Course:

Brain and Decision
Psych 232 (3 units)
T 3:15-6:05 PM
03/31/09-06/02/09
Bldg. 420, Rm. 102
Prerequisites: Background in neuroscience, psychology, economics, or instructor consent.

Instructor:

Brian Knutson
Psychology & Neuroscience
Bldg 420, Room 470
Office Hours: W 1:30-3:00 PM
Email: knutson@psych.stanford.edu

Description:

This class will explore how recent findings at the interface of neuroscience, psychology, and economics combine to inform our understanding of how the brain makes decisions. Topics covered will include neural processes related to reward, punishment, reflection, risk, time, and social interaction, as well as theoretical and practical applications. Because this course focuses on new and interdisciplinary material, it will be taught as a research seminar with background discussions. The content of the course should be especially useful for students who are conducting related research.

Structure:

  • Classes 1-2 will provide minimal background in neuroscience and economics in the form of lectures and discussions.

  • Classes 3-8 will include short background lectures followed by extensive discussion of 3-4 research papers.

  • Class 9 will focus on students' project presentations.


    • Schedule:

    Date Theme Readings
    03/31/09 Neuroscience Schultz et al / Glimcher / Loewenstein et al
    04/07/09 Economics Glimcher / Tversky & Kahnemann / Camerer et al / Bernheim
    04/14/09 Reward Berns et al / Knutson et al / Breiter et al / O'Doherty et al
    04/21/09 Punishment Chua et al / Ploghaus et al / Phelps et al / Berns et al
    04/28/09 Risk Paulus et al / Kuhnen & Knutson > sup / Hsu et al > sup / Tom et al > sup
    05/05/09 Time McClure et al > sup / Kable & Glimcher > sup / Ballard & Knutson > sup / Hariri et al
    05/12/09 Choice Erk et al / McClure et al / Paulus & Frank / Knutson et al > sup
    05/19/09 Interaction McCabe et al / Rilling et al / Sanfey et al / Hsu et al
    05/26/09 No Class
    06/02/09 Project Presentations

    Requirements:

  • Reading Summaries: In Classes 3-8, students will prepare single-page summaries and be prepared to present one of the three to four papers to be discussed (assignment will be established the week prior). Summaries are due midnight the day before each class, and no extensions are possible (but see the grading policy below). For the other three papers, students should submit three questions (one per paper) to the class wiki. The goal of these assignments is to ensure active participation in class discussions and critical thinking about related research.

    Summaries should address the following points:
    1. What question does the paper address?
    2. What does the paper contribute?
    3. Briefly describe the experiment / model.
    4. Describe at least two ways to improve the study or two ideas for related future research.

  • Project proposal: Students will develop an experimental proposal on any topic relevant to research on the neuroscience of decision-making. Ideally, the proposal will be related to a project that the student hopes to conduct.

    Proposals should be 5-10 pages long, roughly in APA format, and must address the following points:
    1. Hypotheses to be tested
    2. Description of independent variables, dependent variables, and controls
    3. Description of expected conclusions (assuming the experiment works as planned) and their implications
    4. Description of potential contribution to the literature, including relevant references

    With respect to the last criterion, students may want to consider how their ideas can be grounded in neurophysiological research, and how they might inform either psychological or economic theory. In the last class, each student will have 15-20 minutes to present their proposal to the group and receive feedback. Presentation order will be randomly selected. Outlines must be submitted no later than 05/15/09, so that I can provide feedback. Papers are due at noon on 06/09/09 in electronic format.

    • Grading:

    Attendance / Participation 20%
    Reading Summaries / Presentations 30%
    Project Proposal / Presentation 50%

  • Valid reasons for absence include: (1) arrangements made in advance with the instructors to participate in a Stanford sanctioned activity (e.g., athletic competition), (2) a medical condition that requires the treatment of a physician, or (3) the death of a close family member.


    • (last update: 03/31/09 bk)