Time impacts how we make decisions

Decision making capabilities have outcomes of great significance for individuals and groups. Yet, decision processes and outcomes are robustly affected by a range of contextual factors, which can influence even the best decision makers. One reliable contextual factor is time. Through the lens of experimental studies and computational modelling, this presentation provides illustrative case studies of the different ways in which time impacts how we make different types of decisions, spanning from low-level (perceptual) through to high-level (preferential) choices. Across cases, we see a convergence in the processes people use to make decisions and their adaptations to different temporal contexts and pressures, suggesting people may use similar cognitive mechanisms to make quite different types of decisions. As a result, it may be feasible to use similar approaches to intervene and improve the capability to make vastly different types of decisions.

About the speaker

Dr. Guy Hawkins is a cognitive psychologist and ARC DECRA alumnus at the University of Newcastle. His research investigates how people make different types of decisions. He also develops computational and statistical methods for psychological research. In most of his work, he combines techniques from experimental psychology, behavioural economics, and quantitative methods.

Zoom link available via MSPS School Colloquium mailing list. To be added to this list or for the link to this talk, please email Dr. Elise Kalokerinos.

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