The Psychology of Decision Making
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The Psychology of Decision Making
This course is part of Psychology in Everyday Life Specialization
Instructor: Kyle Smith
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What you'll learn
Identify the psychological processes that underlie the decisions that you make
Recognize the personal and situational factors that affect the quality of your decisions
Apply information about decision-making processes to better understand and improve your decisions
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There are 11 modules in this course
Have you ever wondered how or why you make the choices you do? In Psychology of Decision Making, you'll explore the hidden psychological processes that lead you to make good decisions, and those that can lead you astray. For example, when you try to decide whether someone is trustworthy, do you focus on the right information? How are your emotions affecting the decision? Are you deciding based on what is true, or based on what you want to be true? How much are other people biasing your decision? By the end of the course, you'll understand how these factors influence your decisions and how you can best anticipate and correct for the errors you're likely to make.
Created by the American Psychological Association, written by experts in the field, and based on decades of psychological science, Psychology of Decision Making will be a valuable resource for anyone trying to understand and improve their decisions.
This module introduces you to your PsycLearn Essentials course. Find out what’s included in this course and how to navigate the modules and lessons. You’ll also learn valuable study tips for successful learning.
What's included
7 readings
7 readings•Total 23 minutes
- Welcome to PsycLearn Essentials•3 minutes
- Survey: What Would You Like to See Next?•2 minutes
- How to Earn Certificates•2 minutes
- What’s in Your Course•5 minutes
- Study Tips for Success in PsycLearn Essentials•5 minutes
- Additional Information•5 minutes
- Representation in Research•1 minute
This module will introduce the psychology of decision making. The term “decision making” will be defined and then the intrapersonal and interpersonal influences on decisions will be introduced.
What's included
1 video4 readings5 assignments
1 video•Total 5 minutes
- Introducing The Psychology of Decision Making•5 minutes
4 readings•Total 27 minutes
- The Psychology of Decision Making – Overview•2 minutes
- What is Decision Making•5 minutes
- Intrapersonal Influences on Decision Making•10 minutes
- Interpersonal Influences on Decision Making•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 14 minutes
- Module Quiz: The Psychology of Decision Making•5 minutes
- Check Your Understanding – Course Introduction: The Psychology of Decision Making•1 minute
- Check Your Understanding – Decision Making in Everyday Life•1 minute
- Check Your Understanding – Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Influences on Decision Making•2 minutes
- Practice: Introduction to Psychological Influences on Decision Making•5 minutes
This module discusses cognitive processes that influence decision making, including schemas, cognitive heuristics and biases, attributions, affect, and attitudes.
What's included
4 videos17 readings7 assignments
4 videos•Total 15 minutes
- How Schema Activation Influences Attention•5 minutes
- Example of the Covariation Principle•4 minutes
- Attitude Components in the ABC Model•4 minutes
- ABC Model in Advertising•2 minutes
17 readings•Total 94 minutes
- Preview: Cognitive Influences on Decision Making•2 minutes
- Preview: Schemas•3 minutes
- Introduction to Schemas•5 minutes
- How Schemas Influence Decision Making•3 minutes
- How Schemas Influence Decision Making: Interpretation and Behavior•10 minutes
- Preview: Heuristics and Biases•3 minutes
- Introduction to Heuristics and Biases•10 minutes
- Preview: Attribution•2 minutes
- Introduction to Attribution•10 minutes
- The Covariation Principle and Attribution•3 minutes
- Additional Factors that Influence Attributions•10 minutes
- Preview: Affect and Decision Making•3 minutes
- How Affect Influences Decision Making•15 minutes
- Preview: Attitudes and Decisions•2 minutes
- Attitudes, Attitude Strength, and Decision Making•3 minutes
- ABC Model•5 minutes
- Attitude Strength•5 minutes
7 assignments•Total 41 minutes
- Module Quiz: Cognitive Influences on Decision Making•10 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Cognitive Influences on Decision Making•1 minute
- Check Your Understanding: Schemas•8 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Heuristics and Biases•6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Attribution•5 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Affect and Decision Making•5 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Attitudes and Decisions•6 minutes
In this module on motivational influences we discuss behavior that can be considered goal-directed. There are times when we are making a decision and in doing so we want to achieve a certain outcome. We seek outcomes that satisfy a psychological need, such as seeing ourselves as competent, affiliating with others, or maintaining psychological consistency.
What's included
7 readings5 assignments
7 readings•Total 48 minutes
- Preview: Motivational Influences on Decision Making•3 minutes
- Forming Impressions and Making Decisions•10 minutes
- Managing Impressions and Making Decisions•15 minutes
- Preview: Need for Affiliation•2 minutes
- Affiliation and Decision Making•5 minutes
- Preview: Need for Consistency•3 minutes
- Inconsistency and Decision Making•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 25 minutes
- Module Quiz: Motivational Influences on Decision Making•10 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Preview: Motivational Influences on Decision Making•1 minute
- Check Your Understanding: Impressions and Decisions•8 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Need for Affiliation•3 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Need for Consistency•3 minutes
In this module, on influences of others on decision making, we will discuss social influences that involve the direct interaction of two or more people. We will cover theories of persuasion, in which individuals try to convince us to hold a certain attitude, knowing that our attitudes guide our decisions. We will also cover compliance and obedience, two other types of social influence.
