Coombs was born in
New Jersey but spent most of his childhood in
California. He studied at Santa Barbara State College (later
University of California, Santa Barbara), the continued his PhD at the
University of California, Berkeley. Coombs founded the Mathematical Psychology program at the
University of Michigan. His students included
Amos Tversky,
Robyn Dawes, and
Baruch Fischhoff, all important researchers in Decision Sciences. The classic text "An Introduction to Mathematical Psychology," by Coombs,
Robyn Dawes, and
Amos Tversky was a must for Michigan graduate students in Mathematical and Experimental Psychology. == Honors and awards ==