PhD on Metascience

Researchers have emphasized the importance of interpreting effect sizes for more than a century. But how do we determine whether effects are large enough to matter? This project will help researchers in psychology not only report effect sizes, but also interpret them in a meaningful way.

Information
A PhD position is available within the context of the NWO funded VICI project “Interpretable Effect Sizes for Psychological Science”. The candidate will conduct meta-scientific research on the interface between statistical inferences, experimental design, and the question how researchers can determine which effects are large enough to matter. The goal of the project is to make a dedicated effort to improve the interpretation of effect sizes, which should increase the informational value of studies in psychology, improve theorizing, and help researchers reflect on the importance or unimportance of the effects they observe. Relevant questions are how we can increase the falsifiability of claims in replication studies, the challenges that come with the widespread use of standardized effect sizes, how mid-level theories can constrain which effects are predicted, and whether resource constraints influence the effects psychologists consider worth investigating. These questions will be examined through statistical modelling, qualitative interviews, systematic literature reviews, surveys, and experiments.

The selected candidate will work as part of the Human-Technology Interaction group within the department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Science at Eindhoven University of Technology under the supervision of Dr. D. Lakens. The applicant will perform interviews, administer surveys, perform simulation studies and/or experiments. Findings will be presented at (international) conferences and written up for publication in scientific journals. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with other team members of the VICI project, as well as in collaboration with international scholars interested in the same topic. As part of the preparation for an academic career, the PhD student will be expected to gain teaching experience.

We are looking for candidates passionate about improving the way we do science, who enjoy working in a collaborative environment. The applicant should have:

• A MSc degree, or equivalent, in Psychology, Applied Statistics, Micro-economics, or a closely related field, completed by the start date of the PhD project.
• Strong programming skills. Experience in R is appreciated.
• A good understanding of applied statistics.
• Experience with performing scientific research in the social sciences.
• Fluency in written and spoken English language.

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Dr. Daniel Lakens, D.Lakens@tue.nl.

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