Human Decision Science | Research Capability & Technology Portfolio

To support business and operational goals, it is essential to learn what information a human operator needs and when it is needed; the impact of high-stress environments to study memory, navigation and functioning; how decision makers rely on multiple information sources; and how bias or decision failures arise

Competitive advantage

State-of-the-art behavioural data analysis:
Development of computational models to predict human operator performance
Expertise in collecting and analysing large, complex behavioural data sets
Bayesian statistical models for human learning and decision making, compatible with probabilistic approaches to machine learning
Development of psychologically principled “wisdom of crowds” models to aggregate expert decisions
Understanding of how human decision makers manage the trade-off between speed and accuracy

Impact

The top ranked Psychology school in Australia, with proven experience in human decision processes, computational modelling and the empirical study of human learning, emotion and cognition.

Successful applications

Track record of successfully applied collaborative work in forensic science, finance, telecommunications and defence
Developed novel statistical tools for analysing behavioural data
‘Learning and choosing in a complex world’ – Australian Research Council funded research project developing computational models of how people make choices in dynamic environment
“Unifying decisions from experience and description” – Australian Research Council funded research project on the difference between decision making from real experience and decision making from descriptions

Capabilities and resources

State of the art eye-tracking, electroencephalogram (EEG), and other physiological measurement
Behavioural research using immersive VR housed at UNSW School of Mining Engineering