Undergraduate Course: Thinking and Reasoning (PSYL10138)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course would provide foundational coverage of classic research in reasoning (e.g. syllogistic reasoning, conditional propositions, and causal reasoning) leading up to more advanced material (judging and reasoning about probabilities, Prospect Theory). |
| Course description |
This course will cover the 'classic' research into the cognitive psychology of reasoning as well as more current issues/developments. Topics will include:
(1) rationality, computational theories of cognition/information processing systems approaches, and issues of formal representation;
(2) deductive reasoning in syllogisms and if-then conditionals, with a specific focus on the debate between mental rules and mental models approaches to these topics;
(3) dual process models of reasoning dealing with content effects; causal reasoning/covariance models;
(4) Bayes' rule and rational belief revision; bounded rationality and satisficing;
(5) probability heuristics;
(6) inductive and abductive reasoning.
(7) Subjective expected utility theory and Prospect Theory
Skills taught/developed in this course are hierarchical information integration with respect to empirical results and theoretical models; ability to evaluate computational models conceptually (not necessarily mathematically); critical analysis; and writing skills.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students who are Psychology majors and in their third or final year at their home university are welcome to take this course. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 1 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
192 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
30% Mid-term short answers (10)
70% Final exam essay (1) + short answers (10) [60-40 weighting split]
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| Feedback |
Mid-term short answers will have correct answers posted and formative feedback regarding why students' answers did (not) earn maximum points. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Knowledge & understanding of rationality and its application to modes of reasoning/decision making
- Hierarchical information integration with respect to empirical results and overarching theoretical models of cognition and rationality
- Understanding of distinction, and relationship, between descriptive models and normative models in developing scientific theory
- Ability to evaluate competing models in light of ambiguous evidence (i.e. ongoing debate with results backing both sides)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical analysis of complex theories, experiments, and patterns of data; knowledge and understanding of cognitive psychology of reasoning and decision making; ability to integrate information at multiple levels of conceptual hierarch (empirical to theoretical, and theoretical to meta-theoretical). |
| Keywords | psychology,thinking,reasoning |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Adam Moore
Tel: (0131 6)50 3369
Email: amoore23@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Alex MacAndrew
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: alexandra.macandrew@ed.ac.uk |
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