Decision making is a central concept across almost all sciences studying human behavior. Our research covers the following interconnected topics (fig. 1):
- Environmental (Urban) Neuroscience: we focus on the effect of indoor and outdoor spaces, and their architectural characteristics on human performance, health and happiness. A recent grant examines the effect of soundscaping and sounds on human cognition
- Human learning and decision making (risk and cooperation, competition, trust), with a focus on cognitive flexibility and computerised training of working adults
- Culture, Beauty and aesthetics: deeper beliefs about beauty and how they affect consumption of cosmetics; and how culture and cultural symbols (statues, images, buildings) affect emotions as well aesthetic and other judgments;
- Methods for Organizational Neuroscience: We want to introduce rigorous neuroscience and experimental methods to organizational research. To that extend, our lab is leading the Methods Section of the Academy of Management Organizational Neuroscience (NEU) Group. Our research agenda combines the two research traditions of decision theory and cognitive neuroscience. Methodologically, we employ behavioural methods derived from psychology; computational methods stemming from game theory, learning theory and microeconomics; and biological measurements such as human neuroimaging using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), physiology (skin conductance), eye tracking, wearable technology and EEG, whereas we have been adapting Virtual Reality and Wearables for human research. See Resources
(Elliot Chan testing synchronised eye-tracking and EEG at a library at Norway)
Our aim is to uncover, explain, predict and improve human choice behavior.
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*Some notes about our name:
deon: in Greek δέον, is the root for deontic:
deontic [diːˈɒntɪk]
adj
(Philosophy / Logic) Logic
a. of or relating to such ethical concepts as obligation and permissibility
b. designating the branch of modal logic that deals with the formalization of these concepts
[from Greek deon duty, from impersonal dei it behoves, it is binding]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003