Individual Differences in High-Stakes Security Decision-Making

This project examines why individuals with similar training, experience, procedures, and access to information can make different decisions in high-stakes security environments. Existing research has identified cognitive biases, stress, workload, expertise, and organizational factors as important influences on decision-making, but these factors do not fully explain variation between similarly situated individuals. The project will investigate the cognitive and human factors that may account for these differences, with particular attention to how individuals interpret information, verify automated or uncertain information, adapt under pressure, and recover from potential judgment errors. The research is expected to use a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis with qualitative interviews or decision-based case analysis. The broader goal is to develop a clearer explanation of individual differences in security decision-making that can contribute to research on human factors, cognitive security, and organizational resilience.