Douglas H. Wedell - US grants

Experiments have shown that people's evaluations of probabilistic outcomes do not conform to normative theory, especiallywhen they are asked to provide the probability that a single, isolated event will occur. However, there is evidence that people responddifferently when probabilities refer to unique rather than multiply occurring events. This project explores whether the observed discrepancies are tied to situations in which probabilities apply to events that occur only once. This work is important because it will provide information on the generalizability of the conclusion that decision makers generally violate expected utility theory when making actual choices. The study will investigate whether framing risky prospects as multiply occurring events induces a long run perspective that results in the processing of probabilistic information more in accordance with normative principles. Consistent with this hypothesis is recent evidence found by the investigators and others that some of the systematic violations of normative theory are reduced when subjects evaluate multiply occurring prospects. A series of experiments will beconducted to investigate people's responses to single and multiply occurring events. The first two experiments examine the impact of the option of multiple play on subjective utilities and probabilities. Another experiment looks at the question of whether opportunity for multiple play reduces framing effects. A final experiment will examine how experienced experimental subjects perceive probabilistic events ina financial audit context.

9400285 COLEMAN This award provides funds to the University of South Carolina Summer Research Institute in Experimental Psychology for educating undergraduate students in the field of experimental psychology. The eight week program will permit ten well qualified students majoring in a behavioral science to experience graduate level research. Students will participate in experiemental research including literature review, hypothesis generation, data collection, data organization, statistical analysis, and writing of papers. Student experiencess will be enriched by weekly research seminars where assigned readings will be discussed, and by weekly sessions on problems or research design and statistics in experimental psychology. This award contributes to the Foundation's continuing efforts to attract talented students into careers in science through active undergraduate research experiences. ***

The PIs propose to investigate "decoy effects," which are the influences that a new alternative has when it is added to a set of options from which a person has to make a choice. Occasionally such decoys have quite paradoxical effects, such as increasing the likelihood of choosing an original member of the set. The investigators will use techniques which assess the information- gathering processes used by persons in such decoy effect experiments. Eye movement monitoring will also be done. A total of twelve experiments are proposed.

Abstract
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0011132
Douglas H. Wedell

There is widespread use of assessment tools in our society. Performance
appraisal is one such tool that serves as a basis for important personnel
decisions, such as allocation of raises or recommendation for promotion or
termination. Because performance appraisal strongly relies on subjective
judgment, it is susceptible to systematic biases or distortions. One such
bias that has been repeatedly demonstrated in performance appraisal is
contextual contrast. This bias consists of the tendency to rate a person's
work performance higher after assessing other employees with poorer work
records than after assessing those with better work records. Such contextual
dependency represents a serious source of error in assessment, threatening its
reliability and validity.

This project explores different procedures designed to reduce or eliminate
contextual contrast in performance appraisal and thereby create more reliable
and valid assessment techniques. Materials consist of performance profiles of
hypothetical employees that include information on several facets of their
work records. In each experiment, the contrast bias is induced by having
participants evaluate different sets of materials prior to assessing a core
set of materials. The aim of the research is to develop assessment procedures
that will produce the same judgments of core materials across different
contexts. These procedures include manipulating category labels, types of
judgments, and training methods. Experiments will test the degree to which
including clear examples for the different category levels will reduce
contextual bias. Additional experiments will test the efficacy of two
alternative judgment tasks, comparative and similarity judgment, for
eliminating contrast effects. Finally, another series of experiments explores
the potential for different training regimens to eliminate contextual bias.
The aim of this research is to develop procedures that could be implemented in
business, education, and government to produce more reliable and valid
assessments.
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The University of South Carolina Summer Research Institute in Experimental Psychology has provided and will continue to provide a mechanism for educating undergraduate students about the field of experimental psychology. Many students, including students from underrepresented minorities, are drawn to applied psychology programs. The intent of the Institute, in contrast, is to focus student interest and enthusiasm on the basic science areas of psychology. The eight-week USC Summer Research Institute will permit well-qualified minority and non-minority undergraduate students majoring in a behavioral science an experience in graduate-level research, including an opportunity to formulate and conduct an experiment with individual guidance from an energetic and supportive research faculty mentor. The student will participate in major phases of experimental research, including literature review, hypothesis generation, data collection, data organization, statistical analysis and report writing in the style of American Psychological Association journals. Student experiences will be enriched by weekly research seminars, in which assigned readings will be discussed, and by weekly sessions on problems of research design and statistics in experimental psychology. Students will receive gratis course credit for their work. This program emphasis is much needed, as the U.S. is perceived to be the leader in the field of experimental psychology, and our universities must be able to motivate and train the best students for future careers in vital areas of behavioral science. This Summer Institute will continue to provide one vehicle to enhance these goals.

