Decision Science News

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR JUDGMENT AND DECISION MAKING

The Society for Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM) invites abstracts for symposia, oral presentations, and posters on any interesting topic related to judgment and decision making. Completed manuscripts are not required.

LOCATION, DATES, AND PROGRAM
SJDM’s annual conference will be held at the Westin Hotel & Resort in Long Beach, CA during November 17-19, 2007. Early registration and welcome reception will take place the evening of Friday, November 16. Following the format established in the last few years, the schedule includes a full day on Saturday to make room for more presentations and for two keynote speakers.

SUBMISSIONS
The deadline for submissions is July 1, 2007. Submissions for symposia, oral presentations, and posters should be made through the SJDM website at http://sql.sjdm.org. Technical questions can be addressed to the webmaster, Alan Schwartz, at www at sjdm.org. All other questions can be addressed to George Wu, at wu at chicagogsb.edu.

ELIGIBILITY
At least one author of each presentation must be a member of SJDM. Joining at the time of submission will satisfy this requirement. A membership form may be downloaded from the SJDM website at http://www.sjdm.org. An individual may give only one talk (podium presentation) and present only one poster, but may be a co-author on multiple talks and/or posters.

AWARDS
· The Best Student Poster Award is given for the best poster presentation whose first author is a student member of SJDM.
· The Hillel Einhorn New Investigator Award is intended to encourage outstanding work by new researchers. Applications are due July 1, 2007. Further details are available at http://www.sjdm.org.
· The Jane Beattie Memorial Fund subsidizes travel to North America for a foreign scholar in pursuits related to judgment and decision research, including attendance at the annual SJDM meeting. Information and an application form can be found at http://gsbwww.uchicago.edu/fac/joshua.klayman/more/BeattieInfo06.htm. Applications are due by July 16, 2007.

PROGRAM COMMITTEE
George Wu (Chair), Melissa Finucane, Craig Mackenzie, Ellen Peters, Rebecca Ratner, Yuval Rottenstreich, Alan Schwartz, Gal Zauberman, Jon Baron (SJDM president)

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/forgetmeknottphotography/360952335/

WHEN DOES DISEASE SCREENING HELP?

The judgment and decision making crowd is buzzing about the idea that screening for certain diseases (such as breast or lung cancer) can be ineffective or even harmful. Some of the readings dans le vent:

Peter B. Bach; James R. Jett; Ugo Pastorino; Melvyn S. Tockman; Stephen J. Swensen; Colin B. Begg. (2007) Computed Tomography Screening and Lung Cancer Outcomes. JAMA, 297 , 953 – 961.

Kolata, Gina (2007). Study Questions Exam to Detect Breast Cancer. New York Times.

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=454157043&size=m

COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS OF A COMMON MEASURE

Dan Goldstein and Nassim Taleb have written a paper called “We don’t quite know what we are talking about when we talk about volatility” which looks at what finance professionals and students do when asked for estimates of standard deviation.In particular, they posed this question:

A stock (or a fund) has an average return of 0%. It moves on average 1% a day in absolute value; the average up move is 1% and the average down move is 1%. It does not mean that all up moves are 1%–some are .6%, others 1.45%, etc. Assume that we live in the Gaussian world in which the returns (or daily percentage moves) can be safely modeled using a Normal Distribution. Assume that a year has 256 business days. The following questions concern the standard deviation of returns (i.e., of the percentage moves), the “sigma” that is used for volatility in financial applications. What is the daily sigma? What is the yearly sigma?

Find out how many of 87 trained people got it correct.

REFERENCE:
Goldstein, D. G. & Taleb, N. N. (in press). We don’t quite know what we are talking about when we talk about volatility. Journal of Portfolio Management.

UPDATE (May 28, 2007): The aforementioned paper has hit #1 on the SSRN Recent Hits list.

PAID INTERNSHIP AT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS

DSN is noticing a rise in the number of private-sector behavioral economics jobs over the past year. For those eager to get in at the ground floor, Fidelity is offering a paid internship in its Center for Applied Behavioral Economics in Boston.

The purpose of the Center is to apply behavioral economics to help investors do a good job and succeed, at a time when the burden of seeking financial security falls heavily on individuals.

As a central resource to all Fidelity business units, the Center offers the designers of financial products and customer experience a deeper quantitative and qualitative understanding of what motivates and hinders investors, through courses, publications, and consulting. It represents an excellent opportunity to do applied work involving important, real-world problems.

