Citizen science and collaborative research
Since its conception, with precursors such as K. Lewin or L. Vygotsky, psychology has been invested in social transformation. We modestly attempt to pursue this tradition through encouraging participative and collaborative research, in which themes, methodologies, analyses and the communication of results are done in conjunction with other social actors. We thereby sometimes work on the questions brought forward by these actors, by conducting research in which professionals are actively engaged. Such collaborative research in psychology contributes to two movements: social innovation, in which human and social sciences contribute to social development, and the call for the “democratisation of science”. Citizen science projects address especially well this last issue in that they bring together amateur and professional researchers in the pursuit of scientific endeavours. We are particularly interested in the effect of these citizen science projects on learning and development among participants, volunteers, and the scientific teams involved.
