Degree Name
Master of Science
Department or Program
Psychology
Advisor
Jacobs, Eric A.
Abstract
Methods for using the Torque® game engine to test the predictions of three optimal foraging models of human behavior are proposed. Traditional tests of Charnov’s marginal value theorem, the diet breadth model and the effect of energy Budget manipulation on risky choice are translated into a virtual world programmable through Torque®. Use of immersive environments allows participants to interact with experimental conditions that bear a greater functional resemblance to extra-laboratory environments, thereby increasing the ecological validity of the research.
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