Psychology 7536:
Heuristics and Biases in Intuitive Judgment
Spring, 2005
Dr. Leaf Van Boven
Muenzinger D343B
vanboven*at*colorado.edu
Phone: 303-735–5238
Office hours: Monday, 9:00-10:00, 12:00–1:00
Judgment and under uncertainty pervades human experience. “How much will I like it?” “Will the stock market increase?” “Why did she say that?” “Whom should I vote for?” This course will examine how—and how well—people make such intuitive judgments. The core idea is that judgments are usually based on simplifying heuristics rather than on more formal and extensive algorithmic processing. Although these heuristics typically yield accurate judgments, they also produce biased and erroneous judgments. This course will examine a variety of judgmental heuristics, both classic and recent. Students from all areas of psychology and related disciplines are welcome to enroll.
Readings
Gilovich, T., Grifffin, D., & Kahneman, D. (2002). Heuristics and biases: The psychology of intuitive judgment. New York: Cambridge University Press. (GGK).
Purchase this book from a non-price-gouging vendor such as Amazon.com. Serious students of intuitive judgment will also want to obtain Kahneman, Slovic, and Tversky’s 1982 classic, “Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases.” Additional readings will be accessed via the course web site.
Grades
Thought papers (25%)
One-page commentaries are due for each class. You
may discuss methodological flaws, highlight interesting implications or applications,
pose questions, propose further research, or muse on the connections between
the articles. The
intention is for you to think carefully about the readings. Commentaries
will be graded on a √–, √, or √+ scale.
Participation and presentation (25%)
All students are expected to
participate in class discussion. Each week,
two “discussion leaders” will guide our conversation about the
readings. Leaders will meet with me prior to class to plan discussion
topics.
Final exam (50%)
Each student will meet with me for up to one
hour to discuss a research proposal. A
one-page preliminary proposal will be due several weeks before the exam. Students
may take the exam individually or in small, collaborative research groups.
Lecture Calendar
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