Patricia Lindemann

Patricia Lindemann

Research Interests

Ph.D., Columbia University, 2000

General Area of Research

Decision making, understanding the different strategies that individuals use to make decisions

Current Research

My area of research is human decision making. I am interested in understanding the variety of decision making strategies that people use as well as the factors that determine when and why people use them. We have found that some situations induce a consistent approach to decision making. For example, for a consumer decision like choosing which car to buy, nearly everyone reports using a calculation-based decision strategy – toting up the costs and benefits of the different options and selecting the one that leads to the optimal consequences. In other circumstances, like choosing what path to follow after college graduation, people vary in their decision making strategies. Some people favor calculation based strategies, trying to determine which of several options will lead to the best long-range outcome. Others focus more on their emotions, seeking to do what “feels” right or to follow their passions. Still other people focus on obligations, doing what they believe they “should” do in their family or social context. My current research focuses on the variety of factors that determine decision strategy selection, including situational contexts, personality factors, motivational states and cultural norms.

Relevant Publications

Weber, E.U. & Lindemann, P.G. (submitted). From Intuition to Analysis: Making Decisions with Your Head, Your Heart, or by the Book. In H. Plessner, C. Betsch & T. Betsch (Eds.) A New Look on Intuition in Judgment and Decision Making. 

Courses Taught