X-Flash #7 Aug 05

Riding a New Wave in Economics

How does the embodied brain enable the mind (or groups of minds) to make economic decisions?  By combining its large neuroscience group and brain imaging facilities with the experimental facilities of the Xlab, investigators can work toward building a biological model of decision-making in economic environments.  The Berkeley campus is poised to enter the exciting new research area of Neuro-Economics.  

The Xlab was well represented at the recent meetings of the Society for Neuroeconomics in South Carolina.  Julian Jamison (Xlab Research Director) presented an fMRI study of time preference, and several speakers mentioned the experience-weighted attraction model of Colin Camerer (incoming Society president) and Teck Ho (Haas faculty and former Xlab director).  For an overview, see Camerer’s article in the March 2005 issue of the Journal of Economic Literature.

Note that NIH plans to release a Request For Proposals on “Social Neuroscience” in October!

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Re$ource$ for Investigators

Expert Referral List

If you need help getting from the “experimental idea” stage to the actual experiment stage in your research, the Xlab has a referral list of experienced students who can be hired by investigators.  Send an email to our Research Director, Dr. Julian Jamison Jamison@haas.berkeley.edu  —he can help you assess your needs, and put you in contact with our “student experts.”  You then deal directly with the students.

Research Grants from the Xlab

are available to graduate students AND faculty for subject payments and research assistance.  Details are at Xlab Grants for Researchers  Applications are accepted at any time.

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For more information, check out the Xlab web site at xlab.berkeley.edu or contact us