Andrew Howes

PhD projects

Andrew Howes's research interests are in adaptive cognition, looking at how people find new and better ways to achieve their goals. He studies the limits that social and cognitive mechanisms impose on adaptation. He is interested in questions such as how and why people seek and provide information, how they make personal healthcare decisions and how they choose to stay in touch with colleagues, friends and family. He is particularly interested in computational cognitive modelling.

Professor Howes's recent work has explored the implications of assuming that people are boundedly optimal decision makers for testing theories of cognition. He very much welcomes applications from potential doctoral researchers who have a background in computer science, psychology or a related discipline. Previous PhD projects have answered questions concerning how people search for information, the hierarchical structure of memory, the role of consumer reviews in purchasing decisions, and how people use a healthcare forum to support decision making.