What's included
10 readings10 assignments
10 readings•Total 57 minutes
- Preview: Influence of Others on Decision Making •2 minutes
- Preview: Arguments and Persuasion•3 minutes
- The Message-Learning Approach•10 minutes
- The Cognitive Response Approach•5 minutes
- Cognitive Responses in Your Life•3 minutes
- Compliance and Obedience•2 minutes
- Compliance•10 minutes
- Obedience•2 minutes
- Research on Obedience•10 minutes
- Power•10 minutes
10 assignments•Total 52 minutes
- Module Quiz: Influence of Other Individuals on Decision Making•10 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Preview: Influence of Others on Decision Making•1 minute
- Activity: An Example of the Message-Learning Approach•5 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: The Message-Learning Approach•5 minutes
- Activity: An Example of the Cognitive-Response Approach•8 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: The Cognitive Response Approach•3 minutes
- Activity: Reflecting on Compliance •4 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Compliance•4 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Research on Obedience•6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Power and Decision Making•6 minutes
This module discusses how group dynamics influence decision making, including conformity, groupthink, group polarization, and deindividuation.
What's included
5 videos11 readings6 assignments
5 videos•Total 21 minutes
- Groupthink and the Challenger Decision•3 minutes
- Reviewing Symptoms of Groupthink•5 minutes
- Group Polarization: Risky Shift and Cautious Shift•5 minutes
- An Example of Group Polarization in Juries•4 minutes
- An Example of Deindividuation•5 minutes
11 readings•Total 89 minutes
- Preview: Influence of Groups on Decision Making•3 minutes
- Preview: Conformity•2 minutes
- Conformity and Decision Making•10 minutes
- Preview: Groupthink•3 minutes
- Symptoms of Groupthink•10 minutes
- Groupthink and the 2003 U.S. War in Iraq•8 minutes
- How to Avoid Groupthink•10 minutes
- Preview: Group Polarization and Decision Making•3 minutes
- What is Group Polarization?•5 minutes
- Explaining Group Polarization•15 minutes
- Deindividuation and Decision Making•20 minutes
6 assignments•Total 30 minutes
- Module Quiz: Influence of Groups on Decision Making•10 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Influence of Groups on Decision Making•1 minute
- Check Your Understanding: Conformity•4 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Groupthink•6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Group Polarization•4 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Deindividuation•5 minutes
This module discusses how stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination influence decision making.
What's included
4 readings5 assignments
4 readings•Total 58 minutes
- Preview: Intergroup Influences on Decision Making•3 minutes
- Stereotypes and Decision Making•15 minutes
- Prejudice and Decision Making•20 minutes
- Discrimination and Decision Making•20 minutes
5 assignments•Total 27 minutes
- Module Quiz: Intergroup Influences on Decision Making•10 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Intergroup Influences on Decision Making•1 minute
- Check Your Understanding: Stereotypes and Decision Making•5 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Prejudice•6 minutes
- Check Your Understanding: Discrimination•5 minutes
Every day we make decisions that influence our lives. This course examined the psychology of decision making, including intrapersonal and interpersonal influences, cognitive and motivational processes, and the influence of other individuals, group dynamics, and intergroup relations.
What's included
7 readings14 assignments
7 readings•Total 14 minutes
- Key Takeaways•2 minutes
- Key Takeaways•2 minutes
- Key Takeaways•2 minutes
- Learning Objective 4: Describe the Motivational Processes that Affect Decision Making•2 minutes
- Key Takeaways•2 minutes
- Key Takeaways•2 minutes
- Key Takeaways•2 minutes
14 assignments•Total 145 minutes
- Vocabulary Check-Up•1 minute
- Knowledge Check-Up•1 minute
- Vocabulary Check-Up•2 minutes
- Knowledge Check-Up•3 minutes
- Vocabulary Check-Up•18 minutes
- Knowledge Check-Up•9 minutes
- Vocabulary Check-Up•11 minutes
- Knowledge Check-Up•14 minutes
- Vocabulary Check-Up•13 minutes
- Knowledge Check-Up•10 minutes
- Vocabulary Check-Up•14 minutes
- Knowledge Check-Up•19 minutes
- Vocabulary Check-Up•14 minutes
- Knowledge Check-Up•16 minutes
This module contains a cumulative quiz.
What's included
1 assignment
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Cumulative Quiz: The Psychology of Decision Making•15 minutes
What's included
3 readings
3 readings•Total 6 minutes
- Glossary•2 minutes
- References•2 minutes
- Contributors•2 minutes
This module provides a variety of information and tools from the American Psychological Association (APA) that will help inspire you as you complete your coursework and plan your career goals. Explore APA resources on various psychological issues and scholarly research and writing; a list of sites providing valuable resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion in psychology education and in the professional community; resources on a career in psychology; and links to career opportunities at the APA.
What's included
8 readings
8 readings•Total 19 minutes
- Introduction to APA Resources•5 minutes
- Student Resources•2 minutes
- APA Style®, Research, and Writing•2 minutes
- Students from Diverse Ethnic, Cultural, and Economic Backgrounds•2 minutes
- Psychology Help Center•2 minutes
- Psychology Careers•2 minutes
- Careers and Internships at APA•2 minutes
- Other APA Resources•2 minutes
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Reviewed on Jun 19, 2025
Lots of practice quizzes to reinforce your learning, and a course review before the final cumulative quiz. The course design helps in longer term memorization.
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