Robyn Dawes

Robyn Mason Dawes (July 23, 1936 – December 14, 2010) was an American psychologist who specialized in the field of human judgment. His research interests included human irrationality, human cooperation, intuitive expertise, and the United States AIDS policy. He co-wrote an early textbook on mathematical psychology (see below).

In 1985, Dawes joined the Department of Social and Decision Sciences (SDS) at Carnegie Mellon University where he served as Department Head for six years eventually becoming the Charles J. Queenan, Jr. University Professor of Psychology. He was a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Research Council's Committee on AIDS Research. In 2006, Dawes was elected a Fellow of the American Statistical Association "for creative research on statistics and rational decision-making, contributions to the application of cognitive psychology to survey research, and promotion of careful statistical thinking in psychology and behavioral research."

In 1990, he was awarded the William James Award by the American Psychological Association for the book Rational Choice in an Uncertain World (now in its 2nd Edition, which he co-wrote with Reid Hastie, see citation below).

Career
Dawes earned his B.A. in Philosophy at Harvard (1958) and his Master’s in Clinical Psychology (1960) at the University of Michigan before earning his Doctorate in Mathematical Psychology (1963) at the same institution. He held jobs at the University of Oregon, where he served as Department Head for five years, as well as the Oregon Research Institute.

He was a member of the American Psychological Association Ethics Committee

Books