David G. Rand

Who is David G. Rand?

David G. Rand is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Economics, Cognitive Science and Management at Yale University and director of Yale University's Human Cooperation Laboratory. His work combines empirical observations from behavioral experiments with predictions generated by evolutionary game theoretic math models and computer simulations. He asks what prosocial and antisocial decisions people will make in particular situations and social environments; the cognitive mechanisms that determine how these decisions are actually made; and the ultimate explanations for why our decision-making processes have come to function as they do. He draws on methodologies from psychology, economics and evolutionary biology, and is interested in applications including law, management and public policy. His work on promoting human cooperation has been featured on the front covers of both Nature and Science and reported widely in the media.