Photo of the Maria Montessori building
Photo of the Maria Montessori building

Behavioural Science Institute

The BSI is a multidisciplinary research institute that brings together experts from psychology, educational science, and communication science. We focus on strengthening people by understanding the foundations of human behaviour. We strongly commit to open science and aim to facilitate craftsmanship, curiosity and connection in academic research.

Highlights

Bureau met bureaustoel en laptop

New interventions to sit less: ‘Stop getting coffee for your colleagues'

Most people are by now aware that sitting at your desk all day is not particularly healthy. Yet existing interventions, such as sit/standing desks and smartwatches with reminders to stand up, seem to bring about very little lasting change.

Children on phone

“Start teaching young people media literacy on time“

In times of fake news and endless streams of information, it is important that young people learn to critically reflect on what they read or see online. That is the opinion of Sanne Tamboer, a Communication Science researcher. On 20 July, she will...

Digitaal klaslokaal met leerlingen met computers en laptops

Hybrid Human-AI Regulation

This project focuses on the development of a ‘Hybrid Human-AI Regulation System’ (HHAIR system), which teaches 10- to 14-year-olds self-regulation skills. This will allow them to learn with support from adaptive or self-adaptive learning tools.

Research projects

Kind voor een krijtbord met wiskundige teksten

The EMOTIV (EEG) project

Investigating children's numerical development using the EMOTIV EPOC X headset in a school setting to enhance understanding and potential interventions for math-related challenges.

Persoon met smartphone

Look Who’s Talking

The main aim of this project is to create and field-test chatbots designed to develop and foster long-term engaging and human-like conversations with humans for two technologically and linguistically diverse domains.

Kat met zonnebril

Cool @ School

Financed with an ERC starting grant, project Cool @ School (CatS) contributes to a better understanding of how kids think about and respond to being (un)popular, and how it may shape their bullying behavior.

News

Lotte Gosens

Lotte Gosens has won the 2022 International Research Prize

Lotte Gosens has won the 2022 International Research Prize awarded by the Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability (JIDD).

Jongeren die gamen met vrienden bouwen sterkere banden op

How video games can make it easier to discuss mental health

Depression is common among young people, but this target group often does not get the help they need. Books, exercise, and other depression prevention programmes do not achieve the envisioned results for everyone, but video games might help.

Pipet met testosteron

Administration of testosterone may help with exposure therapy

People with social anxiety disorder who receive exposure therapy may potentially benefit from testosterone administration. This is the conclusion of research by Moniek Hutschemaekers, who will be defending her PhD thesis at Radboud University.

Visiting address

The Behavioural Science Institute is located in the Maria Montessori building in Nijmegen.

Thomas van Aquinostraat 4
6525 GD Nijmegen

Contact

Get in touch with the research institute by contacting the BSI office.