2025 Applied Behavioral Science and Decision Making Conference

1 – 2 November 2025 | Hosted at Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, H.P., India

Supported by TATA Trusts

Big and small decisions mold our personal lives, affect business and organizations, and have far-reaching implications for society at large. We encourage thoughtful deliberations on decision-making and applied behavioral science, with an added emphasis on implications or applications in real-life settings, markets, naturalistic environments, and decisions that involve ecological factors, intention, or behavioral change. This conference is uniquely located as the preeminent Behavioral Science and Decision-Making conference of the global south inviting people to gather amidst the inspiring landscapes of the Himalayan foothills.

Venue: Turing Hall, A17-2A, North Campus, IIT Mandi, VPO Kamand, District Mandi, HP 175005

1st November

Registration: 9:00 – 9:50 am

10:00-11:00	Welcome session and lighting of the lamp  Opening comments:The Director, IIT MandiProf. Arnav Bhavsar, Chair, IKSMHA Centre, IIT MandiProf. Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, Chair, Centre for Human-Computer Interaction, IIT MandiProf. K V Uday, Chair, Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, IIT Mandi Welcome by Convener and Host: Dr. Varun DuttIntroduction by Co-Convenor: Dr. Sumitava Mukherjee
11:00-11:15                   Buffer/Tea/Coffee
Theme: Environment, Climate, and Sustainability
11:15-11:45	Talk by Convener, Prof. Varun Dutt: Psychology of Climate Decision-Making: Influence of Feedback, Probability, and Bias
11:45-12:10	Talk by Prof Venkata Kala Uday Disaster preparedness in the Himalayas
12:10-12:30	Talk 1 by Akanksha Singh: Simulating Climate Strategy: Behavioral Shifts in Farmer Investment under Uncertainty in the Western Himalayas(15 min + 5 min QA)
12:30-13:30	Invited talk by Prof. Kanchan Mukherjee (online)Field experiments in conservation (45 min talk + 15 min QA)
13:30- 14:30                 LUNCH
14:30-15:30	Flash talks session 1 (11 x 5 = 55 min)
15:30-16:25	Poster session 1  with Tea/Coffee (n=1 to 11) (see list below)
16:30-17:30	Invited talk by Prof. Shyam Sunder (online)Complexity, Risk, and Causality: Consequences for Decision Making (45 min talk + 15 min QA)
17:30-18:00	Applying Behavioral Science (Discussion)
18:00-18:15	End of Day 1Message from SJDM/EADM
19:30-21:30 Cultural interaction with DINNER and group photo (With compliments from Tata Trusts

2nd November

Theme: On-field Behavior and Decisions
10:00-10:20	Talk 2 by Dr. Puneet Arora : The Unequal Effects of Self-Promotion: Evidence from a  Field Experiment(15 min + 5 min QA)
10:20-10:40	Talk 3 by Rishav Singh: On-field Decision Making by Goalkeepers during Football Penalty Kicks: An Ecological Approach(15 min + 5 min QA)
10:40-11:40	Invited Talk by Prof. Marieke van VugtDrift diffusion models in the real world: the case of bicycle parking (45 min talk + 15 min QA)
11:40-11:55                  Buffer/Tea/Coffee
12:00-13:00	Invited talk by Dr. Gurpreet Kaur (online)The Cognitive Foundations of Critical Thinking: Strategies for Enhancement (45 min talk + 15 min QA)
13:00 to 14:00                 LUNCH
Theme: Emerging Technology
14:10-15:10	2025 Keynote by Prof. Meyer Using Algorithmic Decision Support in high-stakes domains: Models and empirical studies (45 min talk + 15 min QA)
15:10-15:30	Talk 4 by Pratishtha Gupta : Integration of Machine Learning Models for High-Risk Pregnancy Screening in Rural Primary  Healthcare (15 min + 5 min QA)
15:30-15:40                     Buffer Break
15:45-16:45	Flash talks session 2 (11 x 5 = 55 min)
16:45-17:40	Poster session 2  with Tea/Coffee (n=12 to 22) (See List below)
17:45-18:15	General Body Meeting: Looking Ahead to Next Year and Feedback All participants and attendees are to attend
18:15-18:30	Closing Session Closing comments by:Prof. Aditya Nigam, Chair, School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, IIT MandiCo-Convener: Dr. Sumitava MukherjeeCo-Convener and Host: Dr. Varun DuttVote of thanks

