IB9PK-15 Advances in Behavioural Science
Introductory description
This is a seminar based module in which students (and researchers) closely read key articles in behavioural science. The format will be demanding and interactive. Students will be expected to come prepared, having read and thought about each paper, so that the seminar is always highly interactive. The faculty member will expect to be discussing the paper with enthusiastic junior colleagues, and not lecturing to them. Several members of the behavioural science group will take part each year, providing students with a broad range of perspectives and approaches.
Module aims
This module aims to show students how researchers think, and to enable them to think that way. They will discover what questions colleagues (e.g., reviewers) are likely to ask about their research, what constitutes an important research question in behavioural science, how to critically examine not just the results but the methods and analyses of research studies, and how to write a research article so that someone will want to read it.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The syllabus will change from year to year by its very nature. However, it will always be composed of 10 meetings each revolving around from one to three major research articles. A single topic may span two or three meetings. The meetings will be led by a member of the behavioural science group who is a leading expert in her field. During the meetings, all aspects of the papers will be examined: rationale, theory, statistical analysis and even writing. The goal will be to enable students to write papers like those being read and studied.
Possible topics:
Behavioural change (and nudging)
Bias and discrimination
Modelling choice processes
Preference instability
Endowment effect
Lying and deception
Intertemporal choice
Field data
Research integrity
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Knowledge of behavioural science themes and how they are studied
- Non experimental design
- Experimental design
- Statistical analysis
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Research element
The 3,500 word assessment will involve developing research ideas based on one of the themes discussed during the seminars.
Interdisciplinary
Economics, psychology, statistics, philosophy and neuroscience.
Subject specific skills
Knowledge of behavioural science themes and how they are studied.
Statistical analysis.
Experimental design.
Non-experimental design.
Transferable skills
Critical reasoning.
Academic writing and argumentation for a target audience.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 10 sessions of 3 hours (38%) |
| Private study | 48 hours (62%) |
| Total | 78 hours |
Private study description
Self study and reflective learning.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Individual assignment | 100% | 72 hours | Yes (extension) |
Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Module leader feedback.
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.