Controlling Uncertainty

One thing we can state with certainty is that we are surrounded by uncertainty. Yet in the midst of uncertainty, there are a host of complex realms where we are able to manage desirable outcomes: these include biological (personal fitness levels); economic (playing the stock market); ecological (growing crops); industrial (maintaining a nuclear power plant); mechanical (driving); and management (running a company). What is it about these particular domains that make them complex? And, more importantly, how do we make those decisions to ensure that we achieve the outcomes we desire? Controlling Uncertainty: Decision Making and Learning in Complex Worlds reviews and discusses the most current research relating to shaping our understanding of the ways we can control the uncertain world around us. The book presents an overview of precisely what it is that makes a situation uncertain by integrating key ideas from a variety of research disciplines - engineering, psychology, human factors, computer science, and neuroscience. Correspondingly, it also describes the behaviours and skills we develop to cope with challenging and demanding situations. Informed by the latest scholarship, Controlling Uncertainty offers illuminating insights into an exciting field of endeavor that is gaining in popularity just as our world grows ever more complex.