$1 today or $10 next week? We tend to want things now -- whether it's receiving a prize or paying a fine. We discount future gains and losses too much, but it depends on how the decision is construed. For example, if the default is now (your iPod will ship today, or you can get a discount to ship it next week), we really want it now. If the default option is later (your iPod will ship next week, or you can pay extra to ship it today), we still want it now, but not quite as much. My research investigates what factors make us more or less patient for future outcomes. I am currently asking these basic questions in real-life applications, such as the decision to collect Social Security benefits earlier vs. later and decisions related to mortgage choice and payment.

In negotiations, different strategies fit different roles and different people. For example, in a negotiation about the price of a used car, a vigilant strategy emphasizing the reservation or walk-away price matches the buyer's goal of minimizing losses (paying as little as possible), whereas an eager strategy emphasizing the aspiration or ideal price matches the seller's goal of maximizing gains (making as much as possible). Negotiators who experience a fit between their strategy and role, strategy and personal orientation (i.e., regulatory focus), or role and personal orientation, feel better as they prepare for the negotiation and are more demanding.

Do individual differences (e.g., analytical vs. intuitive style, attitude toward risk, motivation, conscientiousness) matter? They are more likely to be predictive if they are (1) investigated systematically, (2) matched to the task (i.e., decision style measures & decision tasks), and (3) looked at in interaction with task features, situational factors, and/or other individual differences. The Decision Making Individual Differences Inventory (DMIDI), which catalogues and describes over 170 measures commonly used in judgment and decision-making research, is intended to assist researchers and practitioners in pursuing these aims.