Reflections on the Contributions of Ward Edwards to Decision Analysis and Behavioral Research

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511611308.006

5 - Reflections on the Contributions of Ward Edwards to Decision Analysis and Behavioral Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Lawrence D. Phillips and

Detlof von Winterfeldt

Edited by

Ward Edwards ,

Ralph F. Miles Jr. and

Detlof von Winterfeldt

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Lawrence D. Phillips: Affiliation:
Department of Operational Research, London School of Economics and Political Science
Detlof von Winterfeldt: Affiliation:
Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California
Ralph F. Miles Jr.: Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology
Detlof von Winterfeldt: Affiliation:
University of Southern California

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Summary

ABSTRACT. This chapter is based on the writings of Ward Edwards and the recollections of two of his graduate students whom he influenced deeply. Larry Phillips was his student from 1960 to 1966 and Detlof von Winterfeldt was his student from 1970 to 1975. Both continued their interactions with Ward until his death in February 2005. Larry interviewed Ward in February 2003 to record his early days and contributions to decision analysis and behavioral research. Video clips from this interview were shown at a special session of the Decision Analysis Society meeting in San Francisco in 2005, and the presentation will be posted on the Decision Analysis Society web site (www.fuqua.duke.edu/faculty/daweb). Detlof met Ward together with Ralph Miles almost weekly in 2003 and 2004, mostly planning new activities, like editing this book, but also conducting interviews and discussing the early days of behavioral decision research and his work at the University of Southern California (USC). A videotaped recording of Detlof's interview with Ward can be obtained from USC. Much of this chapter summarizes these interviews and our personal memories of Ward.

Ward Edwards: Founder of Behavioral Decision Theory

In 1954 and 1961 Ward Edwards published two seminal articles that created behavioral decision research as a new field in psychology (Edwards 1954, 1961). The topics of this research include how people make decisions and how these decisions can be improved with tools and training.

Type: Chapter
Information: Advances in Decision Analysis
From Foundations to Applications
, pp. 71 - 80

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511611308.006 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2007

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References

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