The Cognitive Science Society is hosting a 2004-2005 virtual colloquium series presented live via the Internet, with the first talk given by Nick Chater and Neil Stewart. Register now to attend. Please note that this is one hour earlier than the talks are normally scheduled. This presentation marks two major firsts for the series. This will be the first presentation originating from an institution outside the US, and we will be using a new system, Elluminate, that will allow Mac users easy and direct access. Time: Friday, Oct. 29, 2004 Noon US ET Presenters: Nick Chater and Neil Stewart Department of Psychology, University of Warwick Topic: Decision by Sampling We present a theory of decision by sampling (DbS) in which, in contrast with traditional models, there are no underlying psychoeconomic scales (Stewart, Chater & Brown, 2004). Instead, consistent with psychophysics, we assume that an attribute's subjective value is constructed from binary, ordinal comparisons with a small sample of attribute values from memory. The sample reflects the decision context and the structure of the world. All attribute values (e.g., time, probability, money, quality, etc.) are treated identically. DbS accounts for: risk aversion; the common ratio and consequence effects; losses looming larger than gains; distortion of decision weights; hyperbolic temporal discounting; the similarity, compromise, and attraction effects, and trade-off contrast in multiattribute choices; preference reversals; violations of stochastic dominance and cumulative independence; and prospect relativity. This talk will focus on highlights and general motivation for DbS. Further information about this talk, the colloquium series, a schedule of future talks, and an archive of previous talks are available at http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/colloquium Contact Janet Morrow, [log in to unmask], with any questions about registration for this seminar. Please forward this invitation to colleagues who would benefit from this seminar or the series. Sincerely, Tom Ward Center for Creative Media Box 870172 University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0172 http://bama.ua.edu/~tward email: [log in to unmask] Lisa Neal, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, eLearn Magazine, www.eLearnMag.org 3 Valley Road, Lexington, MA 02421 USA Phone: +1-781-861-7373 mailto:[log in to unmask]