“We are gathered here today to discuss our ways, means, policies and devices …”
— Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit
Welcome to PSY 333, Judgment and Decision Making! In this online class we’ll be discussing the psychology of how people make judgments and decisions, the heuristics they employ and the biases they exhibit. We’ll derive equations to predict people’s choices and explore how our these choices can change when we are in a group. By the end you will hopefully be able to identify situations where your own judgments may be biased and also where somebody may be using these biases against you.
This class is an online only class - there will be no in person component. Instead all material will be provided online on the D2L page for the class and there will be regular meeting times where you will meet with me or the TAs in groups to discuss the current week’s work.
Robert C. Wilson
Maomiao Peng
Eva Marie Robinson
At the end of this course you should be able to:
Understand the experimental tools used in JDM research and how these are applied to study the psychology of decision making.
Understand JDM theories of choice and decision making to account for rational and not-so rational decision making in humans and other animals
Be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of individual JDM studies
There is no required textbook for this class!
You can complete this class — and do very well — without a textbook. However, if you feel that you need one, I recommend “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman. At the time of writing, this is available on Amazon for less than $10. The majority of this course follows this book and many of the examples are taken from it. Where it provides relevant information I will reference it in the notes.
None
Grades are entirely based on Assignments. Students may drop the lowest three assignments.
Grade boundaries will be at
A 90-100%
B 80-89%
C 70-79%
D 60-69%
E 0-59%
Depending on aggregate class performance, these boundaries may be revised downwards (e.g. to 87% for an A if the class is harder than expected) but will never be revised upwards.
Assignments will usually be based on the current week’s material. Every so often (around mid-terms and around finals time) the Assignments will cover all material up to that point. You will begin each Assignment before your group meets with me or the TA. Then you will discuss your answers in the group, before handing in the final version.
Occasionally Assignments will include an extra-credit problem for up to 5% extra credit. Completing these tasks is entirely optional.
Grade disputes about quizzes, paper grades or exams will be entertained for one week from the day the grade is posted.
If you feel your work has been incorrectly graded please write a short memo explaining your concerns clearly and concisely and submit this memo to the TA. We will then regrade the entire quiz, paper or exam, paying particular attention to the area of concern highlighted in the memo. Please note, however, that mistakes happen in both directions and it is possible that your grade could go down as a result of a regrade.
Work on the assignments should all be your own — although you are free to include feedback from the group discussions. If we determine you have been cheating your will be reported to the Dean of Students. We will penalize 1 letter grade on the entire class for the first instance of cheating. If we catch you cheating again you will fail the class.
More generally, you are expected to follow the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity:
In general you should be attending zoom meetings when your group is scheduled to meet with me or the TAs.
All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion,
Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean’s designee) will be honored.
Absences for illness will be honored.
Be polite, respectful and considerate of others. If you are being disrespectful or distracting other students I may ask you to leave the Zoom.
When on the Zoom call, please try to avoid distractions if at all possible. Please silence or turn off all of your communication devices. If you receive a call or message that requires an immediate verbal response, kindly leave the room before replying.
It is the University’s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please let me know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations.
Please be aware that (when the class is offered in person) the accessible table and chairs in this room should remain available for students who find that standard classroom seating is not usable.
Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change by the instructor, with advance notice.
Diversity unites and moves us forward. The diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that each student brings to this class will be viewed as a resource, strength, and benefit. In this class, we have a unique and important opportunity to learn from the information and ideas shared by each other, and we also a responsibility to do so with sensitivity and respect.
Ideally, science would be objective. However, as you will learn, much of science is subjective and is historically build on a small subset of privileged voices. It is important to make note of this and to think about how significant research findings may be biased by their nature of being carried out on a typically small, non-representative sample of participants.
I would like to create a learning environment for my students that honors diverse identities (including race, ethnicity, gender, age, class, sexuality, nationality, religion, ability, etc.) and supports a diversity of experiences, thoughts, and perspectives. To learn more about the UA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit https://diversity.arizona.edu
This course affirms people of all gender expressions and gender identities. The university recognizes that many members of its community use names other than their legal or official names first provided to the university (official/legal name) to identify themselves. For some, a chosen or preferred name may be an important component of their identity, especially their gender identity.
If you would prefer that a different name from your legal one or the one that appears on the class roster be used, the university has established guidelines that allow students and employees to indicate their chosen or preferred first names. A student or employee’s preferred name will appear instead of the person’s official/legal name in select university-related systems and documents (e.g. D2L, official email display name, UAccess, etc.), provided that the preferred first name is not being used for the purpose of misrepresentation. Please see the following link for more information: http://lgbtq.arizona.edu/use-chosen-or-preferred-names.
I want to be sure that the TAs and I refer to you in your preferred way. If you prefer a name other than the one on our class roster, please let us know. Since our communication is often via email, be sure to update your signature line and include your preferred pronouns. If we meet via Zoom, note that you can edit your name and include pronouns there, as well. We will try our best to remember your preferred names and pronouns, but please also feel free to give us a reminder. Also, students are able to update and edit their pronouns in UAccess. To change your listed pronoun on UAccess, navigate to the Student Self Service page, go to the personal information section, and click on “Names”. Options include (he, him, his), (she, her, hers), (they, them, theirs), (xe, xem, xyr), and (ze, zir).
The University of Arizona resides on ancestral lands of the Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui nations, where many today continuously reside in their ancestral land. I acknowledge the privilege it is to teach and learn in this region and I express my gratitude to these nations. For more information about native lands on which UA sits, see https://nasa.arizona.edu.
Personal concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, attentional difficulties, relationship difficulties, etc. can interfere with your ability to succeed and thrive at the University of Arizona. Resources can be found at https://health.arizona.edu. For the Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS) 24/7 hotline, call (520) 621-3334. Relatedly, if you are experiencing unexpected barriers to your success in your courses, please note the Dean of Students Office is a central support resource for all students and may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office can be reached at 520-621-2057 or DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu.
Are you in crisis? Here are some ideas about where to go or who to call:
Resources for sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking
24-Hour Hotlines:
If you are a current service member or veteran, I highly encourage you to reach out to the VETS center. VETS is an organization run by veterans, spouses, dependents, and current service members who, through their shared experiences, endeavor to maintain a dynamic and effective program which is responsive to the needs of the community. More information can be found at https://vets.arizona.edu.