Being a decision scientist is like being the detective Sherlock Holmes. Each day I get to look for clues, but not fingerprints or evidence of a crime. I get to look at the things people do and examine the decisions they make to get them there.
Every day we make decisions, like what to wear to school, what to eat for breakfast, do homework or not and while these decisions are made by others while we are young, we learn to make them by ourselves as we grow up. Some decisions we make are guided by the laws and rules that our teachers, leaders and governments make. But some are guided by the people we hang out with, our friends and other kids at school. While most decisions don’t really matter, like Coke or Pepsi, some decisions can really make a difference to our life and others around us.
This year I am looking at people’s decision making through my studies in psychological science and one day I hope to become a psychologist. Psychologists like to help people when they have a problem, they listen to them and help them work out what to do. In my studies I have learnt a lot about the brain, how it works, how it can go wrong and how we can help it work better. I have also learnt a lot about how the brain helps us make decisions and how we are influenced by the people and advertising around us. In the future I hope to be able to use what I have learnt to be able to help people make good decisions.
