CF

Understanding Cognitive Biases

10h 51m 35s
English
Paid

Understanding Cognitive Biases is a 24-lesson 10 hours 51 minutes self-paced course by Alexander B. Swan, Wondrium (The Great Courses). Understand how your brain’s efficiency shortcuts can leave you with a biased view of the world and learn how to combat these tendencies in your everyday life.

Course facts

Lessons
24
Duration
10 hours 51 minutes
Level
All levels
Language
English
Updated
Instructor
Alexander B. Swan, Wondrium (The Great Courses)
Price
Premium

Understand how your brain’s efficiency shortcuts can leave you with a biased view of the world and learn how to combat these tendencies in your everyday life.

As you read this sentence, your brain has just processed about 20 million bits of information. And yet, that astonishing number just isn’t enough to get you through your day. Consequently, your brain takes some shortcuts, including cognitive biases—when the brain fills in gaps of solid, reliable information with a lot of guesswork for efficiency’s sake. In Understanding Cognitive Biases, Dr. Alexander B. Swan uses examples from psychology experiments, history, politics, movies, TV, comics, social media, and more to illustrate dozens of cognitive biases that affect us all and shows you how to combat them for a clearer, more accurate view of the world.

Who teaches Understanding Cognitive Biases?

Alexander B. Swan

Alexander B. Swan thumbnail

Alexander B. Swan is an educator and writer focused on cognitive psychology and the systematic study of how thinking biases shape decisions in everyday and professional life.

His CourseFlix listing carries Understanding Cognitive Biases — a structured walkthrough of the major cognitive bias categories (confirmation bias, availability heuristic, anchoring, the framing effect, motivated reasoning) and the practical patterns for noticing and counteracting them in real-world thinking.

Material is paid and aimed at general adult learners interested in better thinking practice. The course sits in the broader Soft Skills & Communication catalog on CourseFlix.

Wondrium (The Great Courses)

Wondrium (The Great Courses) thumbnail

Wondrium (formerly The Great Courses Plus and originally The Great Courses) is a US online education platform that has been publishing university-level video lecture series since 1990. The platform's distinctive contribution is the depth and production quality of its courses — each is taught by a tenured university professor with the production values of a documentary series, not a YouTube tutorial.

The catalog covers academic disciplines rather than technical-skill training: history, philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, music theory, religion, economics. Material is taught by faculty from Stanford, Yale, Princeton, the University of Chicago, MIT, and similar institutions. Wondrium is typically used by intellectually-curious adult learners filling in the liberal-arts side of their education.

The CourseFlix listing under this source carries over 19 Wondrium / Great Courses titles spanning that range — sitting in the broader CourseFlix catalog as general-interest reference rather than as a software-engineering track. Material is paid; Wondrium itself runs on a monthly / annual subscription on the original platform.

What lessons are included in Understanding Cognitive Biases?

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#1: 1 Why we're blind to our own biases
All Course Lessons (24)
#Lesson TitleDurationAccess
1
1 Why we're blind to our own biases Demo
18:26
2
2 Things we want to be true Confirmation bias
30:12
3
3 We see people in and behind everything
30:03
4
4 We love it because we built it
22:31
5
5 Why we think differently in groups
28:17
6
6 Learn better with cognitive biases
26:32
7
7 Expectations change results Observer bias
26:27
8
8 BIas boot camp for better decisions
29:57
9
9 We think other's behaviors are their fault
30:20
10
10 How memory is biased toward misinformation
26:33
11
11 How fast thinking leads to a Great fall
26:16
12
12 I knew it all along Hindsight Bias
27:22
13
13 Even random outcomes lead to bias
29:00
14
14 How con artists exploit our biases
24:01
15
15 Stereotypes See the person, not the group
27:59
16
16 Biases from knowing too much or too little
27:09
17
17 Is that memory mine or someone else's
27:05
18
18 I believe, therefore I think Belief bias
30:34
19
19 Why emotional peaks and endings matter
25:24
20
20 We lie to be socially desirable
27:05
21
21 Why emotional gaps cause trouble
29:37
22
22 Only survivors tell the story
29:05
23
23 Reactance You can't watch this lecture!
25:08
24
24 Statu quo The more things change
26:32
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Books

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What courses are similar to Understanding Cognitive Biases?

Frequently asked questions

What are the prerequisites for enrolling in this course?
There are no formal prerequisites for enrolling in the course. The course is designed to be accessible to anyone with an interest in psychology and cognitive processes. It uses examples from various fields like history, politics, and social media to ensure that concepts are relatable and easy to grasp.
What kind of projects or exercises are included in the course?
The course includes various illustrative examples rather than hands-on projects. It employs psychology experiments and real-world scenarios to demonstrate cognitive biases, such as Confirmation Bias, Observer Bias, and Hindsight Bias. These examples help students understand how biases manifest in everyday situations and how they can combat them.
Who is the target audience for this course?
This course is ideal for anyone interested in understanding how cognitive biases affect decision-making and perception. It is especially useful for students of psychology, professionals in fields where decision-making is critical, and individuals looking to improve their critical thinking skills.
How does this course compare in depth to other courses on cognitive psychology?
This course provides a focused examination of cognitive biases, covering dozens of specific biases through 24 lessons. It uses diverse sources like movies, TV, and social media to illustrate concepts, which may offer a more applied perspective compared to traditional cognitive psychology courses that might focus more on theoretical aspects.
What specific tools or platforms does the course utilize?
The course does not require any specific tools or platforms. It is delivered through video lectures that incorporate examples from various media, including comics and social media, to explain the concepts of cognitive biases effectively.
What topics are not covered in this course?
While the course provides a comprehensive overview of cognitive biases, it does not delve into other aspects of cognitive psychology such as neuropsychology or the biological underpinnings of cognition. It focuses specifically on biases and their implications for decision-making and perception.
What is the expected time commitment for this course?
The course consists of 24 lessons, but the total runtime is not specified. It is advisable for students to allocate time for each lesson and for reviewing the examples and concepts presented to fully understand and apply the material in practical contexts.