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simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Simon Columbus
@simoncolumbus.bsky.social
970 followers 430 following 510 posts
Lecturer, University of St Andrews | I work on cooperation, norms, institutions, & personality | http://simoncolumbus.com
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Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · Mar 6
Some personal news: In April, I will be joining the University of St Andrews as a lecturer @standrewspsyneuro.bsky.social (~assistant professor for non-UK folks).

I work on cooperation, institutional legitimacy, and personality. If you're in the area and share some interests, I'd love to chat.
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
I bet 88% don't even open the email, already making you an outlier for having read it
February 12, 2026 at 9:53 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Ja aber ich bin doch Theoretiker. Mit den Experimenten können sich andere die Hände dreckig machen.
February 11, 2026 at 9:47 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Yes.
February 11, 2026 at 9:43 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Die Psychologen streiten sich, ob psychische Erkrankungen Kategorien, Netzwerke, oder hierarchische latente Variablen sind und am Ende baut einer ein noch besseres Mikroskop und schwupps erscheint der Homunkulus, der irgendwo im Hippocampus die Strippen zieht. Das wär doch mal was.
February 11, 2026 at 8:47 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Angesichts der Tatsache, dass das bestehende Paradigma der Psychologie (wenn man's so nennen will) auch irgendwann ersetzt werden wird, wäre es doch lustig, wenn einer der Crackpots am Ende recht hat.
February 11, 2026 at 8:43 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
This person has logged 137 'activities' on PURE. I am surprised that 'logging 137 activities on PURE' isn't one of them -- but I guess then she'd never get done updating.
February 9, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Simon Columbus
conjugateprior.org
Perhaps you received a mysterious noreply email asking you to evaluate some publications 'for novelty'. Looked kinda dubious? Yup, that's the one.

So what's up with this 'metascience novelty indicators challenge'? 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 3:19 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Those two are fairly simple, though my B.Sc. diploma came with several appendices (but the one that says "language of instruction: English" was not sufficient for UKVI -- they wanted a separate letter from the university to confirm that I do, in fact, speak English).
February 9, 2026 at 2:20 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Yikes.
February 9, 2026 at 2:16 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Cooperation Colloquium this week:

Yan Chen @yanchenl.bsky.social

Digital public goods: Crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and user-generated content

Date: February 13
Time: 15:00 UTC+1 (Vienna) / 9 ET (NYC)

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abstract: What motivates people to contribute to Wikipedia? Have you heard of Nupedia? Why do software engineers contribute code to open source projects? Why do technology companies release their large language models as "open weight"? Why has participation declined on Stack Overflow since the release of ChatGPT, but not on the programming subreddit? Why do some crowdfunding sites succeed while others fail? Underlying each of these questions is a more fundamental one: how can social scientists, computer and information scientists and practitioners use social science theories combined with information technology to increase contributions to public goods? To explore this question, my book, "Digital Public Goods", introduces (1) case studies from the technology sector to set up the problems; (2) social science theories of motivation, production, informational nudges, identity and teams, goal setting, and reputation, together with their field implementations using information technologies, as solutions; and (3) experimental evaluations of these theories and solutions. The goal of this book is to merge the latest research in the scholarly literature with successful practices used by digital platforms to provide scholars, students and practitioners with the intellectual tools they need to develop an understanding of digital public goods provision.
February 9, 2026 at 2:07 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Also, €200 for a print-out? My diploma is some fancy parchment with a wax seal and all, and I got that for free.
February 9, 2026 at 2:01 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
(I did actually collect my official diploma only four years after defending; it'd been with the beadle's office the entire time. Can't say I particularly missed it during those years.)
February 9, 2026 at 1:59 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
What the hell. I will never again complain about bureaucracy here.

Okay, I will.

But still. What the hell.
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Millennials definitely do know (or at least the one's I'd interact with).
February 8, 2026 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Simon Columbus
lakens.bsky.social
New blog post, inspired by the excellent recent qualitative paper by Makel and colleagues: On the reliability and reproducibility of qualitative research.

I reflect on how I will incorporate realist ontologies in my own qualitative research.

daniellakens.blogspot.com/2026/02/on-r...
On the reliability and reproducibility of qualitative research
With my collaborators, I am increasingly performing qualitative research. I find qualitative research projects a useful way to improve my un...
daniellakens.blogspot.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:46 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
There is a strange tendency in psychology in the face of shortcomings to call not for stronger evidence, but for weaker claims. Humility is a virtue, but it shouldn't become an excuse for lack of ambition.
markrubin.bsky.social Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 6d
Humility Revolution

"Humility is not a threat to scientific authority; it is a strength. It shows disciplinary maturity, intellectual honesty, and methodological pluralism. A humility revolution must, surely, lead to better science."

By @maddipow.bsky.social

#PsycSci #MetaSci #Methodology
Psychology needs a… humility revolution | BPS
Madeleine Pownall argues that Psychology is ‘necessarily limited and incomplete’.
www.bps.org.uk
February 7, 2026 at 8:27 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
New work by my amazing St Andrews colleague Amalia Bastos
chriskrupenye.bsky.social Chris Krupenye @chriskrupenye.bsky.social · 7d
Imagination in bonobos!

