Psychological Influences on Decision Making
Explore how cognitive, motivational, social and interpersonal factors shape decisions and learn strategies for better personal and professional choices.
Explore how cognitive, motivational, social and interpersonal factors shape decisions and learn strategies for better personal and professional choices.
This introductory course explores the myriad psychological factors that influence the thousands of decisions we make daily, from seemingly simple choices to significant life decisions. By separating these influential factors into distinct categories, the course provides a comprehensive framework for understanding decision-making processes. Students learn about intrapersonal factors occurring within our minds, including cognitive elements such as schemas, heuristics, biases, and attributions, as well as motivational influences like psychological needs. The curriculum then examines interpersonal factors, revealing how other people powerfully shape our decisions through persuasion, compliance, and obedience. Further sections explore unique group dynamics effects including conformity, groupthink, and group polarization, before concluding with intergroup influences like stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Designed for practical application, this course helps students make more informed personal decisions while developing skills to analyze how others make choices. Whether applied in professional settings to understand supervisor decision-making, in parenting to guide children's choices, or in personal development, the insights gained provide valuable tools for improving decision quality in all life domains.
4.9
(13 ratings)
Instructors:
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What you'll learn
Recognize cognitive processes like schemas and biases that affect everyday decision making
Identify motivational factors including psychological needs that influence personal and professional choices
Analyze how persuasion, compliance, and obedience techniques shape our decisions
Understand group dynamics such as conformity, groupthink, and polarization in decision-making contexts
Recognize how stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination affect intergroup decision making
Apply psychological insights to improve personal decision-making quality
Skills you'll gain
This course includes:
PreRecorded video
Graded assignments, Exams
Access on Mobile, Tablet, Desktop
Batch access
Shareable certificate
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Top companies provide this course to enhance their employees' skills, ensuring they excel in handling complex projects and drive organizational success.
There are 5 modules in this course
This comprehensive course explores the psychological factors that influence human decision making across various contexts. The curriculum is organized into five main areas of study. First, it examines cognitive influences on decision making, including schemas (mental frameworks that organize knowledge), heuristics and biases (mental shortcuts that can lead to errors), attribution processes (how we explain behavior), emotional effects, and the role of attitudes. The second section focuses on motivational influences, exploring how impression management concerns, needs for affiliation, and desires for consistency affect our choices. The third component investigates how other individuals shape our decisions through arguments, persuasion techniques, compliance strategies, and obedience to authority. The fourth section delves into group dynamics, examining conformity pressures, groupthink phenomena, group polarization (where group discussions strengthen pre-existing tendencies), and deindividuation (loss of self-awareness in groups). The final section explores intergroup influences, including how stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination affect decision making when interacting with people from different social groups. Throughout the course, students gain practical insights that can be applied to improve personal decision making and understand the choices of others in various relationships and settings.
Cognitive Influences on Decision Making
Module 1
Motivational Influences on Decision Making
Module 2
Influence of Other Individuals on Decision Making
Module 3
Influence of Groups on Decision Making
Module 4
Intergroup Influences on Decision Making
Module 5
Fee Structure
Payment options
Financial Aid
Instructor
Product Manager at American Psychological Association
Rita manages the development and improvement of courses about mental health and social psychology at the American Psychological Association. She has been working in higher education for 11 years, and earned her M.A. in Applied Social Psychology
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Frequently asked questions
Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about this course. We aim to provide clear and concise answers to help you better understand the course content, structure, and any other relevant information. If you have any additional questions or if your question is not listed here, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team for further assistance.