2 May 2013
'The Psychology of Making Decisions' marks Café Science centenary
From the banal to the weighty, pretty much everything we believe or do is the result of our brain's decision making process, and the University of Dundee's Dr Ben Vincent will be exploring the implications of this at a special Café Science Extra talk next week.
Dr Vincent, a lecturer in the University's School of Psychology, will outline how people think about decisions at Dundee Science Centre on Wednesday, 8th May.
His talk will be the 100th Café Science held in Dundee since the series was launched in 2008, and more than 4500 people have taken the opportunity to hear about the ground-breaking scientific research happening locally in that time.
Dr Vincent will look at a number of examples that demonstrate the popular viewpoint that human decision making is flawed and irrational, before highlighting new thinking that suggests we are in fact more coherent in our decision making than previously thought.
Event organiser Dr Jon Urch said he was delighted to have Dr Vincent lead the centennial Café Science event.
"This is a big landmark for us, and it is fitting that Ben Vincent will be deliver this talk as he was one of the co-founders of the series back in 2008," he said. "In that time we have engaged with thousands of people from the Dundee area who wanted to hear about the innovative and diverse research taking place in the city.
"The popularity of Café Science is growing and I would like to thank all the researchers who have volunteered their time over the past five years because they appreciate the importance of public engagement in science.
"Our decision making process affects how we answer them and I am really looking forward to hearing Ben speak about how we make decisions, something that psychologists, economists, politicians and marketers have long sought to understand."
The popular Café Science events see top researchers from the Universities of Dundee and Abertay, James Hutton Institute and across Scotland lead informal discussions that have helped to enhance public understanding of science. Topics ranging from sea-monsters to the search for ET have been covered, along with many health-focussed talks that reach out to people affected by debilitating conditions.
Café Science Extra events are organised that focus is on up-and-coming scientists working locally, as well as occasional guest speakers.
'They Psychology of Making Decisions' takes place at Dundee Science Centre at 6pm, Wednesday, 8th May. Entry is free and open to all, and while the event is not ticketed people are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment.
If you would like to suggest a topic or are interested in speaking at Café Science please contact cafescience@dundee.ac.uk.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
