Podcast
Alan Sanfey - How we make decisions and the science of it
A conversation with Alan Sanfey about decision neuroscience, social choice, fairness, economic models, and where decision science can inform industry and public policy.
In this conversation
Alan Sanfey discusses decision neuroscience and the study of individual and interactive decision-making. The conversation connects behavioral experiments, neuroimaging, formal economic models, industry use, and public policy.
Alan shows why decisions are not only personal preferences. They are shaped by social context, incentives, fairness, prediction, and the methods used to study them.
Central question
How can decision science help us understand choices in markets, organizations, and public life?
What we cover
- How behavioral experiments, neuroimaging, and economic models can be combined.
- Why interactive decision-making changes the problem compared with individual choice.
- Where industry and policy can use decision science, and where they can misunderstand it.
Guest background
Prof. Alan Sanfey is Principal Investigator at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior and leads work in decision neuroscience.
Things to listen for
- How fairness and social context alter decision-making.
- Why models can clarify behavior but also simplify it too much.
- Where decision science can inform public policy debates.
Studying decisions
Individual choice
A person weighs options, rewards, risks, and preferences.
Interactive choice
The decision also depends on other people, expectations, fairness, and strategic behavior.