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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PS 314"
COURSE NAME: "Judgment and Decision Making"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Antonio Mastrogiorgio
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 1:30-2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: PS 101 or consent of instructor
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The course examines the way we judge situations and make decisions under conditions of uncertainty. It will consider different decision models, address the psychological and social factors influencing decision making behavior, and explore the neural systems underlying such decisions. Applications to one's personal life and to public policy will also be discussed.

Satisfies "Cognitive Area" core course requirement for Psychological Science majors.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Through a combination of lectures, class discussions, group activities, the course will introduce students to the main theoretical approaches to judgement and decision making (i.e., dual process theory). Heuristics and biases in decision making (e.g., anchoring, representativeness and stereotyping, availability heuristics and emotions, overconfidence, loss aversion, attributional and social biases) will be addressed, and students will also explore their applications to everyday life. Behavioral insights for public policy will also be discussed.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

·         Provide students with an understanding of basic processes involved in judgment and decision making.

·         Develop students’ ability to think critically.

·         Foster application of knowledge to issues of both personal and social importance. 
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Thinking, fast and slowKahneman D.London : Allen Lane, 2011.9781846140556BF441 .K238 2011Available at Frohring Library: BF441 .K238 2011
Social PsychologyBordens, K. S. & Horowitz I. ALawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.9781410604934 Available at Frohring Library: https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/630528884

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
ExamsThere will be two exams, administered in week 7 and week 14. Each exam is worth 30% and will involve a combination of multiple-choice questions and short answer questions where students will be asked to analyze and apply the concepts and theories discussed in class/readings.60%
Team ProjectStudents will work in small groups to develop a research proposal on a topic chosen with the instructor (weight: 20%). The group will also deliver a presentation on their research proposal during finals’ week (weight: 10%). 30%
Attendance & participationAttendance is mandatory (no more than five unjustified absences are allowed). Students are invited to come to class and engage in discussions and activities.10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance is mandatory but is strongly encouraged (no more than five unjustified absences are allowed). Students are invited to come to class and engage in discussions and activities.

EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Week 1 - Introduction: Dual process theory

System 1 and System 2, heuristics and biases.

Readings:

Chapters I, II, III of Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Available at: Frohring Library Main Collection (circulating) BF441 .K238 2011

 

Week 2 - Law of Small Numbers and Anchoring

Low of small numbers, halo effect, anchoring and adjustment, debiasing.

Readings:

Chapters X, XI of Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Available at Frohring Library Main Collection (circulating) BF441 .K238 2011

 

Week 3 - Availability heuristic and emotions

Ease of retrieval, emotions and risk, debiasing.

Readings:

Chapters XII, XIII of Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Available at Frohring Library Main Collection (circulating) BF441 .K238 2011

 

Week 4 - Representativeness and stereotyping

Stereotyping, conjunction fallacy, regression toward the mean, debiasing.

Readings:

Chapters XIV, XV, XVI, XVII of Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Available at Frohring Library Main Collection (circulating) BF441 .K238 2011

 

Week 5 - Overconfidence

Hindsight, planning fallacy, optimism

Readings:

Chapters XIX, XXIII, XXIV of Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Available at Frohring Library Main Collection (circulating) BF441 .K238 2011

 

Week 6 - Prospect Theory

Loss aversion, endowment effect, status quo bias

Readings:

Chapters XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXXI of Kahneman D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Available at Frohring Library Main Collection (circulating) BF441 .K238 2011

 

Week 7 - Review and Exam

 

Week 8 - Attribution biases

Fundamental attribution error, actor-observer bias, false consensus, confirmation bias.

Readings:

From p. 81 to p. 94 of Bordens, K. S., & Horowitz, I. A. (2002). Social psychology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Available at Frohring Library: https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/630528884

 

Week 9 - Group biases

Groups, norms and cohesiveness, group decision-making, group polarization, groupthink

Readings:

From p. 287 to p. 290 and from p. 304 to p. 318 of Bordens, K. S., & Horowitz, I. A. (2002). Social psychology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Available at Frohring Library: https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/630528884  

 

Week 10 - Views on human rationality

Bounded and ecological rationality, irrationality

Readings:

Gigerenzer, G., & Brighton, H. (2009). Homo heuristicus: Why biased minds make better inferences. Topics in cognitive science, 1(1), 107-143.

Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1756-8765.2008.01006.x 

 

Week 11 - Behavioral public policy

Nudging and boosting.

Readings:

Hertwig, R., & Grüne-Yanoff, T. (2017). Nudging and boosting: Steering or empowering good decisions. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(6), 973-986.

Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/48596962.pdf?casa_token=87O1GrTJOuQAAAAA:jU8Jf-sOG_FaO-xDLfFxwbcfcXt2jWTndYBZuh7aE3ge29CIpWa9HH5aICTYDXwiRw28SO5V9jSq0bOHzENNHK0VESlj4-bfn4KsklwJQS5XImjOV1E

 

Week 12 - Guest Speaker

 

Week 13 - Future Directions

Evolutionary and neurocognitive foundations of human rationality.

Readings:

Mastrogiorgio, A., Felin, T., Kauffman, S., & Mastrogiorgio, M. (2022). More thumbs than rules: Is rationality an exaptation?. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 805743.

Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.805743/full 

 

Week 14 - Review and Final Exam