Welcome to the PsySci Lab!

The objective of the PsySci (Psychology of Science) Lab is to better understand what drives the gulf between scientific consensus about facts and public acceptance of those facts. Embedded in the University of Amsterdam’s faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, we study attitudes to science across topics, individuals, and countries.

Click here for a key publication discussing various approaches to understanding attitudes towards science.

Review on science rejection in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology

adminFeb 29, 20241 min read

Bastiaan and Matthew Hornsey have a new paper out, which is in press at Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Preprint can be read here.

Lezing over wantrouwen in de wetenschap op 11 april

adminJan 30, 20241 min read

Bastiaan geeft een publieke lezing over wantrouwen in de wetenschap in Museum Catharijneconvent (Utrecht) op 11 april 2024. Meer informatie hier: https://www.catharijneconvent.nl/activiteiten/wantrouwen-in-de-wetenschap/

New paper on the existential costs of a faith in science

adminJan 22, 20241 min read

The relationship between belief in science and meaning is complex and we have been discussing it for years (e.g., see here). In a new paper, we show that belief in…

Essay on trust in science (Dutch only)

adminNov 27, 20231 min read

Bastiaan was invited to write an essay for a Dutch newspaper on trust in science. You can find it here: https://fd.nl/opinie/1497204/we-moeten-goed-leren-twijfelen-aan-de-wetenschap

new paper in Science Communication

adminJun 6, 20231 min read

New paper out: “Who is skeptical about scientific innovation?” In two studies examining a wide range of potential worldview predictors, we find first evidence that *spirituality* is important for science…