The Society for Judgment and Decision Making, or the SJDM, is an academic organization made up of many different disciplines. The aim of the organization is to study the “normative, descriptive, and prescriptive theories of judgments and decisions”. Many of the members of the SJDM are psychologists, but you will also find that there are economists, decision analysts, organizational researchers, and a host of other disciplines that make up the body of the SJDM. The Society holds an annual meeting each year where the members present their research and findings on a subject. In addition, the Society publishes a journal called Judgment and Decision Making.

Joining the SJDM

You will be able to join the SJDM easily, and you can do it online or offline. Once you join, you will receive a password so that you will be able to access the member portion of the website, which will give you more access to information and will allow you to change your personal information. Being a member of the SJDM will also provide you with access to the aforementioned journal as well as the ability to visit the annual meetings. You will receive a discount for the meeting registration when you are a member. Upcoming meetings are scheduled tentatively to be held in Minneapolis and Toronto.

In addition, you will have voting privileges for the election of officers, and discounted membership dues in the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the European Association for Decision Making (EADM). The SJDM also presents a number of different awards. Awards from the SJDM include the Hillel Einhorn New Investigator Award, the Student Poster Award, and the Beattie Scholarship.

When visiting the site of the SJDM, it’s possible to find a host of different information regarding judgment and decision making, and they have valuable links on their site that lead to great resources for research, teaching, decision analysis, blogs, and more. Most of these are available to the public to visit without the need to be a member.

Should a Forensic Psychologist Join the Society?

Forensic psychologists could learn quite a bit from the SJDM, and they will probably have quite a bit that they will be able to offer. Forensic psychologists are often dealing with those individuals in society that tend to make the bad decisions and that have poor judgment. The proximity to these individuals can provide some valuable insight and research. In addition, being a member is going to provide the psychologist with a network of other professionals that are working in the same field. They will be able to share information and thus learn more about how different things may affect a person’s judgment.

The topic is fascinating, and there is always going to be plenty to learn. Forensic psychologists should take some time to explore the SJDM site and learn about its history and all that it has to offer. Joining is simple, and it could be a great way to provide some fresh insight into the job.

Please visit http://www.sjdm.org/ for more information about The Society for Judgment and Decision Making (SJDM).