Improving science
Our lab has a primary focus on metascience: the science of science. We aim to understand and improve the ways science is done and how that affects the people doing it. We believe that scientists should move away from the notions of the ‘gifted recluse’ who searches for the truth no matter the consequences and instead focus also on the human aspects of doing research. Collaboration, hard work, and dealing with positive and negative emotions must be considered when working in the current scientific system, so our goal is twofold: 1: improve the system and 2: help people navigate the existing one. We have a particular focus on tool development, in which we create guidelines or applications that researchers can use to make their work better and more efficient. Some examples: SampleSizePlanner, Transparency Checklist, tenzing
We participate in several replications every year. Some examples from the currently running projects:
- developing lab manual templates – so that labs can easily integrate best practices into their daily work
- inventing postregistration – to document how much preregistration was followed
- reproduction of the statistical results of 100 articles
- investigating the time it takes a scientific manuscript to be accepted and published
- propagating the ‘psychology of science’ movement
Cognitive control
In the first years after our lab was established, we investigated several methodological and empirical questions related to decision making and reasoning. Recently, our interest has shifted to exploring the processes involved in decision making, such as cognitive control. Cognitive control is the mechanism that allows us to follow instructions and override our immediate reactions for long-term benefits. There is still much to learn about this mechanism and what affects our ability to maintain control. These questions are best explored in a laboratory setting, and we have spent years developing testing procedures without bias. In the last few years, we have discovered exciting links between cognitive control processes and subjective experiences, such as negative emotions, motivation, and arousal. Our aim is to expand our understanding of what drives cognitive control.