Baruch Fischhoff
Howard Heinz University Professor
I am a cognitive psychologist studying decision making in applied settings, typically involving risks to health, safety, wellbeing, national security, or the environment. My work is collaborative, with students, colleagues in other disciplines, and people who have a stake in the decision. When successful, our projects advance our understanding of decision-making processes and do some good in the world.
Current Activities
Writing
Bounded Disciplines and Unbounded Problems (Oxford University Press, 2025) proposes reorganizing the research enterprise to link disciplinary science with interdisciplinary applications.
Two reflections on historic research programs:
Fischhoff, B. (2025). Fifty years of hindsight bias research. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 51(2), 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0001232
Fischhoff, B. (2025). Heuristic assumptions. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty (special issue tribute to Daniel Kahneman), 70, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11166-024-09437-3
Three recent empirical studies
Dunning, R., Fischhoff, B., & Davis, A.L. (2024). When do humans heed AI agents’ advice? When should they? Human Factors. 66(7), 1914-1927.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231190459
Kenny, R., Fischhoff, B., Davis, A., & Canfield, C. (2024). Improving social bot detection through aid and training. Human Factors, 66(10), 2323-2344.
https://doi.org/10.1177/00187208231210145
Krishnamurti, T., White, G., Dewitt, B., Mosley, E., & Fischhoff, B. (2025). Public understanding of the risks and benefits of Mifepristone: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open. 2025 Feb 3;8(2):e2460236- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2829916
Student Research
Brissa Acevedo is studying dimensions of energy justice (Lia Patricio, co-advisor).
Sabrina Eaglesong Curtis is studying the impacts of climate change and management practices on Chinook Salmon in the Yukon Basin (Valerie Karplus, co-advisor).
Hanzelle Kleeman is studying community consultation processes in siting large solar arrays (Daniel Armanios, co-advisor).
Yujin Seo is studying how to communicate the direct and indirect emissions of different vehicle types (Nicholas Muller, co-advisor).
Ben Therrien is studying grower and consumer acceptance of nanotechnology in agriculture (Jerry Wang, co-advisor).
Reyhaneh Mohsenzadeh Yazd is studying how to explain residential energy storage systems (Lia Patricio, co-advisor).
Projects
Ice Preservation is an interdisciplinary group studying how to stabilize melting glaciers, looking for ways that are scientifically sound, technically feasible, and socially acceptable.
Harnessing Social Science to Achieve Timely, Durable, Equitable, and Resilient Energy Transition is a National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee supported by the Department of Energy and the Sloan Foundation.
I am also a member of the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Advisory Council, CDC Polio Containment Working Group, Pandefense Advisory, and two study groups worrying about the threat of nuclear war.