Decision-making is not simply a matter of collecting information and comparing options. Human judgement is also shaped by emotions, mental shortcuts, prior experiences, social pressures and the way a problem is presented. Understanding these influences can help you recognise potential errors in judgement, evaluate situations more carefully and make better-informed decisions in professional and organisational settings. This course explores the psychological and behavioural factors that influence how people make decisions, individually and collectively. It combines concepts from cognitive psychology, emotional intelligence and behavioral economics to examine why decisions sometimes go wrong and what can be done to improve the process.
What will you learn?
Throughout the course, you will explore:
- Cognitive biases and heuristics: Understand how mental shortcuts influence judgement and can lead to systematic errors.
- Emotional intelligence: Examine the relationship between emotions, self-awareness and decision-making.
- Stress and decision fatigue: Understand how pressure, repeated choices and limited mental resources affect decision quality.
- Group decision-making: Explore the influence of group dynamics, shared assumptions and psychological safety on team decisions.
- Behavioural economics and nudging: Learn how the design of choices and decision environments can influence behaviour.
- Motivation and behavioural drivers: Examine the factors that influence human actions and choices.
- Risk, framing and uncertainty: Understand why people interpret risks differently and how the presentation of information affects judgement.
- Ethical and organisational applications: Consider how psychological and behavioural insights can be applied in workplace contexts.
