Eric-Jan Wagenmakers

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Eric-Jan Wagenmakers
EJ Wagenmakers.jpg
Born (1972-05-21) May 21, 1972 (age 53)
Other namesE.J. Wagenmakers
CitizenshipNetherlands
Education University of Groningen
University of Amsterdam
Known for Bayesian statistics
SpouseNataschja Hummel
ChildrenTheo (2016) and Leanne (2019)
AwardsFellow of the Association for Psychological Science since 2017
Member of the Psychonomic Society
Scientific career
Fields Mathematical psychology
Institutions University of Amsterdam (2003–present)
Academic advisorsJeroen Raaijmakers

Eric-Jan Wagenmakers (born May 21, 1972) is a Dutch mathematical psychologist. He is a professor at the Methodology Unit in the Department of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). [1] Since 2012, he has also been Professor of Neurocognitive Modeling: Interdisciplinary Integration at UvA's Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences. [2] A noted expert on research methods in psychology, he has been highly critical of some dubious practices by his fellow psychologists, including Daryl Bem's research purporting to find support for the parapsychological concept of extrasensory perception, [3] [4] and the tendency for psychologists in general to favor the publication of studies with surprising, eye-catching results. [5] He has also been actively addressing the replication crisis in psychology by helping to conduct a series of studies aimed at reproducing a 1988 study on the supposed effects of smiling on the perceived funniness of cartoons. [6] [7] František Bartoš, Dr Wagenmakers, Alexandra Sarafoglou, Henrik Godmann, and many colleagues were awarded the 2024 Ig Nobel Probability Prize for "showing, both in theory and by 350,757 experiments, that when you flip a coin, it tends to land on the same side as it started." [8] [9]

References

  1. "Eric-Jan Wagenmakers Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  2. Amsterdam, Universiteit van (2012-05-15). "Dr E.J. Wagenmakers". www.uva.nl. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  3. Engber, Daniel (2017-05-17). "Daryl Bem Proved ESP Is Real. Which Means Science Is Broken". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  4. Carey, Benedict (2011). "Journal's Article on ESP Is Expected to Prompt Outrage". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  5. Shea, Christopher (2011-11-13). "As Dutch Research Scandal Unfolds, Social Psychologists Question Themselves". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  6. Yong, Ed (2012-05-16). "Replication studies: Bad copy". Nature. 485 (7398): 298–300. Bibcode:2012Natur.485..298Y. doi: 10.1038/485298a . PMID   22596136. S2CID   4321991.
  7. Skibba, Ramin (2016-11-03). "Psychologists argue about whether smiling makes cartoons funnier". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.20929 . Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  8. Bartoš, František; et al. (2025). "Fair Coins Tend to Land on the Same Side They Started: Evidence from 350,757 Flips". Journal of the American Statistical Association: 1–10. arXiv: 2310.04153 . doi:10.1080/01621459.2025.2516210.
  9. "Past Ig Winners". improbable.com. 2006-08-01. Retrieved 2024-09-13.