Bernd Figner Research Scientist. Center for the Decision Sciences. Columbia University. HomepageResearchPapers and PublicationsVitaContact Information
  1. •Peer-reviewed publications

  8. Figner, B., Weber, E. U., Steffener, J., Krosch, A. R., Wager, T. D., & Johnson, E. J. (submitted). Framing the future first: Brain mechanisms of enhanced patience in intertemporal choice.

  9. Preuss, N., Hasler, G., Figner, B., & Mast, F. W. (submitted). The effect of caloric-vestibular stimulation on risky decision making.

  10. van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., Figner, B., Weeda, W. D., Jansen, B. R. J., Van der Molen, M. W., & Huizenga, H. M. (submitted). Neural mechanisms underlying compensatory and non-compensatory strategies in risky choice.

  1. Figner, B., & Schaub, S. (under revision). Development of adaptive risky decision making: Risk sensitivity in judgment and choice.

  2. Konnikova, M., Figner, B., Mischel, W., & Weber, E. U. (under revision). When self-control hurts: Financial risk-taking, stress, and illusory control.
  1. Panno, A., Lauriola, M., & Figner, B. (in press). Emotion regulation and risk taking: Predicting risky choice in deliberative decision making. Cognition and Emotion. DOI:10.1080/02699931.2012.707642.
  1. Gianotti, L. R. R.*, Figner, B.*, Ebstein, R. P., & Knoch, D. (2012). Why some people discount more than others: Baseline activation in the lateral PFC mediates the link between COMT genotype and impatient choice. Frontiers in Decision Neuroscience, 6, Article 54. [*shared first authorship] Frontiers Download pdf
  1. Krosch, A. R., Figner, B., & Weber, E. U. (2012). Choice processes and their consequences in morally conflicting decisions. Judgment and Decision Making, 7, 224-234. Download pdf from JDM

  1. Steinglass, J., Figner, B., Berkowitz, S., Weber, E. U., & Walsh, B. T. (2012). Increased capacity to delay reward in anorexia nervosa. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 18, 1-8. Download pdf

  1. Gladwin, T. E., Figner, B., Crone, E. A. M., & Wiers, R. W. (2011). Addiction, adolescence, and the integration of motivation and control. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 1, 364-376. DOI:10.1016/j.dcn.2011.06.008 Download corrected proof
  1. Figner, B., & Weber, E. U. (2011). Who takes risk when and why? Determinants of risk-taking. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 211-216. APS Press Release DOI:10.1177/0963721411415790

  4. Figner, B., Knoch, D., Johnson, E. J., Krosch, A. R., Lisanby, S. H., Fehr, E., & Weber, E. U. (2010). Lateral prefrontal cortex and self-control in intertemporal choice. Nature Neuroscience, 13, 538-539. Download pdf here Comment by Joe Kable in Nature Neuroscience here; Jonah Lehrer coverage here; Science Daily coverage here

  5. Figner, B., Mackinlay, R. J., Wilkening, F., & Weber, E. U. (2009). Affective and deliberative processes in risky choice: Age differences in risk taking in the Columbia Card Task. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 35, 709-730. Download pdf

  7. Eich, D., & Figner, B. (2005). Having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and substance use disorder: A review of the literature. In R. Stohler & W. Rössler (Eds.). Special Issue: Dual diagnosis. The evolving conceptual framework. Bibliotheca Psychiatrica, 172, 92-104. Download pdf

  8. Waldvogel, D., Figner, B., & Eich, D. (2005). Illicit methadone injecting during methadone maintenance treatment in a specialised out-patient clinic. Swiss Medicine Weekly, 135, 644-646.

  10. Figner, B., & Voelki, N. (2004). Risky decision making in a computer card game: An information integration experiment. Polish Psychological Bulletin, 35, 135-139. Download pdf

  11. Caflisch, C., Figner, B., & Eich, D. (2003). Biperiden for excessive sweating from methadone. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 386-387. Download pdf

  12. Gnam, G., Figner, B., & Eich, D. (2002). Patient satisfaction in a Zurich drop-in clinic, an outpatient site for treatment of dependency diseases. Schweizer Archiv für Neurologie und Psychiatrie, 153, 289-291.


