Data in Behavioral and Experimental Research: Datasets and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Behavioral experiments generate complex datasets that capture nuanced dimensions of human cognition, decision-making, and social interactions. As these experiments continue to grow in sophistication and scale, so does the value of the data that they produce. Despite their scientific importance, many behavioral datasets remain isolated, lack standardized documentation, or pose methodological challenges for analysis.

This Special Issue invites submissions that address the full lifecycle of behavioral experimental data, ranging from experimental design to data sharing and advanced analysis. We welcome papers that introduce, describe, or analyze datasets generated through laboratory experiments, field studies, or online behavioral research. This Special Issue of Data will bridge existing gaps by fostering the open sharing of behavioral datasets and promoting innovative methodologies for their analysis.

Topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Dataset Descriptors: Articles that document experimental datasets, including information on experimental design, data collection procedures, and potential use cases. We are particularly interested in articles that describe datasets derived from diverse experimental paradigms, such as decision-making tasks, economic games, neuroeconomic studies, or field experiments. Such contributions enhance the reusability and citability of valuable behavioral data across the research community.
• Analytical Studies: We also call for methodological advances in processing and interpreting behavioral data. We encourage articles that demonstrate how such data can be used to generate insights, test theories, or explore new methodological approaches. These studies may include cross-study analyses, novel empirical strategies, or applications of advanced statistical and computational tools. Specifically, submissions may explore innovative statistical models for capturing heterogeneous behavioral patterns, machine learning techniques, or integrative approaches that combine choice data with multimodal signals, such as eye-tracking, physiological measurements, or neuroimaging data. We also welcome cross-disciplinary applications that demonstrate how behavioral datasets can inform real-world challenges, for instance, case studies on policy design grounded in experimental evidence, analyses of public health interventions leveraging behavioral insights, or investigations into cultural and demographic variations in decision-making.

In addition, we welcome submissions addressing topics such as the following:

• Replication studies using shared behavioral data;
• Methods for organizing and standardizing behavioral datasets;
• Meta-analyses and cross-experimental comparisons;
• Interdisciplinary applications of behavioral data (e.g., in health, education, development, or finance);
• Innovations in data sharing, archiving, and citation practices;
• Ethical and methodological considerations in data openness.

We hope that this Special Issue will serve as a platform to promote open science, data transparency, and methodological rigor in the behavioral sciences. We welcome submissions from experimental economists, behavioral scientists, psychologists, data scientists, and all related disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Jie Zheng
Dr. Jaimie W Lien
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Data is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• behavioral experiments
• experimental economics
• behavioral data
• experimental data
• data sharing
• dataset descriptors
• replication
• meta-analysis
• open science
• experimental design
• decision-making