Research

We conceptualize the mind as an adaptive toolbox: a dynamic set of heuristics and their building blocks in terms of core cognitive capacities. We aim to map its contents and structure, chart how it develops across the lifespan, and explain how learning adds, tunes, and retires strategies. We also examine its social dimension—how social learning, cultural transmission, and collective decision-making extend individual capabilities and shape strategy adoption and use. more

ARC's work on the mind’s adaptive toolbox is both descriptive and practical, aiming to empower people to make decisions that serve their interests using competence-building "boosts." One particular goal of ARC is to develop an evidence-based understanding of how the challenges of the online world (including manipulative design, information overload, and widespread misinformation) affect human cognition, and to create a roadmap to address them. more

ARC also seeks to answer the meta-scientific questions that shape the foundations and future of decision science and psychology. ARC researchers examine methodological issues such as how to improve the measurement of key components of human cognition and preferences such as individuals' political views, time, risk and impulsivity preferences; how to escape conceptual muddle in psychology; and how to advance cognitive science with large language models (LLMs). more