Thesis (Ph.D)--Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Co-Chair: Kavadias, Stylianos; Committee Co-Chair: Toktay, L. Beril; Committee Member: Ferguson, Mark; Committee Member: Gaimon, Cheryl; Committee Member: Saleh, Joseph. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Psychological models of judgment and decision-making that focus on dual processes distinguish between two modes of judgment. One mode of judgment uses incomplete, probabilistic associations that lead to good-enough judgments for most situations. A second mode of judgment uses more complete information and applies deterministic decision rules to reason through a decision. The two modes operate in parallel but they can also interact and may be viewed as ends of a continuum. Although some psychology researchers have hypothesized that the two modes of information processing are carried out by distinct neural systems, neural research has not fully tested the distinctions that psychological research has drawn between the two modes. Three studies aim to address the gap between psychological and neural models of judgment and decision-making. Study 1 addresses the lack of neural research comparing judgments based on probabilistic information (characteristic of the first mode of judgment in dual-process models) with judgments based on deterministic rules (characteristic of the second mode of judgment in dual-process models). Specifically, Study 1 compares basic probabilistic judgments and deterministic rule-based judgments to identify neural regions that are preferentially associated with one mode of judgment. Study 2 moves toward a more ecologically valid investigation of neural systems associated with judgments based on probabilistic associations. That is, Study 2 examines a probabilistic cue that is used in real-world judgments: affect. Study 3 examines neural regions associated with the interaction of the two modes of judgment in the underexplored domain of social evaluation. Modes of judgment may interact when the second mode of judgment uses new information to adjust a judgment previously driven by the first mode of judgment, as when a hiring manager uses information about a job candidate to adjust a first impression initially based on appearance. Study 3 examines the neural systems involved when people use newly available information to adjust a previously made affectively-driven judgment. Findings in the three studies contribute to scientific understanding of how neural regions support judgment, but do not definitively identify separable neural systems for dual-process modes of judgment. / text

This research addresses three important questions for solving a general stochastic optimization problem: proper modeling of the uncertainties and their interactions, use of decomposition techniques to solve the resulting optimization problems, and the impact of stochastic dependencies to the optimal solution. In particular, we develop sampling methodologies for scenario generation that preserve the cointegration properties of financial time series, create a new conditional decision-dependent probability model for the lifetime of components in nuclear power plants, define the corresponding stochastic optimization problems, and construct decomposition algorithms to solve them. We investigate the impact of the input (in terms of different stochastic dependencies) to the solution of the corresponding optimization problem. For the last issue we concentrate on the general financial asset allocation problem. / text

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of strategic decision-making for elite level competitive golfers. Research in this area is scant. Therefore this study used phenomenological methods to gain an understanding of the experience of strategic decision-making for eight elite level competitive golfers. Analysis of the data was philosophically informed by Hermeneutic and Heideggerian principles. As such, five common components emerged from the data: Strategies, The-Swing, Flow-like-States, Disruptions-To-Flow, and Mind Games. The experience of strategic decision-making for these eight golfers describes a dynamic process that is effortless and natural in times of flow, frantic yet exciting during disruptions, and seemingly an effort to enhance the execution of their swing. For these golfers decision-making involved identifying a strategy with which they were most comfortable. As a result, while the process and overall goals appear consistent and potentially generalizable, the methods are idiosyncratic. Thus, the applied practitioner can utilize these results both to inform a general approach to working with elite-level golfers, but must be cautious to avoid a single, "one size fits all" solution for each situation / text

This study focused on Latino undergraduate students majoring in science, and their decisions to access academic support programs. The purposes were to understand (1) factors that influence Latino students' career-related choices; choosing a science major and accessing resources in support of their academic careers; and (2) what role socializers play in those decisions. The informants were four Latino college students who chose science majors when admitted to a research university. Using a case-study interview approach, they were interviewed longitudinally over two years to understand the influences on their decisions. Data codes and themes were generated through interpretive analysis of interview transcripts, and results were evaluated against the Eccles' et al. (1983) expectancy-value model of career choices. Three categories were identified: decisions made prior to matriculation, decisions made in adjusting to the university environment, and continuing decisions to persist in the sciences. First, initial decisions as high school students were made within a web environment, through self-dialogue. Participants relied on web information in a non-interactive way to make decisions on their own. Parents, teachers, and peers merely validated decisions. Second, the process by which these students adjusted in their first year of college revealed differences among the participating students. Unlike the two male computer science majors, two female biology majors had a more difficult time participating in classes, being active about seeking help and contacting socializers, and managing their personal lives. This contrast continued on to their second year. Finally, the study yielded an iterative notion of decision-making about persistence in science. The two female biology majors having a hard time in their classes constantly revisited their initial choice of a science major. They accessed the web to get information necessary to find a solution and relay that to new socializers, such as advisers, mentoring program staff, and peers in college. Drawing from these findings, this study yielded a framework for discussing Latino science students' academic decision making. The importance of the web in initial decisions has digital equity implications, and indicates the importance of Internet outreach. Further, differences in the decision process imply a need for personalized support structures. / text

Information pick-up from peripheral vision is thought to play an important role in dynamic decision-making; however, this has not been verified empirically. This thesis reports a series of experiments that used a gaze-contingent manipulation of video footage to examine the role of central and peripheral vision in expert decision-making in the dynamic sport of basketball. In Experiment 1, opaque (black) occlusion was selectively applied to the central and/or peripheral vision of skilled and novice basketball players using a real-time gaze-contingent display. The skilled players made better decisions irrespective of whether they were using central vision, peripheral vision, or the full visual field. However, the opaque occlusion in this task could have concurrently impaired both information pick-up and the guidance of subsequent eye movements. In Experiment 2, occlusion was achieved via visual blur rather than black opaque occlusion in an effort to constrain information pick-up while permitting the guidance of normal visual search. The results again showed that skilled players had consistently higher response accuracy irrespective of the area of visual field they used or the level of blur applied. However, as the expert advantage remained strongly robust even under highly impaired viewing conditions, the question arose as to whether the response slide itself may have contained information that could support expert decision-making performance. Experiment 3 confirmed this suspicion and in Experiment 4 a suitable response mode that contained no inherent information was identified and validated. Experiment 5 adopted this revised response mode to essentially replicate Experiment 2 while also introducing further combinations of central and peripheral blur. Experiment 5 confirmed that skilled players demonstrate higher decision-making accuracy irrespective of the area of the visual field they rely on. Even low levels of blur, despite not influencing decision-making performance, were found to alter the pattern of eye movements used. This suggests that performance is maintained despite measurable changes in gaze. Remarkably, the decision-making performance of the novice participants improved when certain levels of blur were applied to the peripheral visual field. As a consequence, Experiment 6 examined whether the decision-making skill of inexperienced players could be enhanced through training when viewing with gaze-contingent blur. It was found that perceptual training with clear central + blurred peripheral vision led to better performance than equivalent training with normal (full-field) vision or with blurred central + clear peripheral vision. The improvements in performance were independent of changes in visual search strategy, suggesting that alterations in attentional allocation may have been responsible for the training effect. Collectively, the results of the experimental series lead to the conclusion that the ability to interpret information is the critical limiting factor to skilled decision-making rather than the location of the information within the visual field or the pattern of visual search. The findings provide a basis for the development of methodological guidelines for the use of gaze-contingent displays in dynamic tasks and lead to enhanced approaches in the investigation and training of decision-making skill. / published_or_final_version / Human Performance / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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