Department: Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs
University: Princeton University
Bio:
Research Philosophy
I believe that psychological theory needs to interface with social problems in a two-way dialogue, proving itself with constructive solutions in real-world settings and being enriched and constrained by those settings.
While much of my work draws distinctions between homo economicus and homo sapiens, I also examine individual, group, and cultural differences in time discounting or risk taking and how best to assess and model them. Every research method has strengths and weaknesses, so I approach my questions with a mosaic of answers that draw on lab and field experiments that collect process data, behavioral outcomes, associated brain activation, and more.
I then put all of these insights to use by helping individuals or social planners design decision environments that capitalize on the full range of human capabilities and goals to make wise decisions.
Research Interests
Determinants of Risky Decision Making; Cultural, Age, Gender, and Species Differences in Decision Making under Risk and Uncertainty and Intertemporal Choice; Measurement of Risk Perception and Risk Attitude; Role of Memory and other Cognitive Processes in Preference Construction; Financial Decision Making; Environmental Decision Making; Decision Neuroscience; Neuroeconomics; Better Representation of Human Decision Making in Social Network Models and Complex Adaptive Systems Models
Professional Organizations
American Psychological Association (Fellow), American Psychological Society (Fellow), Society for Judgment and Decision Making (Past President), Society for Neuroeconomics (Past President), Society for Mathematical Psychology (Past President), Society for Risk Analysis (Fellow), Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, Decision Analysis Society (Past Council Member)