List of Posters: (Numbers are IDs only and do not mean any rank order)

DAY 1 (1 Nov 2025)
1	A Decision Tree for Ethical Leadership and Organizational Excellence: A Model Based on Bhagavad Texts	Ansul Agarwal
2	A Yogic Framework of Enhanced Judgment and Decision Making: Insights from Long-Term Yoga Practitioners	Nantu Shaw
3	Victim Support to Victim Empowerment: Psychological Interventions for a Just and Compassionate Bharat	Sonali Dahiya
4	AI-Driven Decision Making in The Context of Mental Health	Zaid Khan
5	Brain Fog, Decision-Making, and Triguna Personality among Females going through the Menopausal Transition Phase	Animesh Tomer
6	Cognitive Flexibility, Impulsivity and Decision-Making Efficiency Across Generations: A Factorial Approach	Japneet Kaur Sidana
7	Effort-Based Strategy Selection in Multi-Attribute Decision Making: When Bounded Rationality Predicts Optimal Behavior	Tapas Rath
8	From choices to collisions: The role of decision style and impulsivity in risky driving	Aastha Masand
9	Exploring Attentional Allocation in the Dictator Game: The Effects of Cognitive Load, Social Ties and Endowment	Anisha Mitra
10	Exploring Psychological and Social Framework towards Rapist Aggression through Gendered Attitudes – A Focus Group Discussion	Aanya
11	Exploring the process of suicidal decision-making among impoverished and migrant populations in India	Debopriya Nandy
DAY 2 (2 Nov 2025)
12	Freedom of Choice and Power Redistribution Improves Responder Welfare- Do They?	Adhiraj Chowdhury
13	Evaluating Situational Awareness Assessments and Their Interactions with Working Memory in Sportspersons	Aashi Gaba
14	From Prompts to Possibilities: Generative AI’s Role in Fostering Need for Cognition and Creativity in Young Adults	Jiya Singhal
15	Gender Differences in Decision-Making Performance A Comparative Study of Cognitive Strategies in Young Indian Adults	Sri Spoorthi Vattem
16	How Significant are superstitious beliefs for GEN-Z in making decisions in daily life?	Vedika Kapoor
17	Impact of sleep quality on attention span of college going students	Saanjh Sadhoo
18	Mediating Role of Decision Making Between Gender and Hostile Driving Behaviour	Amisha Verma
19	Moral Framing and Public Engagement: An Analysis of the Digital Public Discourse on Lok Sabha Elections 2024	Saumya Rastogi
20	Neuromarketing and Subliminal Strategies: Factors Influencing Consumer Behaviour	Ashlin James
21	Scale Construction for Ecological Empathy	Kanika Sethi
22	The Cognitive Pathways of Faith: Exploring the Mediating Role of Metacognition in Religiosity and Decision-Making	Tanisha Shukla

Contact and Organizers:

Convenor, Local host, Organizer: Prof. Varun Dutt

Co-Convenor: Prof. Sumitava Mukherjee

Email for queries and contact: decisionmakingconference@gmail.com

Venue: Indian Institute of Technology Mandi

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Speakers

2025 Keynote:

2025 Invited Talks

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ARCHIVE of the call

With both existing and emerging challenges on our agenda, behavioral science not only lies at the core of such an understanding but also can work towards their solutions. Thus, we aim to be a vibrant interdisciplinary community where scientists, practitioners, enthusiasts, and learners from different backgrounds / fields come together to exchange scientific knowledge, debate, and collaborate towards solutions that matter. With the vision to utilize behavioral science for the greater good, our discussions are targeted to align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to co-create a better world.

Topics in the following broad areas are welcome, along with other related ones: 

• Poverty and decision making under scarcity
• Food and water decisions, reducing hunger and minimizing wastage 
• Health-related decisions and Wellbeing, Mental health, Medical Decision Making, Happiness and good life
• Education and Learning, Judgments and decisions in the education sector
• Behavioral aspects of affordable, clean, and sustainable energy use
• Military decision making and defence systems
• Decision making in sports, physical activity, Embodied cognition
• Machine behavior, Decision making by Artificial intelligence, Algorithmic decision making
• Human-Machine interaction, Human-computer or Human-Robot decisions, Brain-Computer interfaces
• Organizational decision making and reduced decision bias / noise
• Consumer decision making and responsible consumption , (Neuro) Marketing 
• Financial decision making and savings behavior, Behavioral finance, Financial markets
• Sustainable behavior and lifestyle 
• Environmental decision making, Conservation, and climate-change related behavior
• Moral and Ethical decision making
• Arts and aesthetics, Neuroaesthetics 
• Insights from Indian Knowledge systems and frameworks about decision making
• Boosting and Nudging better / informed decision making
• Behavioral directions towards promoting Peace and strong institutions

