Communicating Science: Making good decisions: how humans and other animals deal with an uncertain world

Making good decisions: how humans and other animals deal with an uncertain world - a ZSL Science and Conservation Event.

The study of decisions is to ask how and why individuals decide to act in a certain way.

Biologists tend to focus on the why questions: for example, why does a bird looking for food choose to switch between different foraging patches and why does it spend as long as it does at each patch?

Psychologists tend focus their efforts on understanding how: what information does the bird use to decide when to leave and how does it get this information? Current research will be described with the aim of producing practical applications.

By taking an evolutionary perspective on decision-making can we help laypeople and professionals make better decisions? Can we better understand how our 'old brains'—which evolved in a very different environment—respond to our new world? Can understanding the function of behaviour and the psychological mechanisms that underlie it help our conservation efforts?

Talks and Speakers:
Decision making and risky choice
- Alex Kacelnik, Professor of Behavioural Ecology, Department of Zoology, Oxford
Sunk costs and the Concorde fallacy: Are house-mice more rational than theoretical biologists?
- Peter Ayton, Professor of Psychology, City University, London
Darwinian decisions: the psychology and evolution of decision making
- Dr Jeffrey R. Stevens, Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition, Max Planck Insititute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.

Organised and Chaired by Andrew King, Royal Veterinary College, University of London.

Please note that this event has already taken place.

Making good decisions Communicating Science Event abstracts (79 KB)

This event in the 'Communicating Science' series will begin at 6.00pm (doors from 5.00pm) and talks are scheduled to finish at 7.30pm; admission is free and open to everyone (no advance booking or registration required). This event will be held in the ZSL Meeting Rooms and seats will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

A dinner with the speakers will follow this event and places must be booked in advance. Please download above dinner booking form for further information.

ZSL Science and Conservation Events: An essential part of ZSL's work is to communicate relevant, high-quality zoological and conservation science. The integrated ZSL Science and Conservation Events programme includes Symposia, and the new 'Wildlife Conservation' and 'Communicating Science' series. Topics cover a wide variety of zoological and conservation themes, and international experts present and discuss their research.

Further Information: please contact Joy Hayward, Scientific Meetings Coordinator, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY.
Tel:+44 (0)20 7449 6227. Fax: +44 (0)20 7449 6411. E-mail: joy.hayward@zsl.org.

Related links
ZSL Science and Conservation Events
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