Thinking and Reasoning

This course will address topics in the study of thinking and reasoning, a crucial topic in cognitive psychology, including theory and research on problem solving, thinking and decision-making; formal and "everyday" reasoning; intuition and creativity; cross-cultural and individual variations in thinking processes; and the cognitive heuristics which can bias or distort human rationality and effective decision making when dealing with social issues and problems. The theories will be applied to the problems of human cognitive limitations in solving urgent social and environmental crises.