Decision Science Laboratory
Decision Science Laboratory - Related Videos
06:28
A Networked Desktop Virtual Reality Setup for Decision Science and Navigation Experiments with Multiple Participants
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Cited by 14 •
2018
This paper describes a method for conducting multi-user experiments on decision-making and navigation using a networked computer laboratory.
10:48
Aseptic Technique in Environmental Science
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - The University of Arizona Demonstrating Author: Luisa Ikner Aseptic technique is a fundamental skill widely practiced in the field of environmental microbiology that requires a balance of mindfulness and practice in the laboratory. Proper use of this technique reduces the likelihood of bacterial or fungal contamination of reagents, culture media, and environmental samples. Aseptic technique is also vital to ensure data integrity and...
08:22
Decision-making and the Iowa Gambling Task
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Jonas T. Kaplan and Sarah I. Gimbel—University of Southern California Decision-making is an important component of human executive function, in which a choice about a course of action or cognition is made from many possibilities. Damage to the inferior parts of the frontal lobes can affect a person's ability to make good decisions. However, while decision-making deficits can have a large impact on one's life, these deficits can be difficult to quantify in the laboratory.
08:34
Thinking Too Much Impairs Decision-Making
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2023
Source: Peter Mende-Siedlecki & Jay Van Bavel—New York University When we are considering a tough choice between two or more attractive options, we often end up actively weighing the pros and cons of each alternative. By reflecting on their advantages and disadvantages, we attempt to fit a complex, subjective decision into an orderly set of criteria. However, research in psychology suggests that this sort of introspective approach might not always yield the most optimal outcomes.1 In other...
11:51
Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making
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Cited by 9 •
2011
The procedure described in this protocol shows that testosterone administration and folk beliefs about testosterone may be associated with directly opposed social behaviors.
FAQs
The central analytical move is to compare what people choose with what a mathematical or computational model predicts under specified conditions. By varying uncertainty, risk, or available information, researchers can examine where observed judgment follows or departs from those predictions. This comparison helps evaluate explanations of behavior and identify patterns in decision-making.
Behavioral outcomes can reflect more than individual preference. The laboratory framework considers cognitive processes, social influences, and environmental cues as factors that may shift action. Studying these influences together allows researchers to examine how a decision changes with context, rather than treating every choice as a stable expression of underlying judgment.
These approaches provide complementary evidence. Behavioral tasks capture choices under designed conditions, surveys can document reported judgments or preferences, and quantitative models organize observations into testable predictions. Combining them lets researchers compare what participants do with what they report and with what a model expects, producing a more detailed account of decision behavior.
A typical investigation establishes a decision condition, collects responses through a controlled experiment, behavioral task, or survey, and then analyzes the resulting choices quantitatively. Researchers compare the observations with model predictions and examine how outcomes change under uncertainty, risk, or limited information. The findings can then be used to evaluate a behavioral theory.
Findings become useful when they reveal how particular cognitive processes, social influences, or environmental cues shape action. Researchers can use that evidence to evaluate interventions intended to improve decisions in health, education, policy, or management. The value lies in linking observed behavior and measurable outcomes to a specific decision context.
The same analytical perspective can be applied beyond individual choices to organizational decisions and patterns of collective behavior. Comparing observed outcomes with quantitative predictions may help researchers study how decisions develop across groups or institutions. Laboratory findings can also guide future research on adaptive behavior, where actions change in response to conditions or feedback.