  1. •Selected manuscripts and projects under development

  2. Figner, B., Jansen, B. R. J., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K, Westfall, J. E., & Huizenga, H. M. Individual differences in lexicographic risky-choice strategies in children: A mouselabweb experiment.

  1. Figner, B., Kim, C., Galvan, A., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., & Weber, E. U. Mini-DOSPERT: Children and adolescent versions of the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking scale.
  1. Figner, B., Kotabe, H., Hardisty, D. J., & Weber, E. U. Risk taking, self-control, and learning in the cold and hot Columbia Card Task in youths and adults.

  1. Figner, B., Murphy, R. O., & Weber, E. U. Affective versus deliberative processes in risk taking: The role of cognitive control in risky decision making in adolescents and adults.

  1. Figner, B., Pedroni, A., et al. Prospect theory parameter estimation in dynamic risky choice: A parameter recovery and validation study with the Columbia Card Task.

  2. Figner, B., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., & Huizenga, H. M. 'Heating-up' versus 'cooling-down' in children's, adolescents', and adults' risky choice.

  4. Figner, B., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., Huizenga, H. M., Somerville, L. H., Weeda, W. D., Delgado, M., Casey, B. J., & Weber, E. U. Neural processes in dynamic risky choice in children, adolescents, and adults.
  8. Figner, B., Weller, J., Denburg, N., & Lewin, I. Affect-based and deliberative risky decision making and executive functions in old adults.

  17. Huizenga, H. M., van Duijvenvoorde, A., Figner, B.,  Jansen, B. J. Development of framing effects: A finite binomial mixture analysis.

  1. Panno, A., Lauriola, M., & Figner, B. Emotion regulation and risk taking: Expressive suppression moderates the impact of negative focus during outcome elaboration on dynamic risky choice.


  11. •Selected peer-reviewed book chapters and proceedings
  1. Figner, B., & Weber, E. U. (submitted). Personality and risk-taking. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed.).

  1. Di Rago, V., Panno, A., Lauriola, M., & Figner, B. (2012). All negative affects are not equal: Anxiety but not depression predicts risk-taking in behavioral tasks, Psychology & Health, 27:sup1, 195.

  2. Figner, B., & Murphy, R. O. (2011). Using skin conductance in judgment and decision making research. In M. Schulte-Mecklenbeck, A. Kuehberger, & R. Ranyard (Eds.), A handbook of process tracing methods for decision research (pp. 163-184). New York, NY: Psychology Press. Download pdf here
  1. Figner, B., & Murphy, R. O. (2008). Affect and deliberation: The role of cognitive control in risk taking behavior in children, adolescents, and adults. In K. Gilhooly, V. Girotto, D. Green, P. Legrenzi, & W. Schaeken (Eds). Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Thinking.

  1. Rauch, J., Rapp, A. F., & Figner, B. (2005). Context and complexity in risky decision making: A risk-sensitive foraging theory experiment. [Kontext und Komplexität beim riskanten Entscheiden: Ein Experiment zur Risk-Sensitive Foraging Theory]. In K. W. Lange, K.-H. Bäuml, M. W. Greenlee, M. Hammerl, & A. Zimmer (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie: Beiträge zur 47. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

  2. Stucki, L. & Figner, B. (2005). Information integration in risk perception concerning HIV infection: A comparison of Sweden and Switzerland. In K. W. Lange, K.-H. Bäuml, M. W. Greenlee, M. Hammerl, & A. Zimmer (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie: Beiträge zur 47. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

  3. Figner, B., Caflisch, C., & Eich, D. (2004). Methadone maintenance treatment: The patients' view. Suchtmedizin in Forschung und Praxis, 6, 142.

  4. Figner, B. & Völki, N. (2004). Information integration in risky decision making from early to late adulthood. [Informationsintegration beim Umgang mit Risiko: Ein Experiment mit Personen vom frühen bis zum hohen Erwachsenenalter]. In D. Kerzel, V. Franz, & K. Gegenfurtner (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie. Beiträge zur 46. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

  1. Neuhauser, J. & Figner, B. (2004). The smart farmer: A risk-sensitive foraging theory experiment. [Der schlaue Bauer: Ein Experiment zur Risk-Sensitive Foraging Theory]. In D. Kerzel, V. Franz, & K. Gegenfurtner (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie. Beiträge zur 46. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

