Course 2021-2022 a.y.

30463 - MIND AND SOCIETY: INTRO TO COGNITIVE SCIENCES

Department of Economics

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 13
BESS-CLES (6 credits - II sem. - OB  |  3 credits M-FIL/02  |  3 credits M-PSI/01)
Course Director:
SALVATORE NUNNARI

Classes: 13 (II sem.)
Instructors:
Class 13: SALVATORE NUNNARI


Suggested background knowledge

For a fruitful and effective learning experience, students should be comfortable with basic notions of mathematics and statistics for the social sciences (e.g., functions, differential calculus, optimization, linear algebra, probability, random variables), as well as with basic notions of microeconomics (utility functions, consumption decisions, choice under uncertainty, inter-temporal choice, Nash equilibrium).

Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence, embracing philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguistics, and anthropology. This course integrates insights from cognitive science into models of economic behavior. It discusses the limitations of standard economic models and surveys the ways in which laboratory experiments have been used to learn about cognition, preferences, and behavior. The first part of the course provides an introduction to major themes in cognitive science, with emphasis on the information-processing mechanisms of the mind. The remainder of the course presents experimental evidence on behavior which is puzzling from the perspective of standard microeconomic theories, and explores how psychology and neuroscience can help us to build richer, more realistic models of economic decision making.

CONTENT SUMMARY

  1. Introduction to Behavioral Economics and Neuroscience
  2. Choice under Certainty 
  3. Judgment under Uncertainty
  4. Choice under Risk and Uncertainty 
  5. Choice over Time 
  6. Strategic Interaction 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Describe well established theories in cognitive science.
  • Recognize the complexity of cognitive processes underlying decision-making.
  • Summarize major findings on decision making from experimental economics.
  • Identify strengths as well as limitations of standard microeconomic theories.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...
  • Connect research and theories of cognition and behavior from diverse fields of the social sciences, including psychology, neuroscience, and economics.
  • Develop novel theories of economic decision-making which take into account the biological and neuroscientific foundations of cognition.
  • Apply research in cognitive science and behavioral economics to everyday events and challenges.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Interactive class activities (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

DETAILS

Interactive class activities include participation in classroom experiments where students will be engaged in the judgment and decision-making tasks and in the economic games from the research studies we discuss in the lectures.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
   x x

ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

In order to evaluate the acquisition of the aforementioned learning outcomes, the assessment is based on written exams. Performance can be evaluated in two different ways:

  1. A midterm exam covering the first part of the course, followed by a final exam covering the second part of the course. The grade in each exam is between 0 and 30. The course is passed if the grade in both exams is at least 18. In this case, the final grade is the mean of the two, rounded upwards.
  2. A general exam which covers the whole course. The grade in the general exam is between 0 and 30. The course is passed if the grade in the general exam is at least 18.

Regardless of the format, the exams are based on a mix of multiple-choice and open questions:

  • Multiple choice questions are designed to test the students’ knowledge of the basic concepts and notions introduced in the course.
  • Open-ended questions are aimed at evaluating the students’ ability to establish connections between cognitive science and microeconomics and to use these connections to explain decision-making behavior which is puzzling from the perspective of standard microeconomic theories. 

Teaching materials


ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Teaching materials are announced before the start of the course and indicated or uploaded to the Blackboard platform.

Last change 15/12/2021 15:08