriate tool for the job.
What question would you like to answer?
Will you grow old as a JASP’er?
Will you grow old as a JASP’er?
Maybe! I suppose it depends on two things, (1) will JASP be around and (2) will I be. Considering the backing the project has received I believe (1) is no issue. As for (2) — I am in the fortunate position that I can go on a trip around the world very soon. I’m not too sure what awaits me after, but as it stands I would definitely like to return to the team.
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