Research Training Group in Mathematical Behavioral Sciences

该奖项为建立数学行为科学研究培训小组提供资金。教员团队由来自不同学科背景的优秀高级和初级研究人员组成，但他们对在认知和相关现象的研究中使用数学模型有着共同的兴趣。学员将参加的研究项目旨在调查公理和基础问题，并从心理物理学、决策、认知过程和社会网络对行为现象进行建模。这些资金将为研究生和博士后研究员提供津贴，支付学员研究的部分费用，并使学员能够参加科学会议。此外，资金将用于购买专门的研究设备，供受训人员使用，并从其他研究和学术机构聘请客座教师，提供专门的研讨会和课程。传统上，对行为的研究是由研究人员在许多不同的学科中进行的，这些学科通常由行为涉及的对象来定义。因此，经济学、政治学、社会学、人类学、风险管理和决策科学等方面的研究都有重要的行为方面。由于每个学科都需要相当多的专业知识，而且行为可能发生的领域也不同，调查人员很难确定行为模式中潜在的共性。数学模型的使用越来越多地为确定这种共性提供了一种重要的方法，并提供了一种将一门学科中公认的原则应用于另一门学科的问题的手段。由该奖项资助的培训计划将培养出能够在各学科之间架起桥梁的研究人员，并将数学的全部力量用于社会科学和认知科学中的各种问题。

This award provides funds for the establishment of a Research Training Group in Mathematical Behavioral Sciences. The faculty group is a mixture of outstanding senior and junior investigators who come from a diverse set of disciplinary backgrounds, but who share a common interest in the use of mathematical models in the study of cognition and related phenomena. The research programs in which trainees will participate are aimed at investigation of axiomatic and foundational issues, and at modeling behavioral phenomena from psychophysics, decision making, cognition processes and social networks. The funds will provide stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, will defray part of the cost of the trainees' research and will enable the trainees to attend scientific meetings. In addition, funds will be used to purchase specialized research equipment to be used by trainees, and to bring visiting faculty from other research and academic institutions to provide specialized seminars and coursework. Traditionally, the study of behavior has been undertaken by investigators in a number of distinct disciplines, often defined by the subjects with which the behavior deals. Thus there are important behavioral aspects to the study of economics, political science, sociology, anthropology, risk management and decision science, among others. Because of the considerable specialized knowledge required by each discipline and the differing arenas in which the behavior may occur, it has been difficult for investigators to identify underlying commonalities in behavior patterns. Increasingly, the use of mathematical models is providing an important approach for identifying such commonalities and for providing a means for applying principles recognized in one discipline to the problems of another. The training program funded by this award will produce researchers able to bridge disciplines and to bring the full power of mathematics to bear on a large variety of problems in the social and cognitive sciences.