To Do or Not To Do

If not properly tackled, by 2050, antibiotic resistance will cause more deaths than cancer. To slow antibiotic resistance down, we need to use antibiotics more thoughtfully. But why do people desire antibiotics when they are not clinically required? This talk will explain how such desires stem from diagnostic uncertainty, perceived risks and various cognitive biases, and discuss how these findings can be used to improve health communication and antibiotic use.

People make decisions all the time. Will you attend the talks this evening? How will you get here, where will you sit, and what will you drink at the bar? With people making so many decisions and in such a variety of situations and circumstances, how can psychologists pin down how decisions are made? In this talk, you will be introduced to some of the tricks of the trade that psychologists use to get to the psychological processes that underpin people’s decisions.