Assessment and measurement
How do we know a test measures something real, and treats people fairly?
Projects →University of Rhode Island · College of Business
ANCHOR: Awareness, Needs, and Competencies for Human and Organizational Resources
Better ways to measure, develop, and support people at work.
The ANCHOR Lab studies fair and accurate assessment, leadership, motivation and recovery, and workplace learning. We do careful science on practical questions, with students as full members of the team.
Research
What we study
Leadership competencies and feedback
What does good leadership look like in a given role, and can AI help people develop it?
Projects →Psychological needs and recovery
Can a good life outside work make up for needs that go unmet at work?
Projects →Learning and resilience
What keeps attention on the task when learning happens on a screen and nobody is watching?
Projects →For students
What students do here
Our founding cohort starts in Spring 2027 and is full. Applications are open for future cohorts.
Lab members work on real research, from designing a study to presenting what it found. You can join for course credit through MGT 491 (Directed Study) or as a volunteer, and you don’t need prior research experience. New to research? That’s who this is for.
- Design studiesBuild surveys and experiments on leadership, motivation, and training.
- Work with dataCollect, clean, and analyze data in R or SPSS.
- Share findingsHelp prepare posters, presentations, and papers.
Projects
Current and recent work
Practice, label, or placebo? Mindfulness in training
A 2×2 experiment in an air traffic control simulation that separates the effects of actual mindfulness practice from simply calling an activity “mindfulness.”
Need satisfaction across life domains
A time-lagged survey study testing whether meeting psychological needs outside work can make up for needs unmet at work.
AI-assisted assessment and feedback
Building on a proof-of-concept platform, this project will test whether large language models paired with validated assessments can give accurate, personalized developmental feedback at scale.
Validity and fairness in leader assessment
A planned line of studies on whether leadership assessments predict outcomes equally well across groups, and how to make results clearer for the people who use them.
Get involved
Students
Apply for a future cohort
Our founding cohort is full. Undergraduate and graduate students from any major can apply now for a future cohort; it takes about five minutes.
Apply to the labOrganizations
Let’s study what works
We work with Rhode Island employers and public agencies on questions about selection, development, and well-being.
Partner with usLab director
Matthew D. Hanson, Ph.D.
Lab Director
Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management, College of Business, University of Rhode Island. He studies how organizations assess, develop, and support people.