Candidates pursuing doctoral or post-doctoral studies in decision theory, cognitive psychology, and/or economics are encouraged to apply. The focus is on the research and writing of white papers addressing key topics that can help lead to better outcomes for Fidelity customers and investors in general. The focus of the internship will be adjusted to fit the strengths and interests of the successful candidate.

Candidates should have a solid academic and research background combined with the ability to write clearly and persuasively for a lay audience. Also important: intellectual curiosity and a desire to have a positive impact on the real world.

The Center is located in downtown Boston, and is part of the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology. The environment is lively and stimulating, with the express intent of fostering daily interaction among scientists in different disciplines together with technologists, designers, and business people. Fidelity is a privately held financial services company. This is a paid position.

Send applications, consisting of a cover letter summarizing your research interests, curriculum vitae or resume, examples of your research, and (optionally) other writing samples to Dr. Eric Gold, Fidelity Center for Applied Behavioral Economics, 82 Devonshire Street V3A, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, or e-mail eric.gold [at] fmr [dot] com.

SUMMER INSTITUTE IN SURVEY RESEARCH TECHNIQUES

Now in its 60th year, the Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques provides rigorous and high quality graduate training in all phases of survey research. The program teaches state-of-the-art practice and theory in the design, implementation, and analysis of surveys. Classes start June 4 and meet through July 27. Courses are offered in one to eight week time frames. The Summer Institute in Survey Research techniques draws on a renowned group of instructors from within SRC and the University community, and on other experts from outside the University of Michigan. For more details about course descriptions, and other relevant information visit the website, http://www.isr.umich.edu/src/si/

MASTERS IN COGNITIVE AND DECISION SCIENCES

Decision Science News is based out of London. And you could be, too.

University College London and Birkbeck are launching a new MSc in Cognitive and Decision Sciences (to start in Sept 2007).

This program studies the cognitive processes underlying human thought and decision making. Key topics include: probabilistic models of the mind; the nature of computational explanation; the general principles of cognition; the scope of rational choice models; learning and memory; applications to economics and business.

It draws on an outstanding faculty at UCL and Birkbeck, including internationally renowned researchers in psychology, computational modelling, neuroscience and economics. It also takes full advantage of London’s unique position as a global “hot-spot” for research in cognition, decision-making, and neuroscience, with a high density of research seminars and scientific meetings.

The course is suitable for students from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, economics, neuroscience, philosophy, computer science and statistics.

Further information is available at: http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/courses/msc/MScCoDeS.html

For informal enquiries contact David Lagnado (d.lagnado at ucl.ac.uk), Nick Chater (n.chater at ucl.ac.uk) or Marius Usher (m.usher at psychology.bbk.ac.uk)

Please forward this to any students who might be interested in applying.

See also: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0612/06122102

COGNITIVE AND NEURO EXPERTISE SOUGHT

When Decision Science News was born, it was born at Columbia’s Center
for the Decision Sciences. Now CDS is hiring again.

Columbia University’s Center for the Decision Sciences anticipates
hiring a postdoctoral research scientist for a period of up to three
years, with a starting date of August 2007. The main responsibility will
be to carry out research related to cognition and memory with an
emphasis on decision making and the construction of preferences across
the lifespan, under the supervision of Professors Eric Johnson, Elke
Weber, and Yaakov Stern. This position is open to candidates with
behavioral research experience, data analysis and modeling skills, and
training in cognitive psychology or a related discipline, who have
recently earned their PhD or who are expecting their doctorate in 2007,
on a topic relevant to the psychology of decision making broadly
defined. Training in neuropsychology as well as neuroscience and fMRI
research would be particularly valuable skills. Additionally experience
with health- and cognitive function screening of older adults and
experience with on-line research would also be a plus.

The Center for the Decision Sciences at Columbia University is directed
by Professors Eric Johnson, David Krantz, and Elke Weber and includes
researchers from psychology, marketing, management, medicine, law and
beyond. Please visit our website for more information:
http://decisionsciences.columbia.edu

To apply, please send a CV, two letters of recommendation, reprints of
published papers, and a cover letter describing your research interests.
In your cover letter, please describe your research expertises, data
analysis and modeling skills, neuropsychological and neuroscience
skills, and computer skills (including any experience with online
research).

