Why do we make the decisions we do? How do we buy something online when we don’t even really know what we’re buying? These ideas have fascinated Computer Science Professor Michael Huelsman through his research regarding decision making and the complexity therein.
Huelsman has determined that not having full information in decision making does not change the choice of the individual in any meaningful way. In the simplest sense, he investigated how much more complex decision making becomes when an abundance of information is given versus when only some information is known.
Dr. Huelsman used two pizzas as an analogy to explain the application of this research. While one can be given the choice to have a pizza with an abundance of toppings, this is typically overwhelming to the palate. Rather, people will choose a more simplistic slice they can enjoy in its entirety. The very same principle applies to receiving information and choosing between two alternatives.
All of this was determined through thorough analysis of various proofs to define firm upper and lower limits of complexity that affect human decision making. This research can be used to determine how much information to give people to spark them to make certain choices.
Dr. Huelsman’s research was published in the proceedings of the 37th International Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society (FLAIRS) conference in 2024. His research was also shared at the college’s 11th annual Celebration of Research and Scholarship.