Course Description
Theory and research on topics in judgment and decision-making, including heuristics-and-biases, rational decision theory, evolutionary approaches, causal judgment and applications to medicine, law, economics, social psychology, and everyday decisions. Emphasis is placed on how behavior compares with rational models.
Athena Title
JUDG/DECISION MAK
Pre or Corequisite
PSYC 2990 or PSYC 3990
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the diverse literatures on choosing among uncertain options. This has traditionally been seen as influenced by two factors: the utility of each option's outcomes (i.e., how strongly you believe the outcomes will occur). The course examines theories of decision making under uncertainty, where both utility and probability play a role. We will also discuss subjective probability and utility as independent topics.
Topical Outline
1) Introduction and survey 2) How we see the world 3) How we ask questions 4) Expected Utility Theory 5) Paradoxes 6) Descriptive Models 7) Representativeness 8) Bayesian updating and base-rate neglect 9) Review and Exam 1 10) Availability, anchoring and adjustment 11) Overconfidence 12) Randomness to control 13) Attribution theory 14) Social effects 15) Self- fulfilling prophecies and other traps 16) Review and Exam 2.
Syllabus