Getting Along and Getting Ahead

How social motivations and uncertainty influence our judgments, decisions, and rationality

Patrick Heck Ph.D.

Why People Morally Object to Experiments

Why are people so skeptical of experiments? New research finds that people often object to experiments even when they approve of the policies or treatments to be compared.

Visualizing Variability: Error Bars in Graphical Displays

Do you plot error bars when visualizing data? A new study suggests that the type of variability you choose to display can drastically change how people perceive a treatment.

People Think They're Better Than Average, but How Much Better?

Just how far above average do people tend to place themselves? A new meta-analysis of 124 published articles finds a large effect.

Predicting the Ideal Future for Ourselves and for Others

How do we go about predicting the future of automation, AI, and the changing landscape of policy? Often, we let ourselves get in the way.

The Better-Than-Average Effect from 1985 to Today

What kind of personality traits do we think we have more (or less) of than the average person? Surprisingly, not a lot has changed since a popular psychology study from 1985.

Why Don’t Politicians Admit When “More Research Is Needed"?

Some politicians (like Elizabeth Warren) appeal to science and evidence. Why don't more do this? I argue that it can be a risky prospect.