A constant element of our modern environment is change. In
decision-making research however, very little is known about
how people make choices in dynamic environments. We
report the results of an experiment where participants were
asked to choose between two options: a dynamic and risky
option that resulted in either a high or a low outcome, and a
stationary and safe option that resulted in a medium outcome.
The probability of the high outcome in the risky option
decreased or increased linearly over the course of the task
while the probability of the medium outcome stayed the same
throughout. We find that adaptation to change is related to the
direction of that change, and that the way people adapt to
changing probabilities relates to their willingness to explore
available options. A cognitive model based on Instance-Based
Learning Theory reproduces the behavioral patterns.