PROFILE

CLAIM TO FAME: The Lincoln Filene Professor of Psychology is a former department chair and social sciences dean who was dubbed by some faculty members "The Haiku Dean" in recognition of his terse e-mails. Wolford has written at much greater length on the psychology of decision-making. "I'm known in different places for different things," he says. "A lot of people seek out my statistical abilities."

EDUCATION: The Butler, Pennsylvania, native, 63, has a 1965 B.A. in mathematics and psychology from Pennsylvania State University and a 1969 Ph.D. in mathematical psychology from Stanford University.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE: "The older I get the more I enjoy teaching," says Wolford, a 38-year faculty veteran. He developed and teaches "The Psychology of Decision Making" to undergraduates. He also teaches a multiple course sequence in statistics to graduate students.

EXPLAINING UNCERTAINTY: Wolfords background in mathematical psychology trained him to develop mathematical theories to explain human behavior. His interests now lie in cognitive psychology. "Decision-making has a lot to do with uncertainty," he says. "I became very interested in this when I realized how difficult it was to teach students probability theory." Wolfords current work inspects how choice influences behavior. He staged a recent experiment in the hallway between Berry and Baker libraries: Students were asked to rate pens for future purchase by the psychology department and, after rating the pens, were told they could purchase the pens at reduced cost. "We gradually increased the number of pens presented from two to 20, and found that the number of pens purchased increased initially and then dropped off. Research shows that difficulties occur when there are too many choices, impacting such far-reaching activities as retirement investing."

THOUGHTS ON DARTMOUTH: "Ours was the first academic department in the world to have its own brain imaging center," says Wolford, the center director. "We maybe the only place where undergrads can do their own imaging. It's a priority in our department." A concern? "So many of these students who are wonderful in the lab end up going to professional schools or into business, not into academic graduate programs."

FAVORITE STORY: While he was social sciences dean Wolford was charged with meeting the president of a Japanese university at Lebanon (New Hampshire) Airport. After learning that trading business cards is customary upon introduction with Japanese officials, the College rush-ordered him a supply of expensive cards, unusual for professors. "I had no idea what to do with the rest of them once I gave one to the Japanese president, " says Wolford. "About a week later I was in Filene s Basement. As I approached the sales counter with a suit I liked, I remembered the cards and gave one to the clerk. I told him I was the Filene professor and understood I was entitled to a 10 percent discount at any Filene's store. He studied my card for a long time and said, 'This is odd, you're the third one today.' I was one-upped by the clerk—so much for my discount!"

OFF-CAMPUS: Wolford recently moved from Lyme to New London, New Hampshire, with wife Phyllis, a retired Lebanon elementary school teacher. Father to three adult daughters, his leisure activities include "pretty serious" bridge, woodworking, skiing and road biking. Last year he completed the biking arm of a triathlon on a departmental team with professor Bill Kelley and a grad student.