Johanna Gereke is a postdoctoral fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), University of Mannheim. Her research focuses on intergroup relations, economic and political sociology, as well as trust and cooperation in modern societies. Her interdisciplinary work employs a wide range of experimental and quasi-experimental methods, including lab-in-the-field, survey, and field experiments. She has published widely in leading sociology, political science, economics, and psychology journals.
Nicole Schwitter is a postdoctoral researcher at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), University of Mannheim, and an honorary research fellow at the University of Warwick. In her research, she mainly employs computational and (quasi-)experimental methods to address questions regarding social groups and pro-/antisocial behavior.
They will teach the Spring Seminar course "Field Experiments". The onsite course will take place on 17–21 March 2025.
How did you become interested in your subject?
Johanna: My interest in experimental social science began during my PhD studies at the European University Institute, where I was supervised by Diego Gambetta and took courses in behavioral economics. I was drawn to experimental methods for their ability to rigorously test causal explanations, which I view as the gold standard in social science research. Field experiments are particularly compelling to me, as they allow for unobtrusive experimentation in real-world settings. This is especially valuable when studying phenomena where social desirability bias might otherwise influence participants’ responses – such as research on discrimination.
Nicole: I first became interested in experimental methods during my BA at the University of Bern where I took several hands-on courses that sparked my curiosity. In these courses, we worked in groups to design our own experiments, collect data, and analyze the results (quick shoutout: one of those courses was taught by Ulf Liebe, who will be teaching in the third week of this spring camp!). What has always fascinated me about field experiments, in particular, is how a clever and well-crafted design can yield powerful insights with relatively simple means—offering answers to questions that might otherwise be difficult to investigate.
What lessons can participants draw from your GESIS course?
Johanna & Nicole: Participants in our GESIS course will come away with both practical skills and deeper insights into designing and conducting field experiments. They will learn how to create experiments that are not only methodologically and ethically sound but also feasible in real-world settings, following current state-of-the-art practices.
By the end of the course, participants should feel confident in setting up their own field experiments and applying these methods to investigate causal relationships in their areas of interest.
What do you enjoy most about being a social scientist?
Johanna: What I enjoy most about being a social scientist is the creativity involved in designing and conducting experimental research. It’s fun to develop studies that uncover new insights and often surprising patterns about the social world. My research allows me to continually learn and deepen my understanding of human behavior in ways that both challenge and inspire me.
Nicole: There are many aspects I enjoy about being a social scientist, but today, let’s focus on teaching—especially since I’m looking forward to the GESIS Spring School! What really excites me is seeing students' curiosity in action—how their different ideas and interests challenge me to think in new ways. It’s rewarding to guide them through tough concepts and watch their own research ideas take shape.
What do you think is the most exciting recent development in your field?
Johanna: In my view, the most exciting recent development in field experiments is the combination of field experiments with other methods, such as using registry data to select experimental locations and replicating studies across different settings. This approach allows us to explore how context influences social behavior, leading to a more nuanced understanding of generalizability of social theories and experimental results.
Nicole: I think one of the most exciting recent developments is the rise of digital field experiments in online environments. Particularly when collaborating with platforms (like LinkedIn, Facebook, and others), researchers can often work with massive datasets—sometimes millions of observations—enabling high-powered tests of causality on an unprecedented scale. These digital experiments can come with their pitfalls, but they allow us to study real-world behaviors in real time, opening up new possibilities for understanding complex social dynamics with greater precision and reach.
We thank Johanna & Nicole for their insights and look forward to their course in March.
