Explore the psychology of everyday thinking: understand why people hold unusual beliefs, how opinions are formed and changed, why expectations can bias judgments, and strategies for making better decisions. Engage in thoughtful discussions on topics such as placebos, the paranormal, medicine, miracles, and more. Employ the scientific method to critically evaluate claims, interpret evidence, and recognize patterns of irrational choice. Cultivate the ability to utilize slow, deliberate, analytical, and logical thinking over fast, automatic, instinctive, emotional, and stereotypical responses.

Over the past decade, this course has been hosted on the edX platform, attracting more than half a million enrollees from around the globe. It ranks among the Top 100 most popular online courses of all time out of 19,400 offerings worldwide. Although the University of Queensland has concluded its partnership with edX, all course materials remain freely accessible on YouTube.

Watch on YouTube

Welcome to The Science of Everyday Thinking, an on-campus course that aims to change how you approach daily decisions and thought processes. While this course was once available online through edX, that partnership has ended. You can now access all course materials through our YouTube playlist, which is updated weekly to support your in-class learning.

During the semester, you'll watch lecture videos at your own pace. We'll use classroom time to explore the content more deeply, with discussions and practical exercises. This mix of independent study and group learning offers both flexibility and interaction.

We've worked with 21 leading thinkers from around the world to bring you interesting talks on topics from hindsight to horoscopes. Our special guests include Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman and the famous MythBusters, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, along with experts from top universities worldwide.

What makes this course special is you. As one of the select students at the University of Queensland taking part in this combined online and on-campus experience, you'll benefit from a unique learning approach. We aim to improve your learning by using online resources to enhance our face-to-face interactions, giving you a well-rounded and engaging academic experience.

Judgement & Decision Making (PSYC3052) explores the psychological processes behind how we make decisions and the factors influencing these choices. You'll engage with topics such as heuristics and biased, dual-process theories, non-human intelligence feats, reasoning and problem-solving, insight and metacognition, and decision making under uncertainty. The course emphasises practical applications, enabling you to apply these theories to real-world scenarios in fields like medicine, law, and education.

Embracing the advancements in artificial intelligence, this course integrates AI tools like 'Coggie' to enhance your learning experience. These tools assist in breaking down complex ideas and improving your grasp of difficult concepts while highlighting AI's limitations, such as generating unreliable information. You'll learn to critically evaluate AI-generated content and effectively use these tools to bolster your judgement and decision-making skills.