Understanding the Impact of Language Modality on Decision Making

Project Summary:

This project aims to experimentally test how the use of spoken language, as opposed to written language, influences decision making. Research suggests that people tend to think more intuitively when presented with spoken problems and more analytically when presented with written problems. Both intuitive and analytical thinking are crucial for decision making, but little is known about how the modality of language influences decision making. Therefore, this project aims to generate new scientific insights into how language modality affects decision making. In addition, the team is interested in conducting the study in Cantonese as opposed to the typical use of English in Psychological research. The project is looking for students who are interested in learning how to do laboratory research, have a lot of initiative, and thrive on working with little direct supervision.

Main Learning Outcomes:
▪ Learning how to design and program randomized experiments.
▪ Learning how to design experimental materials.
▪ Learning how to manage recruitment of participants.
▪ Learning how to collect quantitative data.
▪ Learning how to clean, analyse and interpret quantitative data.

Deliverables:

a literature review or a data analysis report

Preferred discipline(s):

Social Sciences

Project Essential Skills:

Fluency in spoken and written English

Other Selection Criteria (if any):

▪ Some experience or interest in working experimentally.
▪ Some experience or interest in recruitment of participants.
▪ Some experience or interest in programming experiments using Qualtrics.
▪ Fluency in spoken and written Cantonese

Details of supervision arrangements:

Students are required to meet their project supervisors at least three times for progress update. The progress meetings are expected to conduct in person. For projects that are supervised by University of Chicago, the supervisors are either based in Hong Kong campus of University of Chicago or are planning to visit HK during the period of the research projects.