HSD-DRU: The Role of Communication in the Dynamics of Effective Decision Making

Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Brunswick NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Group decision making is a key social behavior in most complex human organizations. While decisions are made on an individual level, these individual decisions can have profound cumulative impact on the group as a whole. However, without proper communication, it is often difficult for individuals in large organizations or societies to appreciate how their decisions will impact others and, therefore, for them to make effective decisions. To better understand the unique and complex role communication has in the dynamics of the decision-making process, a multidisciplinary team of scientists will carry out a diverse series of targeted experiments to achieve these goals. The experiments will address information acquisition and interpersonal communication patterns. The goal of the project is not only to identify how groups of individual decision makers use communication to arrive at better decisions, but to understand how to apply this knowledge to create tools that improve human decision making by fostering the best types of communication.