  1. Figner, B. & Neuhauser, J. (2003). When to choose risk? A risk-sensitive foraging theory experiment. [Wann wie riskant entscheiden? Experimente zur Risk-Sensitive Foraging Theory.] In J. Golz, F. Faul, & R. Mausfeld (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie. Abstracts der 45. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

  2. Högger, E. & Figner, B. (2003). Illusions of control and risk taking: Behavior versus self-assessment. [Zum Zusammenhang von Kontrollillusion und Risikobereitschaft: Verhalten versus Selbstbeurteilung]. In J. Golz, F. Faul, & R. Mausfeld (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie. Abstracts der 45. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

  1. Figner, B. (2002). Risk, information integration, and motivation [Risiko, Informationsintegration und Motivation]. In M. Baumann, A. Keinath, & J. F. Krems (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie. Abstracts der 44. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Regensburg: Roderer.

  1. Figner, B. & Rapp, A. F. (2002). Information integration in the risk-sensitive foraging theory [Informationsintegration bei der Risk-Sensitive Foraging Theory]. In E. van der Meer, H. Hagendorf, R. Beyer, F. Krüger, A. Nuthmann, & S. Schulz (Eds.), 43. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie. Lengerich: Pabst.

  2. Schneider, M. E. & Figner, B. (2002) Motives, personality, and academic achievment [Motive, Persönlichkeit und Studienleistungen]. In E. van der Meer, H. Hagendorf, R. Beyer, F. Krüger, A. Nuthmann, & S. Schulz (Eds.), 43. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie. Lengerich: Pabst.

  1. Schneider, M. E. & Figner, B. (2002). Motivational correlates of academic achievement. In D. A. Leontiev (Ed.), 8th International Conference on Motivation (Workshop on Achievement and Task Motivation). Moscow.

  1. Schneider, M. E., Job, V., & Figner, B. (2002). Motivational assessment using the implicit association test (IAT) [Motivmessung mit dem Impliziten Assoziationstest (IAT)]. In M. Baumann, A. Keinath, & J. F. Krems (Eds.), Experimentelle Psychologie. Abstracts der 44. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen. Lengerich: Pabst.

    2.  


  2. •Selected peer-reviewed presentations at scientific meetings
  2. Foerde, K., Figner, B., Braun, E. K., Weber, E. U., & Shohamy, D. (2012). The role of striatal dopamine in risk-taking and temporal discounting: Evidence from Parkinson's disease. Poster presented at the Meeting of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Key Biscayne, USA.

  3. van Overveld, M., Mehta, P., Smidts, A., Figner, B., & Lins, J. T. (2012). Paying attention to emotions pays off: Emotion regulation training improves financial decision-making. Paper presented at the 2012 NeuroPsychoEconomics Conference, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

  4. Figner, B., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., & Huizenga, H. M. (2012). 'Heating-up' versus 'cooling-down' in children's, adolescents', and adults' risky choice. Paper presented as part of the symposium The impact of affect on decision processes at TeaP 2012 (Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen), Mannheim, Germany.

  5. Mehta, P., van Overveld, M., Smidts, A., & Figner, B. (2012). From main street to wall street: The benefits of mindfulness training for regulating emotions during decision-making. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, USA.

  1. Figner, B., van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., & Huizenga, H. M. (2011). 'Heating up' versus 'cooling down' in children's, adolescents', and adults' risky choice. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Seattle, USA.

  3. van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K., Weeda, W. D., Figner, B., Jansen, B. R. J., Van der Molen, M. W., & Huizenga, H. M. (2011). Neural mechanisms of compensatory versus simplifying risky-choice strategies. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Evanston, USA.
  2. Figner, B., Huizenga, H. M., & van Duijvenvoorde, A. C. K. (2011). 'Heating up' versus 'cooling down' in children's and adolescents' risky choice. Paper presented at the 23rd Biannual Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, London, UK.

  1. Figner, B., Weber, E. U., Steffener, J., Krosch, A. R., Lai, G., Wager, T. D. & Johnson, E. J. (2010). Asymmetries in intertemporal choice: Neural systems and the directional evaluation of immediate versus future rewards. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, St. Louis, USA.

  2. Konnikova, M., Figner, B., Mischel, W., & Weber, E. U. (2010). When self-control hurts: Financial risk-taking, stress, and illusory control. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, St. Louis, USA.

