From Animal Learning to Changing People's Minds

We will take a modern, integrative view of animal learning phenomena from experimental psychology, analyzing them through the lens of computational models of reinforcement learning and current neuroscientific knowledge. The goal is to explore how theoretical concepts apply to every-day attempts to change people's minds, and demonstrate how computational modeling is a useful framework for understanding human behavior. To maximize learning and skill acquisition, the course will include group work and class presentations, and will use alternative grading (your learning will be motivated by progress towards your own goals, rather than by grades).