Obituary: Robyn Dawes / CMU professor, pioneer in behavioral decision research |
| Obituary: Robyn Dawes / CMU professor, pioneer in behavioral decision research Posted: 16 Dec 2010 09:55 PM PST July 23, 1936 - Dec. 14, 2010 Carnegie Mellon University psychology professor Robyn Dawes, a pioneer in the field of behavioral decision research, died Tuesday of complications from Parkinson's disease. He was 74. "In the field of psychology, Robyn was a giant," said John Lehoczky, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. "He was one of the pioneers in the field of behavioral decision research. This is a field that integrates psychology and economics and human emotions." John H. Miller, head of the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, agreed. "His work spanned economics, political science, psychology," Dr. Miller said. "This allowed us to grow in a variety of different directions. ... A lot of his work presaged what is going on now in the social sciences." Dr. Dawes' "presence allowed us to attract really great decision scientists," Dr. Miller added. "There were places elsewhere that had one great decision scientist. We always had several. Robyn was the seed of that whole thing." Baruch Fischhoff, Howard Heinz professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy at CMU, was one of the top-flight scientists attracted to the university by Dr. Dawes, Dr. Miller said. "He was quite self-effacing," Dr. Fischhoff said of Dr. Dawes. "Unless you really knew him, you didn't know the full scope of his accomplishments. He was a hero to me." Dr. Dawes was born in 1936 in Pittsburgh. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Harvard University in 1958, a master's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan in 1960, and a doctorate in mathematical psychology from Michigan in 1963. At CMU, Dr. Dawes was the Charles J. Queenan Jr. professor of psychology and also headed the department of social sciences. His father had been a professor at Carnegie Tech, predecessor to CMU. Dr. Dawes came in 1985 to CMU from the University of Oregon, where he taught psychology and also served as a department head. He retired in 2009. He and his wife lived in Oakland until October of this year, when they moved to Sebring, Ohio. Dr. Dawes earned a reputation as a myth buster. In his 1996 book, "House of Cards: Psychology and Psychotherapy built on Myth," he called out mental health professionals for ignoring empirical research in favor of techniques that do not hold up to scientific inquiry. Other books authored by Dr. Dawes are "Rational Choice in an Uncertain World," which he co-wrote with Reid Hastie and which won the William James Award in 1990; "Mathematical Psychology: An Elementary Introduction," one of the first textbooks on the topic; "The Fundamentals of Attitude Measurement"; and "Everyday Irrationality: How Pseudoscientists, Lunatics and the Rest of Us Fail to Think Rationally." Dr. Dawes also was an accomplished musician who composed solo piano pieces in a variety of classical styles. He was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002 and elected to a fellowship to the American Statistical Association in 2006. In 2005, the American Psychological Society honored his lifetime of scientific contributions with a festschrift, a collection of essays about his work written by colleagues from around the country. Dr. Dawes is survived by his wife, Mary Schafer; daughters Jennifer Dawes of Pittsburgh and Molly Meyers of Eugene, Ore.; and two grandchildren. A memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Jan. 29 at the First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Ave., Shadyside. Memorial contributions may be made to Transitional Services, 806 West St., Homestead, PA 15120. Jack Kelly: jkelly@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1476. First published on December 17, 2010 at 12:00 am This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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