I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org

We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative

youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
Apes Share Human Ability to Imagine
YouTube video by Johns Hopkins University
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Simon Columbus
hannesrusch.bsky.social
📢 Call for Hidden Papers & Data on Ingroup Favoritism in Dictator Games

We look for unpublished and hard-to-access experimental studies for our meta-analysis!

Inclusion criteria: no deception, adults, manipulation of group membership of dictator game recipients.

All tips and data very welcome!
February 4, 2026 at 8:39 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Garbage in, garbage... in?
February 4, 2026 at 6:08 AM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Useful thread, though I hope somebody will create a spreadsheet (or Wikipedia entry, perhaps).

And then let's not forget the abusers and bullies who aren't famous enough to have received emails from Epstein.
katjathieme.bsky.social Dr. Katja Thieme (she/they) @katjathieme.bsky.social · 12d
Academics vying for a spot in Epstein‘s world. There are so many. I feel the need to make a thread, so I don’t keep confusing them. 1/
February 1, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Simon Columbus
awaisaftab.bsky.social
What Do We Owe the Insufferable?

When mental illness exhausts our emotional capacities

www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/what-do-we...
What Do We Owe the Insufferable?
When mental illness exhausts our emotional capacities
www.psychiatrymargins.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:50 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
If you liked the Rensin piece discussed here, you might also enjoy Rensin's book The Complications, it's a similar mix of autobiography and science writing (or at least the 2/3 I listened to today are).
January 31, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by Simon Columbus
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
First Cooperation Colloquium of the year:

Caroline Graf (University of Zürich):
Boosting prosocial behavior through incentives and conditional giving: Experimental evidence from 42 societies

Friday, January 30 | 15:00 UCT+1 Vienna / 9:00 ET NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abtract: Prosocial behavior is key to addressing global collective-action challenges. Two prominent tools to promote prosociality are incentives and the use of conditional preferences, yet existing evidence is mixed and largely based on WEIRD populations. We study how incentives and conditionality shape prosocial behavior across diverse cultural contexts, and how cultural characteristics moderate these effects. 15,600 participants from 42 countries completed an online experiment in which prosociality was measured as the donation of earned bonus points to international charities (e.g., UNICEF). In the incentive condition, donors received additional points worth half of the donated amount. In the conditionality treatment, participants could condition their donation on the share of other donors in their country. Preregistered analyses show that incentives increase prosocial behavior overall, but that their effectiveness varies across societies. Incentive effects are stronger in societies where the reputational costs of benefiting personally from prosocial acts are lower, that is, where incentivized donors are perceived as relatively more likable. Conditional giving also increases prosocial behavior, yet the effects are larger in societies characterized by a higher prevalence of conditional preferences and stronger generalized fairness concerns. Together, these findings highlight that the effectiveness of behavioral interventions depends systematically on cultural context, underscoring the importance of moving beyond WEIRD samples not only for advancing theory, but also for culturally tailored policy design.
January 27, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Reposted by Simon Columbus
harrydcoulson.bsky.social
Highly recommend Replication Games!

Key takeaways:
1. Great way to learn about other psych methods
2. Improve on stats
3. More enjoyable with others
4. Realised my own code needs improving after being on the other side of a paper (replicating)

Thanks @fialalenka.bsky.social @rujoanna.bsky.social
i4replication.bsky.social Institute for Replication @i4replication.bsky.social · 17d
On Jan 19th, we held the first Replication Games of 2026 at the University of Zurich! We had 47 participants reproducing papers from economics, political science, and psychology with great success. Many thanks to local organizers Johannes Ullrich and Joanna Rutkowska!
January 27, 2026 at 2:25 PM
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
First Cooperation Colloquium of the year:

Caroline Graf (University of Zürich):
Boosting prosocial behavior through incentives and conditional giving: Experimental evidence from 42 societies

Friday, January 30 | 15:00 UCT+1 Vienna / 9:00 ET NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abtract: Prosocial behavior is key to addressing global collective-action challenges. Two prominent tools to promote prosociality are incentives and the use of conditional preferences, yet existing evidence is mixed and largely based on WEIRD populations. We study how incentives and conditionality shape prosocial behavior across diverse cultural contexts, and how cultural characteristics moderate these effects. 15,600 participants from 42 countries completed an online experiment in which prosociality was measured as the donation of earned bonus points to international charities (e.g., UNICEF). In the incentive condition, donors received additional points worth half of the donated amount. In the conditionality treatment, participants could condition their donation on the share of other donors in their country. Preregistered analyses show that incentives increase prosocial behavior overall, but that their effectiveness varies across societies. Incentive effects are stronger in societies where the reputational costs of benefiting personally from prosocial acts are lower, that is, where incentivized donors are perceived as relatively more likable. Conditional giving also increases prosocial behavior, yet the effects are larger in societies characterized by a higher prevalence of conditional preferences and stronger generalized fairness concerns. Together, these findings highlight that the effectiveness of behavioral interventions depends systematically on cultural context, underscoring the importance of moving beyond WEIRD samples not only for advancing theory, but also for culturally tailored policy design.
January 27, 2026 at 11:06 AM