Conference
Date: Sept 30-Oct 2nd, 2026
Location: Tilburg University, The Netherlands
Venue: Simon Building, Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 225
Registration: https://edu.nl/guntn
Tilburg University will host the first annual meeting of the Theory Methods Society. The conference will last two days, with an optional social program and a preconference workshop.
Definitive Program
Location preconference workshop: Koopmans Building, room K1201, 12th floor. Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg
Location main conference: Simon Building, room S8, ground floor. Prof. Cobbenhagenlaan 225, 5037 DB Tilburg
Posters Day 1:
Presenter: Claudia Neuendorf Title: Conceptualizing the Classroom Peer Ecology
Presenter: Brice Beffara Title: Why did the direct replication of Zajonc, Heingartner, and Herman’s (1969) social facilitation study fail ? Methodological improvements needed in order to appraise Zajonc’s drive theory.
Presenter: Laura Groot Title: Specifying meaningful joint hypotheses across studies: Bayesian evidence synthesis revisited
Presenter: Aline Korver Title: Some problems for SEM evaluation practices
Posters Day 2:
Presenter: Nathaniel R. Choukas Title: From Formal Theory to Personalized Treatment: A Precision Mental Health Roadmap
Presenter: Leonhard Volz Title: PsychoModels - Database of Formal Models, Theories and Phenomena
Presenter: Vuk Kolarević Title: Does Formalising Psychological Theories Advance Scientific Understanding?
Important Dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Submissions Open | 20-02-2026 |
| Submission Deadline | 18-06-2026 |
| Registration opens | 18-06-2026 |
| Decision Notifications | rolling |
| Program announced | rolling |
| Registration Deadline | 17-08-2026 |
| Preconference Workshop | 30-09-2026 |
| Conference day 1 | 01-10-2026 |
| Conference day 2 | 02-10-2026 |
Preconference Workshop
Venue: Koopmans Building, room K1201, 12th floor. Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg
This workshop is organized in collaboration with the eScience Center and the Open Science Community Tilburg.
Teachers: MSc Rasoul Norouzi (Tilburg University), dr. Erik Tjong Kim Sang (eScience Center)
For our preconference workshop, we partnered with the eScience Center NL. Thanks to their expertise, you can now learn four main skills:
- Automatically downloading published papers in bulk for systematic review, text mining, bibliometric analysis, etc., using the COSMAS tool developed by the eScience Center
- Constructing theories based on causal claims in published papers, downloaded using the COSMAS tool
- Harmonizing social science concepts (e.g., recognizing that “sleep disorder” and “insomnia” refer to the same concept)
- Knowledge extraction of other relevant information from published papers using specialized models with known validity and reliability (so, not ChatGPT) - like p-values, sample sizes, etc.
Submission formats
Keynotes
An invited talk of approximately 40 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of discussion.
Submitted Talks
This format is a 20 minute talk, plus 10 minute discussion or Q&A. Anyone can submit a talk like this, and multiple presenters can share the stage to present a join project or discuss opposing views. Optionally, indicate whether your submitted talk should be considered for a Lightning Talk or Poster slot, if it is not selected for a Submitted Talk.
Lightning Talks
This format is a 5 minute elevator pitch designed to inspire and spark discussion. Speakers can present a paper, idea, software, or other resource.
Poster
There is a 1.5 hour slot for poster presentations, during which there is a walking lunch in the same room to stimulate conversations.
Participation Costs
Expected: 100-140 euros
This covers participation in all sessions, catering during the conference days, and participation in the conference dinner.
We want to be inclusive, so the registration form will include an option to apply for a registration fee waiver if you do not have a conference budget, optionally in exchange for volunteering at the conference.
Waivers will be awarded subject to our financial position and the number of applicants.