Human Technology Interaction Group, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.
Data & Analytics Group, IG&H, The Netherlands.
Perspect Psychol Sci. 2024 Nov;19(6):908-920. doi: 10.1177/17456916231182568. Epub 2023 Aug 1.
Criteria for recognizing and rewarding scientists primarily focus on individual contributions. This creates a conflict between what is best for scientists' careers and what is best for science. In this article, we show how the theory of multilevel selection provides conceptual tools for modifying incentives to better align individual and collective interests. A core principle is the need to account for indirect effects by shifting the level at which selection operates from individuals to the groups in which individuals are embedded. This principle is used in several fields to improve collective outcomes, including animal husbandry, team sports, and professional organizations. Shifting the level of selection has the potential to ameliorate several problems in contemporary science, including accounting for scientists' diverse contributions to knowledge generation, reducing individual-level competition, and promoting specialization and team science. We discuss the difficulties associated with shifting the level of selection and outline directions for future development in this domain.
评价和奖励科学家的标准主要侧重于个人贡献。这在科学家的职业发展和科学本身之间造成了冲突。在本文中，我们展示了多层次选择理论如何为修改激励措施以更好地协调个人和集体利益提供概念工具。一个核心原则是需要通过将选择操作的层次从个体转移到个体所处的群体来考虑间接效应。这一原则已被用于包括畜牧业、团队运动和专业组织在内的多个领域，以改善集体成果。改变选择层次有潜力解决当代科学中的几个问题，包括说明科学家对知识产生的不同贡献、减少个体层面的竞争以及促进专业化和团队科学。我们讨论了改变选择层次相关的困难，并概述了该领域未来发展的方向。