  3. Figner, B., Knoch, D., Johnson, E. J., Krosch, A. R., Lisanby, S. H., Fehr, E., & Weber, E. U. (2010). Lateral prefrontal cortex and self-control in intertemporal choice. Paper presented at the Behavioral Decision Research in Management Conference, Pittsburgh, USA.

  4. Figner, B., Knoch, D., Johnson, E. J., Krosch, A. R., Lisanby, S. H., Fehr, E., & Weber, E. U. (2009). The neural basis of intertemporal choice: Single vs. dual valuation accounts and the role of self-control. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Evanston, USA.

  5. Figner, B., Knoch, D., Johnson, E. J., Krosch, A. R., Lisanby, S. H., Fehr, E., & Weber, E. U. (2009). The neural basis of intertemporal choice: An rTMS study. Paper presented at the 22nd Biannual Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, Rovereto, Italy.

  6. Figner, B., & Murphy, R. O. (2009). Skin conductance as a tool for insight into decision making. Invited paper presented at the 22nd Biannual Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, as part of the symposium Process tracing methods: Comparisons and empirical results, Rovereto, Italy.

  7. Figner, B., Mackinlay, R. J., Wilkening, F., & Weber, E. U. (2009). Risky choice in children, adolescents, and adults: Affective versus deliberative processes and the role of executive functions. Invited paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development as part of the symposium Development of decision-making competence: Behavioral and neuropsychological evidence, Denver, CO, USA.

  8. Figner, B., & Schaub, S. (2008). Development of adaptive risky decision making: Risk sensitivity in judgment and choice. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Chicago, USA.

  9. Krosch, A. R., Figner, B., & Weber, E. U. (2008). Predicting choice and conflict in morally challenging decisions: The role of option characteristics and competing decision modes. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Chicago, USA.

  10. Figner, B., Johnson, E. J., Lai, G., Krosch, A. R., Steffener, J., & Weber, E. U. (2008). Asymmetries in intertemporal discounting. Neural systems and the directional evaluation of immediate vs future rewards. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Neuroeconomics, Park City, USA.

  11. Figner, B., & Murphy, R. O. (2008). Affect and deliberation: The role of cognitive control in risk taking behavior in children, adolescents, and adults. Paper presented at the International Conference on Thinking, Venice, Italy.

  12. Figner, B., Murphy, R. O., & Weber, E. U. (2007). Affective versus deliberative processes in risk taking. The role of cognitive control in risky decision making in younger and older adults. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Long Beach, CA, USA.

  13. Figner, B., Murphy, R. O., & Weber, E. U. (2007). Affective versus deliberative processing in younger and older adults' risk taking: The role of cognitive control. Paper presented at the 21st Biannual Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, Warsaw, Poland.

  14. Figner, B., Mackinlay, R. J., Wilkening, F., Murphy, R. O., & Weber, E. U. (2007). Affective and deliberative processes in risky decision making: Accounting for age and gender differences in risk taking. Paper presented at the Cognition and Emotion in Economic Decision Making workshop, Rovereto, Italy.

  15. Murphy, R. O., Figner, B., & Weber, E. U. (2007). Physiological measures (fMRI and galvanic skin response) in risky decision-making research. Invited paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management as part of the symposium Integrating Physiological Measures and Outcomes into the Organizational Toolkit, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

  16. Figner, B., Mackinlay, R. J., Wilkening, F., Murphy, R. O., & Weber, E. U. (2006). Hot and cold cognition in risky decision making: Accounting for age and gender differences in risk taking. Paper presented at the Meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Houston, TX, USA.

  17. Mackinlay, R. J., Figner, B., & Wilkening, F. (2006).To play or not to play: Hot and cold executive functions in adolescent and adult risky decision making. Paper presented at the Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society, Zurich, Switzerland.

  18. Figner, B. (2005). Age and gender differences in hot and cold risky decision making. Paper presented at the 20th Biannual Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, Stockholm, Sweden.

  19. Figner, B. (2003). Information integration and motivation in risk taking. Paper presented at the 19. Biannual Conference on Subjective Probability, Utility and Decision Making, Zurich, Switzerland.

  20. Figner, B., & Rapp, A. F. (2003). Risk taking in children: Who puts all one's eggs in one basket? Poster presented at the 70th Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa, FL, USA.

