Phone: (412) 268-6242
Fax: (412) 268-6938
Email: coty@cmu.edu

Lab Website: http://www.cmu.edu/ddmlab

Ph.D., Texas Tech University

Research Interests

My laboratory investigates decision making in complex dynamic environments. Such environments are characterized by the need for people to make multiple, interdependent, real-time decisions in reaction to both external changes, as well as the effects of their past decisions.

We ask the general question of how decision makers adapt and learn in dynamic situations. This question naturally leads to a focus on the match between decision processes and the dynamic situations in which those decisions are made. DDM theory and methods, therefore, are particularly suited to programs concerned with the integration of humans and complex systems.

Practical applications of our research extend from front-end system design activities to back-end training and decision-support. On the front-end, we can provide principled guidance and empirical support for the design of systems that exploit DDM strengths. On the back-end, we can help decision makers exploit system strengths. In this respect, DDM theory and methods are particularly suited for the design of training interventions. But the closely related activity of decision support design is no stretch for the skill set our multi-disciplinary team provides.

Recent Publications

• Cronin M, Gonzalez C: Understanding the building blocks of systems dynamics. System Dynamics Review 23(1): 1-17, 2007.
• Gonzalez C: Task workload and cognitive abilities in dynamic decision making. Human Factors, 47(1): 92-101, 2005.
• Gonzalez C, Dana J, Koshino H, Just M: The framing effect and risky decisions: Examining cognitive functions with fMRI. J Economic Psychology 26(1): 1-20, 2005.
• Gonzalez C, Thomas R, Vanyukov P: The relationships between cognitive ability and dynamic decision making. Intelligence, 33(2): 169-186, 2005.
• Gonzalez C, Vanyukov P, Martin MK: The use of microworlds to study dynamic decision making. Computers in Human Behavior 21: 273-286, 2005.
• Gonzalez C: Learning to make decisions in dynamic environments: Effects of time constraints and cognitive abilities. Human Factors 46(3): 449-460, 2004.
• Gonzalez C, Lerch FJ, Lebiere C: Instance-based learning in dynamic decision making. Cognitive Science 27: 591-635, 2003.
• Gonzales C, Quesada J: Learning in dynamic decision making: The recognition process. Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 9(4): 287-304, 2003.