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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Psychology

Undergraduate Course: Thinking and Reasoning (PSYL10138)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis 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.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Psychology 2A (PSYL08011) AND Psychology 2B (PSYL08012) AND Research Methods and Statistics (PPLS08001)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting 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
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Knowledge & understanding of rationality and its application to modes of reasoning/decision making
  2. Hierarchical information integration with respect to empirical results and overarching theoretical models of cognition and rationality
  3. Understanding of distinction, and relationship, between descriptive models and normative models in developing scientific theory
  4. Ability to evaluate competing models in light of ambiguous evidence (i.e. ongoing debate with results backing both sides)
Reading List
None
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).
Keywordspsychology,thinking,reasoning
Contacts
Course organiserDr Adam Moore
Tel: (0131 6)50 3369
Email: amoore23@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Alex MacAndrew
Tel: (0131 6)51 3733
Email: alexandra.macandrew@ed.ac.uk
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