Lec 1: Introduction Flashcards
(57 cards)
What is Behavioral Data Science?
a multidiscipline field
What does BDS aim to
understanding, prediction, and change of human behavior by analysing Big Data (gathered by modern digital technology)
Why it is important to research BDS
Because of the imbalence between human behavior complexity and the simple of measure methods
Whats data?
representation of observed behaviors
Whats phenomena
- robust features of the world
- patterns in the data
Whats theory
explanation of phenomena (explanatory theory)
What does it mean when a theory “describes a world in which the phenomena would follow as a matter of course”?
It means the theory explains the phenomena so well that their occurrence seems natural, expected, and automatic within that theoretical world.
Is creating a good theory purely based on inspiration or luck?
No. While theory creation is a creative act, it can be systematized, practiced, and improved with the right methods and training.
What kind of models does behavioral data science ideally aim for?
It aims for mathematically formulated models that can clearly describe, simulate, and test psychological theories.
Identical twins’ cognitive
test scores are more similar
than those of fraternal
twins. This feature is best
represented as
a phenomenon
What is the purpose of the Lexical Decision Task?
It measures how easily lexical representations (words) are activated from memory.
How does word frequency affect performance in the Lexical Decision Task?
People perform better (faster and more accurately) with high-frequency words (e.g., cat) than with low-frequency words (e.g., feline).
What instructions are typically given to participants in the Lexical Decision Task?
They are told to respond as quickly and accurately as possible.
What are three problems with the standard analysis of the Lexical Decision Task?
- No account of the tradeoff between response time and accuracy.
- No process model explaining how responses are generated.
- No breakdown of underlying psychological processes.
What are the key dependent variables in the Lexical Decision Task?
Response Time (RT) and Accuracy (proportion of correct responses).
What is a suggested solution to improve the analysis of the Lexical Decision Task?
Use a process model to estimate hidden psychological processes.
What is one prominent process model used to analyze decision tasks?
Ratcliff’s diffusion model, which helps explain the decision-making process and tradeoffs.
What is the Ratcliff Diffusion Model?
It’s a model that shows how people slowly collect messy information until they make a decision.
What does the ‘drift rate (v)’ represent in the diffusion model?
Drift rate (v) reflects task difficulty or subject ability. A higher drift rate means easier decisions or better performance.
What does the ‘boundary separation (a)’ represent?
Boundary separation (a) quantifies response caution and is responsible for the speed-accuracy tradeoff. Wider boundaries mean more cautious and slower but more accurate responses.
What does the ‘starting point (z)’ reflect in the diffusion model?
Starting point (z) reflects a priori bias toward one decision over another, such as when the probability or payoff of one choice is higher.
What is ‘non-decision time (Ter)’ in the diffusion model?
Non-decision time (Ter) includes the time required for stimulus encoding and motor execution, separate from the decision-making process itself.
Ter
Time encode and response
How does the diffusion model explain the speed-accuracy tradeoff (SAT)?
SAT means people can improve accuracy by taking more time. The diffusion model accounts for this by adjusting boundary separation—wider boundaries lead to slower but more accurate decisions.
