Amos Tversky

Professional Psychology: Debating Chamber · Psychology Journals · Psychologists

Amos Tversky (March 16, 1937 - June 2, 1996) was a pioneer of cognitive science, a longtime collaborator of Daniel Kahneman, and a key figure in the discovery of systematic human cognitive bias and handling of risk. With Kahneman, he originated prospect theory to explain irrational human economic choices. He received his doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1965, and later taught at the Hebrew University,Jerusalem, before moving to Stanford University. In 1984 he was a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship.

Amos Tversky was married to Barbara Tversky, presently a professor in the human development department at Teachers College, Columbia University.

He also collaborated with Thomas Gilovich, Paul Slovic and Richard Thaler in several key papers.

Publications[]

Tversky, A. and Kahnemann, D. (1973) Availability: a heuristic for judging frequency and probability, Cognitive Psychology 5: 207-32.
Tversky, A. and Kahnemann, 1). (1974) Judgement under uncertainty: heuristics and biases, Science 185; 1124-31.
Tversky, A. and Kahnemann, D. (1981) The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice, Science 211: 453-8.
Tversky, A. (1972). Elimination by aspects: A theory of choice. Psychological Review, 79(4), 281-299.

Stanford Faculty Senate Memorial Resolution (PDF)
Boston Globe: The man who wasn't there
Daniel Kahneman's autobiography for the Nobel Prize webpage contains a rich account of Tversky's personal and professional qualities and a eulogy, starting with the section "Collaboration with Amos Tversky." The work for which Kahneman received the Nobel Prize he did in collaboration with Tversky, who would have no doubt shared in the prize had he yet been alive. Daniel Kahneman – Autobiography

Tversky, Amos