In progress · updating weekly
MindLens Lab is a multi-year study that publishes its findings in a sequence of papers. Right now, we're 492 of 500 readings (98%) toward the threshold where drafting the first paper begins. Below: the response curve, where each pre-registered hypothesis stands on data, the publication timeline, and what open-science practices we commit to.
Section 1 · Data accumulation
Preprint drafting starts at 500 responses — where our three foundational analyses have enough data to be worth reporting. Weekly totals below, cumulative.
Cumulative readings
492 / 500(98%)
492 / 500readings
98%
Preprint drafting begins at 500.
Section 2 · Paper readiness
Phase 1 splits its pre-registered hypotheses across a sequence of papers. Each paper waits until its data has real weight. The three below sit in different places on the runway.
Paper 1
First preprint · targeting late Aug 2026
H1 · Plurality claim
data ready
H2 · Verbal dependency ↔ agreement
data ready
H3 · Social complexity ↔ variance
data ready
A pre-registered exploratory paper establishing that emotion perception is plural by default — with two structured predictors of when readers agree more or less.
Paper 2
Extended paper · late 2026
H5 · AI ↔ human divergence patterns
data ready
H7 · Reader-style consistency
near target
H8 · Self-rated difficulty validity
collecting
Adds the AI-comparison layer and individual-reader style. Data density coming in from the new inline difficulty prompt.
Paper 3
Definitive paper · 2027+
H4 · Cue mediation of emotion choice
developing
H6 · Cross-cultural variance
long horizon
The paper that closes out Phase 1 — needs deeper per-clip N and substantial per-country participation.
"Ready" means the data required for that hypothesis is in place; formal test unlocks and effect sizes will appear on the pre-registration page once v0.2 is committed.
Section 3 · Timeline
2025
Originating paper — Curieux Academic Journal
Artificial Intelligence in Emotional Intelligence Training for Autism (Kim, 2025). The paper that named the dataset-first pivot.
See the paper →2026 · summer
Data collection — Phase 1 · Wave 2
Ongoing. This is the season the response curve above is climbing through.
2026 · late
First preprint (PsyArXiv)
Paper 1 drafts as the primary preprint threshold is cleared.
2026 · late
Extended paper submission
Paper 2 — with the AI-comparison and individual-reader-style layers.
2027 +
Definitive Phase 1 paper
Paper 3 — full Phase 1 findings, once cue-mediation and cross-cultural data support it.
Section 4 · Data availability by hypothesis
Factual data-collection state only. Effect sizes and formal test unlocks appear on the pre-registration page once the v0.2 amendment is committed.
Plurality claim
Every live clip has enough readings for a distribution.
Verbal dependency
Requires curator-coded verbal_dependency and enough responses per clip.
Social complexity
Requires curator-coded social_complexity and enough responses per clip.
Cue mediation
Needs deeper per-clip N so cue-partitioned sub-samples become usable.
AI ↔ human divergence
Needs an approved AI annotation per clip, verbal_dependency coding, and per-clip response coverage.
Cross-cultural
Requires substantial per-country participant volume — the tallest ask in Phase 1.
Reader style
Individual-level: participants need at least six answered clips.
Self-rated difficulty
Needs the four-level difficulty scale answered by enough participants; newly moved to the session-summary flow to boost coverage.
Section 5 · Open science
Pre-registered protocol (v0.1)
Hypotheses, thresholds, and analysis plan committed before substantive data collection.
Read the protocol →Open dataset — live
Every response joins a public, versioned dataset. No behind-the-scenes selection.
Explore the data →Analysis code — coming
Reproducible analysis scripts published alongside the first preprint.
No conflicts of interest
MindLens Lab is a non-commercial research project. No funders, no product ties.
Contribute a reading
The most direct way to help this project reach its next paper is to spend about ten minutes reading a set of short clips.