Role of social and individual goals, context and self-regulatory processes in negotiations and social dilemma.

My research explores the impact of social affiliation on game-theoretic decisions and negotiations.  In the area of game theory, it explores the deviations from predicted rational economic behavior due to social affiliation.  Specifically, I study how being connected (both positively and negatively) with another impacts one's mental models during the decision-making process thus changing both the way payoffs are evaluated and actual decision are made.

In the area of negotiations, it attempts to answer the following questions: Does the psychological state, including sense of power, of a negotiator vary with social affiliation? How does being connected to others impact one's strategic choices during a negotiation? Does social affiliation also impact final outcome in a negotiation? Do various sources of social affiliation impact negotiations similarly?