Review of applications will start April 15 and continue until the
position is filled.

Electronic applications (all parts as attachments to a single email)
should be submitted to:

Ryan O. Murphy, Ph.D.
Research Scientist and Associate Director
Center for the Decision Sciences
rom2102 at columbia dot edu

Columbia University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

SMDM 2007 PITTSBURGH OCTOBER 20-24, 2007

The 29th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making will take place October 20-24, 2007 in the Sheraton Station Square Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. This year’s meeting will focus on exploring the science of decisions and consumer-driven, individualized health care.

Visit www.smdm.org to learn more about these key dates:

February 1, 2007 Hotel Reservation Opens
March 2, 2007 Abstract Submission Site Opens
June 13, 2007 Meeting Registration Opens
October 20-24, 2007 SMDM Annual Meeting

Call for Short Courses: SMDM is now accepting proposals for Short Courses for the 2007 Annual Meeting. Submission form is available at www.smdm.org.
Deadline for submission: March 5, 2007

Call for Nominations for the 2007 SMDM Awards: SMDM Awards Program is designed to recognize distinguished service to SMDM and/or the medical decision making field. Visit www.smdm.org for detailed descriptions of awards, past recipients, and eligibility requirements. Deadline for award nominations: April 1, 2007

Call for Abstracts: Submit your original work for presentation at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Oral and Poster format. Electronic submission site and detailed instructions will be available starting March 2 at www.smdm.org.
Deadline for abstract submission: June 8, 2007

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/imcgraw/320300997/

POSTDOC IN SOCIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AT STANFORD

The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University anticipates appointing a Postdoctoral Fellow in Social and Organizational Behavior for a period of one to two years, with a starting date of September 2007. The Postdoctoral Fellow will serve as Co-director of the Behavioral Laboratory along with another Postdoctoral Fellow and will coordinate several ongoing research projects. The position will not require any teaching. Salary will be competitive. Hiring is contingent upon budgetary approval.

Stanford has a growing community of researchers who explore basic and applied problems at the social psychological level of analysis. There is a colloquium series as well as several doctoral level seminars in which a Postdoctoral Fellow could participate. We will select an applicant who plans to work collaboratively on research with one or more of the psychologically oriented faculty members in the organizational behavior program (Francis Flynn, Deborah Gruenfeld, Chip Heath, Roderick Kramer, Brian Lowery, Joanne Martin, Dale Miller, Margaret Neale, Jeffrey Pfeffer, Charles O’Reilly, Elizabeth Mullen, and Larissa Tiedens) and/or in the marketing program (Jennifer Aaker, Baba Shiv, Itamar Simonson, and Christian Wheeler). The Stanford GSB Web page (https://gsbapps.stanford.edu/facultybios/) provides some detail about research interests.

This position is open to candidates who have recently earned their PhD degree, or who are expecting their PhD in 2007, in any area of psychology, organizational behavior, or marketing. Familiarity with methods of experimentation at the social psychological level of analysis is important. In particular, experience in conducting computer, web-based, and interpersonal interaction-based experiments is a plus.

Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, two letters of recommendation, and a cover letter describing their research interests and accomplishments to Brian Lowery, 518 Memorial Way, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. In addition, they should indicate one or two faculty members with whom they would be most interested in working. Applications are welcome immediately, and they should be received by February 28, 2007 to receive full consideration. Additionally, curriculum vitae should be submitted online to the SU Jobs website. To submit online, please visit our website: http://jobs.stanford.edu/find_a_job.html and use the following requisition number: 23536; click on “apply” at bottom of page, highlight the requisition number, and copy and paste (or upload) your resume and submit.

Questions concerning the position can be addressed by electronic mail to Brian Lowery at Lowery_Brian at gsb dot stanford dot edu

Stanford University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

NEURAL SYSTEMS OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR CONFERENCE, AUSTIN, 11-13 MAY 2007

The the Neural Systems of Social Behavior conference will take place in Austin, TX, May 11-13th. The schedule is available and registration is now open.

Information on registration, hotel, and transportation can be found here

Online registration is now open and will remain open until all spaces are filled. Registration and payment of fees can be carried out through the PayPal on the website. Space is limited.

Information on the schedule can be found at:
http://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu/content/Labs/Beer/Conference-Schedules

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=348668447&size=m