  21. Figner, B. (2002). Risk, information integration and motivation. Invited talk at the symposium Probabilistic Judgments at the 44. Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen (TeaP), Chemnitz, Germany.

  22. Figner, B. (2001). Motivational and cognitive aspects of risk taking. Paper presented at the 21. Motivationspsychologisches Kolloquium (MPK), Zurich, Switzerland.

 

  1. • •Invited presentations

  15. Consumer Behavior Group, ETH Zurich, November 2012, Who takes risks when, why, and how? Psychological and neural mechanisms underlying individual and age differences in affective versus deliberative risky decisions.

  16. Department of Psychology, University of Basel, Zurich, November 2012, Who takes risks when, why, and how? Psychological and neural mechanisms underlying individual and age differences in affective versus deliberative risky decisions.

  1. Cognitive Science Center, University of Amsterdam, May 2012, Dynamic risky choice: Risk-return tradeoffs in children, adolescents, and adults.

  2. "Expert Meeting — Aversive Emotional Processes and Decision Making" of the Cognitive Science Center, Research Priority Program Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, May 2012, Aversive emotional processes in risky choice in children, adolescents, and adults.

  1. Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, March 2012, Risky and intertemporal decision making: Affective and deliberative processes, self-control, and brain development.

  2. Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, December 2011, Affective and deliberative processes in risky choice in children, adolescents, and adults.

  3. Leiden University, Leiden, November 2011, 'Heating-up' versus 'cooling-down' in children's, adolescents', and adults' risky choice.

  1. Cognitive Neuroscience Seminar, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, November 2011, Self-control, temptation, and preference construction in intertemporal choice: Psychological and neural processes in temporal discounting.

  2. Biennial Urie Bronfenbrenner Conference on "The Neuroscience of Risky Decision Making," Cornell University, Ithaca, September 2011, Some tools and concepts - A JDM perspective.

  3. Cognitive Science Center, University of Amsterdam, July 2011, Self-control, temptation, and preference construction in intertemporal choice: Psychological and neural processes in temporal discounting.

  1. Center for the Study of Brain, Mind, and Behavior, Princeton University, May 2011, Self-control, temptation, and preference construction in intertemporal choice: Psychological and neural processes in temporal discounting.

  2. Department of Psychology, Developmental Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, April 2011, Impulsive risky and intertemporal decisions: Affect, self-control, and brain development.

  3. Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, April 2011, Self-control, temptation, and preference construction in intertemporal choice: Psychological and neural processes and developmental insights in temporal discounting.

  4. Department of Psychology, Rita Vuyk Lecture in Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, January 2011, Affect, deliberation, and self-control in risky and intertemporal choice: The developing, the stimulated, and the imaged brain.

  5. Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, March 2010, Lateral prefrontal cortex and self-control in intertemporal choice.

  6. Behavioral Economics and Decision Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, February 2010, Neuroeconomics of intertemporal choice.

  7. Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, February 2010, Affective and deliberative processes in risky choice in children, adolescents, and adults.

  8. Division of Brain Stimulation and Therapeutic Modulation, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, June 2009, The neural basis of intertemporal choice: Single vs. dual valuation accounts and the role of self-control.

  9. Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, March 2009, Asymmetries in intertemporal discounting: Neural systems and the directional evaluation of immediate vs. future rewards.

  10. Decision Imaging Collaboration, Columbia University, New York, March 2009, Risky decision making in children, adolescents, and adults.

  11. Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, February 2008, Affective and deliberative processes in risky choice. Accounting for age differences in risk taking.

  12. Bergen Laboratory for the Study of Decision, Intuition, Consciousness, and Emotion, University of Bergen, Bergen, August 2007, Affective versus deliberative processing in risk taking: The role of cognitive control in risky decision making from adolescence to adulthood.

  13. Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, March 2007, Hot and cold cognition and executive functions in risky decision making: Accounting for age and gender differences in risk taking.

  14.  

  15.  

  16. •In the popular press

    Bernd Figner's work has been covered in the international and national press, including the U.S.A., Switzerland, Canada, UK, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, India, Pakistan, Italy, and Belgium, as well as in blogs and other outlets such as Jonah Lehrer's "The Frontal Cortex" blog, Science News, Psych Central, Yahoo News, United Press International, U.S. News, and Science Daily.