Zhao Xinyi

Zhao Xinyi serves as a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany, within the Center for Adaptive Rationality. Her position places her at the forefront of interdisciplinary research examining human decision-making processes under the institute's Behavioral Science framework.

Her research focuses on adaptive rationality and cognitive heuristics, investigating how humans employ simple decision strategies in complex environments. Key interests include bounded rationality models, ecological rationality of fast-and-frugal heuristics, and the intersection of cognitive psychology with behavioral economics. Her work explores how environmental structures shape effective decision-making mechanisms across diverse real-world contexts.

The Center for Adaptive Rationality, where she conducts research, operates as a dedicated unit within the institute's Harding Center for Risk Literacy. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ralph Hertwig, the center employs experimental, computational, and field-based methodologies to decode principles of adaptive behavior. Current projects examine decision architectures in health, finance, and environmental domains through interdisciplinary collaboration.