BOOKS


​Dr. Wilcox has published two books, and is currently writing a third book on ethics and decision-making.
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Human Judgment: How Accurate Is It, and How Can It Get Better?

In 2022, Dr. Wilcox published the book, "Human Judgment: How Accurate Is It, and How Can It Get Better?" (Springer Nature). 

Praise for "Human Judgment":
  • "John Wilcox presents an accessible, insightful take on the questions that should captivate any social scientist.... A must-read for those interested in all disciplines, including those of us concerned with improving politics and policy.” -
​                            Rachel George, PhD, Lecturing Fellow, Duke University

  • “John Wilcox’s book is a timely and lucid study of what it means to think rationally and why it’s important for our understanding of human minds.”
​                            Samuel Gershman, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University
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  • “This is a great and educational read – we ALL make decisions every day of our lives. Wilcox is our expert guide on how each of us, and society at large, could do a better job with these, and improve our calibration in the process.”
​                            ​Mark Graber, MD, Founder of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine

The book can be downloaded or purchased in hard copy here. 

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The Alethic Handbook of Probabilistic Reasoning: Evidence-Based Training Modules

In 2025, Dr. Wilcox published The Alethic Handbook of Probabilistic Reasoning: Evidence-Based Training Modules (Alethic Publishing). 

Praise for "The Alethic Handbook of Probabilistic Reasoning":
  • “This book pursues a different and unique approach: it aims at training the readers’ sense for probabilistic reasoning and at lowering their tendency to make reasoning fallacies…. It is rich in real-world examples and exercises that test whether the reader has really understood the material. All these features make it a timely and unconventional book on how to handle uncertainty. Medical doctors, lawyers, judges, CEOs and policy-makers will enjoy it and it will help them to make better decisions in their daily life…. All in all, this is a timely, engaging and well-informed book which will hopefully find a lot of readers and help them to make better decisions.” 
                            ​Jan Sprenger, PhD, Professor of Philosophy

The full review can be accessed here. 


​public-Facing Publications


​He also publishes public-oriented pieces in outlets like Psychology Today and the LSE Impact Blog. Below is a selection:
  1. “Does Money Really Make Us Happier?” in Psychology Today
  2.  “What is a ‘social impact scholar’?” with Dr. Brandon Reynante in LSE Impact Blog. 
  3. ​“The Seven ‘Irrational’ Habits of Highly Rational People” in Psychology Today. 

​AREAS of Specialization​

Cognitive Psychology & Epistemology

Much of John’s research revolves around human cognition—especially the question of how to improve human reasoning. The hope is that improving reasoning will improve decision-making and, ultimately, the quality of our lives as individuals and as a collective. 

Selected publications in cognitive psychology and epistemology:
​Metascience & Philosophy of Science

​John also works in philosophy of science and metascience. He regularly reviews academic work for publishers such as the Cambridge University Press, the British Journal of Philosophy of Science and others, and he has made novel contributions to the philosophy of science.

Selected publications in metascience and philosophy of science:
  • Stanford Encyclopedia entry on the reproducibility of scientific results, including the metascience of the reproducibility crisis
  • Journal article articulating and proving new normative Bayesian constraints on scientific reasoning
Moral Psychology & Ethics
 
John also explores moral psychology and ethics. He is also the co-director and lead researcher at an interdisciplinary research team called The Metachangemakers Project. The project focuses on how to cultivate changemakers—that is, people with the motivation and competencies to make a positive impact on the world, to contribute to collective wellbeing and to address societal challenges.

You can learn more about metachangemaking from his team’s presentation at the first Life Improvement Science conference (to the left).
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Selected publications in moral psychology and ethics: