Gary A. Klein

Who is Gary A. Klein?

Gary Klein is a research psychologist famous for pioneering in the field of naturalistic decision making. By studying experts such as firefighters in their natural environment, he discovered that laboratory models of decision making could not describe it under uncertainty. His recognition primed decision model has influenced changes in the ways the Marines and Army train their officers to make decisions.

Klein received his B.A. in Psychology from City College of New York and his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. He listed his main influences as Hubert Dreyfus, Adriaan de Groot, and Karl Duncker in an October 2013 interview with Bob Morris.

Since 2009, Klein has been a Senior Scientist at MacroCognition LLC.

He spent the first phase of his career in academia as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Oakland University. He also spent a few years as Associate Professor of Psychology at Wilberforce University in Ohio.

The second phase was spent working for the government as a research psychologist for the U.S. Air Force.