The University of South Carolina Summer Research Institute in Experimental Psychology has provided and will continue to provide a mechanism for educating undergraduate students about the field of experimental psychology. Many students, including students from underrepresented minorities, are drawn to applied psychology programs. The intent of the Institute, in contrast, is to focus student interest and enthusiasm on the basic science areas of psychology. The eight-week USC Summer Research Institute will permit well-qualified minority and non-minority undergraduate students majoring in a behavioral science an experience in graduate-level research, including an opportunity to formulate and conduct an experiment with individual guidance from an energetic and supportive research faculty mentor. The student will participate in major phases of experimental research, including literature review, hypothesis generation, data collection, data organization, statistical analysis and report writing in the style of American Psychological Association journals. Student experiences will be enriched by weekly research seminars, in which assigned readings will be discussed, and by weekly sessions on problems of research design and statistics in experimental psychology. Students will receive gratis course credit for their work. This program emphasis is much needed, as the U.S. is perceived to be the leader in the field of experimental psychology, and our universities must be able to motivate and train the best students for future careers in vital areas of behavioral science. This Summer Institute will continue to provide one vehicle to enhance these goals.

This award contributes to the Foundation's continuing efforts to attract talented students into careers in science through active undergraduate research experiences.

The Summer Research Experience in Brain and Cognitive Sciences (SREBCS) REU at the University of South Carolina provides ten undergraduate students from across the country a nine week immersion into how research is conducted in the field. Students participate in 1) weekly group laboratories that provide hands-on learning of brain and cognitive science methods, 2) semi-weekly seminars that integrate topics within brain and cognitive sciences, and 3) daily individual research with internationally recognized scientific scholars in the subfields of behavioral neuroscience, cognitive science, and cognitive and developmental neuroscience.

Intellectual Merit.

The SREBCS fosters minority and non-minority student interest in basic research within brain and cognitive sciences. A weekly group laboratory engages students in hands-on experiences with diverse methodologies that include MRI, fMRI, EEG, ERP, eye-tracking, animal observation, neural tissue assays and basic cognitive experimentation. Semi-weekly research seminars stimulate student discussion of research presented by faculty as it relates to the broader field of brain and cognitive sciences. Daily research in faculty laboratories provides students with insights into all phases of the research process, including an opportunity to formulate and conduct research projects with individual guidance from energetic and supportive research faculty mentors. The combination of group seminars, group laboratories and individual laboratory experiences provides students with multiple perspectives on research gleaned from innovative and hands-on learning experiences. The group laboratory and seminar foster theoretical and practical understanding of relevant issues and methods in the field. Research projects derived from the mentors' ongoing research programs investigate critical topics within the discipline, often using highly sophisticated methodology and equipment. Thus, students receive the benefits of individual training within specific laboratories as well as integrative sampling of topics and methods across the diverse areas of brain and cognitive sciences.

Broader Impacts.

The SREBCS provides an innovative and integrative forum for educating undergraduate students about the brain and cognitive sciences and encouraging them to pursue a career in the field. Although the U.S. is perceived as a leader in the brain and cognitive sciences, our universities must be able to motivate and train the best students for future careers in these vital areas of research. The SREBCS helps fill this role by providing experiences that excite and motivate students to apply to basic research graduate training programs in the brain and cognitive sciences and hence build the research and educational infrastructure in these vital areas. Students experience diverse methods and theoretical orientations, becoming more open to multidisciplinary approaches to understanding the field. The program provides enhanced and exciting research experiences to students who may have limited opportunities for research at their own institutions. The SREBCS makes a special effort to increase minority opportunities in these areas, adding to the diversity of the field. The program also impacts the training of graduate students associated with the institute, with the aim of broadening their academic experiences as researchers and educators.

This project is co-funded by the NSF EPSCoR Office.