Fields of Research
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 Annual Report
2007-2008 (pdf)		 Bounded Rationality
      Q: How do people make decisions when time and information are limited and the future is uncertain?

A: We address this question by studying heuristics, building blocks, and evolved capacities that underlie decisions.		    
     
   
      Ecological Rationality
    
      Q: When does a heuristic succeed or fail?

A: We address this question by studying structures of environments and show by analysis and computer simulation which heuristics are successful in which environments.		    
     
   
      Social Rationality
    
Q: Given that humans are social animals, when are decisions made using imitation, advice taking, and other social means rather than being made individually?

A: We address this question by studying the structure of social environments and the social heuristics that are used to achieve goals, including social goals.
     
   
      Evolutionary Rationality
   
Q: How do our behaviors, emotions, and motivations depend on the environments in which it evolved?

A: We address this question by using insights from evolutionary psychology, anthropology, and behavioral ecology to derive and test predictions about how an "old brain" responds to a new world.
     
   
      Decisions in the Wild
    
      Q: How can results from the ecological rationality approach help laypeople and professionals make better decisions?

A: We address this question by educating physicians, judges, and businesspeople in risk communication and in effective fast and frugal decision making. 		   
       
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