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PSY4301 - Judgment and Decision Making and Social Cognition

Course content

Judgment and decision making (JDM) is a branch of cognitive psychology. Much of cognitive psychology gives a purely descriptive account on how people think. In contrast, JDM research focuses on readily observable judgments and decisions and also address whether these behaviors are consistent with how people should think. For example, memory psychologists investigate how information is categorized in memory. JDM researchers interested in memory focus on how memory influences judgments and decisions. Judgments and decisions are an essential part of most professions. JDM research is therefore highly relevant to applied disciplines in various fields, including health care, organizational behavior, computer science, economics, law etc. This course examines research literature on selected topics within JDM. The students are expected to participate in the general discussion following each topic presentation. They also have to write a term paper. The theme of the paper can either be a research proposal, a review of the research literature, or an application of JDM principles/findings to some practical problems.

Learning outcomes

The purpose of this course is to provide the students with a foundation for doing JDM research on master’s degree level. The course gives the students an up-to-day overview of selected JDM-research and more thorough knowledge of the topic addressed in their chosen term paper. They will get training in analyzing and presenting research literature.

Admission

Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.

International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.

Prerequisites

No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.

Teaching

12 lectures, and 20 seminars will be given. Students will also have 4 hours of supervision.

Teaching takes place throughout the semester.

Criteria for access to teaching resources

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, contingent on available capacity.

Exam information

Assessment and grading

The department may use the acknowledged plagiarism filter, Ephorus for all written assignments when in doubt there may be a case of plagiarism in the submitted work.
For more info, see: innleveringsoppgaver og kildebruk

Students are awarded either a passing or a failing grade. Read more about the grading system .

An external auditor regularly evaluates the academic quality of the course, including the form of exam used on the course.

Explanations and appeals

Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals

Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes

You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .

Withdrawing from exams and limits on re-takes

A student can sit for this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do this in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit for the exam.

Exam options for students with special needs

Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.

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