UNI NOVA – Research Magazine of the University of Basel
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AlumniGlobal challenges and the coronavirus crisis.
Text: Pascale Baeriswyl / Pascale Baeriswyl studied law, history and French literature and linguistics at the University of Basel. Today she is an ambassador to the UN in New York.
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ColumnBolaño’s The Savage Detectives: An unflinching, urgent narrative.
Text: Moisés Mayordomo / My book: The theologian Prof. Dr. Moisés Mayordomo recommends the 1998 published novel "Los detectives salvajes" by the Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño.
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Dossier“Different people make different decisions.”
Interview: Christoph Dieffenbacher / Research into human decision-making brings together the fields of psychology and economics. One of the first researchers to study this topic intensively at the University of Basel is Professor Jörg Rieskamp.
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DossierHow our memory can trick us.
Text: Martin Hicklin / When we have to make a choice, we often select the options that trigger the strongest memories. One reason for this is that weak memories tend to make us feel uncertain.
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Dossier
How tossing coins can help.
Text: David Herrmann / When faced with a difficult decision, flipping a coin can make things easier. You’re under no obligation to do as it says, but it could trigger feelings and thought processes.
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Dossier“Risk can be positive, too.”
Interview: Andreas W. Schmid / What determines our willingness to take risks? Cognitive psychologist Jana Jarecki tackles this question in her research at the University of Basel. Her studies show that risk is generally not an end in itself, but rather a means to the end of satisfying certain needs.
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DossierHow we make decisions.
Which is the best option to choose? Should I take a risk in doing so or rather avoid it? We make decisions throughout our lives – yet only few of these are made consciously.
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DossierIf children held the purse strings.
Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / Investments are not always made in an entirely rational manner. However, an experiment by an economist at the University of Basel shows that children already have the capacity to evaluate simple probabilities.
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DossierOnce a risk-taker, always a risk-taker.
Text: Christoph Dieffenbacher / It is well known that some people are more inclined to engage in hazardous or risky behavior than others. Individual attitudes in this regard, however, seem to follow a clear pattern over the course of a lifetime – in a similar manner to intelligence. Psychologists in Basel are investigating how people’s attitudes to risk are formed.
