The art of predicting human behaviour and why we get stuck in a rut with decision making

old_uid9435
titleThe art of predicting human behaviour and why we get stuck in a rut with decision making
start_date2010/12/14
schedule14h
onlineno
summaryHumans are expert decision makers capable of assimilating information rapidly and tailoring behaviour optimally, according to task constraints and context. The flexibility and rapidity of the decision-making mechanisms has led to humans being described as the ultimate opportunistic learning machines. Nevertheless, humans can sometimes select sub-optimal behaviours, with decision-making appearing to become ‘stuck in a rut’. How can we reconcile these apparently conflicting features of the system? A model of learning will be presented to show that the inertia sometimes evident in decision-making is a naturally emergent feature of a learning system. Empirical tests of the model will be reviewed together with a series of experiments that allow us to predict various aspects of reaching behaviour.
responsiblesFarnè, Béranger, Soulier