Rationality and Morality Lab

As the name suggests, our lab’s research focuses on two broad themes:

Epistemic rationality. We are interested in why people frequently form and maintain beliefs that are inconsistent with logic and the best available evidence. Examples of phenomena studied in this area are various conspiracy beliefs, paranormal beliefs, alternative medicine, BS-receptivity, and belief bias. Our research focuses on the role of stable individual differences (e.g., values, analytic thinking, cognitive ability, political orientation, religiosity) as well as situational factors (e.g., moral vs. amoral topics, cognitive load), with the goal to better understand belief formation, and to figure out ways to promote more epistemically rational beliefs.

Morality. We also study people’s conceptions of what is morally right and wrong. We are interested in where moral values and attitudes come from, as well as their downstream consequences. Examples of topics studied in this area are: similarities and differences in values between religious and nonreligious people, moral stereotypes, and how they contribute to intolerance.

To examine these topics, our lab relies on quantitative methods, predominantly experiments and surveys.