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Gary Klein (born February 5, 1944 in New York, NY) is a research psychologist famous for his work in pioneering the field of naturalistic decision making. By studying experts such as firefighters in their natural environment, he discovered that laboratory models of decision making couldn’t describe decision-making under uncertainty. His Recognition Primed Decision (RPD) model has influenced changes in the ways the Marines and Army train their officers to make decisions. He has also developed methods such as Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) to gather data in complex domains.

Klein received his B.A. in Psychology from City College of New York (1964) and his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh (1969). Klein spent several years as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, and worked as a Research Psychologist for the Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from 1974–1978. He spent a few years as Assistant Professor of Psychology at Wilberforce University in Ohio. He founded Klein Associates in 1978 in order to study a range of topics that are now described as the Naturalistic Decision Making framework. Klein eventually left Wilberforce to focus on his company and its research. Klein sold his company in 2005 to Applied Research Associates but remains Chief Scientist at Klein Associates in Fairborn, Ohio.

Gary Klein lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio with his wife, Helen.

• Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions, by Gary A. Klein
• The Power of Intuition: How to Use Your Gut Feelings to Make Better Decisions at Work, by Gary Klein
• Decision Making in Action: Models and Methods (Cognition and Literacy), by Gary A. Klein, Judith Orasanu, and Roberta Calderwood
• Linking Expertise and Naturalistic Decision Making, edited by Eduardo Salas and Gary Klein
• Naturalistic Decision Making, edited by Caroline Zsambok and Gary Klein

• http://www.decisionmaking.com/
• http://www.fastcompany.com/online/38/klein.html
• http://appl1.nasa.gov/ask/issues/20/interview/index.html