Dr. Rick Thomas

Biography

Rick Thomas is a Professor in the School of Psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Kansas State University in 2004. His research interests revolve around probability judgment, forecasting, hypothesis generation, and counterfactual reasoning, with a strong focus on memory applications within decision making. His work primarily involves the development of computational models in cognitive psychology and cognitive science. Thomas leads the Decision Processes Laboratory (DPL), which employs a variety of experimental methodologies—including behavioral research, eye-tracking, and EEG—in combination with advanced computational techniques such as statistical analysis, mathematical modeling, and neural networks, to explore phenomena related to decision making. His applied research addresses expertise study and measurement while concentrating on performance evaluation and the development of decision support tools. His specialization includes the creation of models that describe how individuals generate hypotheses to explain data patterns and their problem-solving processes within various disciplines, including medical diagnosis and criminal investigation. Thomas aims to enhance these models for use in decision support tools that aid diagnostic decision-making professionals and to improve the robustness of applications in artificial intelligence classification systems.

Research Interests