Let us collaborate, bringing our combined experience and imagination to bear in addressing the world’s and our own challenges through applied behavioral science and decision-making. Please relate your work to atleast one SDG goal from the list below.

Who Should Attend?

We offer a warm welcome to academic, corporate, and other institutional participants from diverse professional backgrounds or those in search of new directions in behavioral science / decision research. Our conference lays strong stress on diversity—of thought, methodologies, disciplines, expertise, and experiences. We, therefore, invite scholars, practitioners, researchers, and enthusiasts from fields including but not limited to psychology, neuroscience, computer science, ecology, management, anthropology, economics, design, and humanities. We call for a wide range of methodological paradigms, including empirical research (experimental, survey, neuroscientific paradigms; qualitative and quantitative), computational modeling, theoretical research, case studies, or policy recommendations. We aim to create a dynamic atmosphere where there is free exchange of varied ideas, perceptions, and creative thinking that is not bounded by disciplinary or methodological paradigms.

ATTEND TO PRESENT YOUR WORK OR IDEA

Submission Guidelines

A. Papers for talks

Format: Extended abstract (up to 1000 words) but ideally a complete paper in APA format (4000-6000 words) .

Details: Clearly state research question, discuss at length the methods, include statistical or computational analysis (ideally with sample size rationale and effect sizes, where relevant), and include detailed conclusions and implications or applications for society/sustainable development goals/organizations. Full papers should make significant theoretical, empirical, computational, or practical contributions to behavioral science and decision making. These submissions are towards a volume to be published by a respectable publishing company as an edited book/proceedings volume.

B. Posters

Format: Abstract (up to 500 words).

Details: Submissions are solicited for work-in-progress, initial-stage research, or proposed research (to get early feedback). Provide a brief description of your research question(s), objectives, methodologies (proposed or executed), significant findings or anticipated outcomes, and practical implications or applicability.

C. Media submissions

Concise summaries of empirical/theoretical findings appropriate for visual presentation in form of a chart/drawing/depiction; out-of-box art presentation or models of behavioral insights / behavioral change / deisgn of graphic towards promoting better decisions or behavioral science for good.

How to submit?

Full Papers and Abstracts need to be submitted to the following:

Dates

Submission deadline: 30th September 2025 anywhere on earth

Submission deadline: 5th October 2025 anywhere on earth

Intimation of acceptance of Abstract/Full Paper: Rolling, but before 10th October 2025

Registration: Kindly complete it by 11:59 pm on 20th October 2025

HOW TO ATTEND WITHOUT SUBMITTING:

In line with our philosophy of promoting more dialogue, and encouraging more people to join in, we have been reserving some slots for people to attend without making a presentation. This is ideal for those who would like to hear speakers or poster presenters, network, and learn. Anyone can attend without presenting – students, practitioners, academicians, professionals, and enthusiasts. Please apply soon, as we have limited capacity. Such applicants are required to fill out the form below Expected time 2-5 min):

Application deadline: 30th September 2025 anywhere on earth. Incase you missed and you are deeply intersted, please email.

Registration: Kindly complete it by 11:59 pm on 20th October 2025

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Registration (Compulsory).

Registration can be made after receiving a decision or confirmation (for non-presenters) but latest by: 15th October 2025

Registration Fees: 

• Presenters:
  • INR 3000 for Indian participants holding a student ID as undergraduate and postgraduate students, INR 4000 for Indian participants holding a student ID as PhD students, and 6000 INR for Indian non-students including faculty/working professionals.
  • 50 USD for international participants holding a student ID and 100 USD for international non-students.
• Attendees:
  • 2000 INR for Indian participants
  • 50 USD for international participants

Registration includes work-lunch and tea/snacks on both days.

Accommodation: Limited on-campus accommodation may be available at IIT Mandi guest house on a payment basis. You are welcome to enquire.

Certificates of participation

All attendees will be given a certificate.

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