Decision Making in the Brain 🧠
How do we make decisions? What drives our choices? And what can we do to make better decisions?
Course Information
| Instructor | Lucy Lai, Ph.D. (lucylai@g.harvard.edu OR lai@ucsd.edu) |
| TA | Janet Tung (j5tung@ucsd.edu) |
| Dates | July 1 - August 3, 2024 |
| Location | UC Zoom 😛 (Link in course Canvas) |
| Lectures | M/T/W/Th at 5-6:20pm PDT |
| Discussion | T/Th at 1-1:50pm PDT (One assigned section required, please read syllabus) |
| Office Hours | Monday & Wednesday after class until 7pm, or by appointment |
| Prerequisites | COGS 17 (or instructor permission) |
| Website | cogs180.github.io/su24 |
Quick links
- Course Syllabus
- Course Canvas (used for course files, announcements, and assignment submissions).
Course Schedule
Week 1
- Jul 1 (M)
- Pre-course survey DUE
- Pre-course survey
- HW 1 RELEASED Due Jul 5
- HW 1
- Syllabus quiz and learning goals released Due Jul 3
- Syllabus quiz and learning goals
- Jul 2 (Tu)
- Readings 📖
- Readings 📖
- Jul 3 (W)
- NO CLASS TODAY!
- Syllabus quiz and learning goals DUE Submit to this Canvas link!
- Submit assignment
- Jul 4 (Th)
- NO CLASS TODAY! Enjoy your July 4th! 🇺🇸
- Jul 5 (F)
- HW 1 DUE Submit homework on this Canvas link!
- Submit HW1
- SUBMIT GROUP PRESENTATION PAPER Submit your top 2 paper choices here!
- Submit paper choice
Week 2
- Jul 8 (M)
- Readings 📖
- HW 2 RELEASED Due Jul 12
- HW2
- SUBMIT GROUP PRESENTATION PAPER If you haven’t already, please submit your top 2 paper choices here!
- Submit paper choice
- Readings 📖
- Jul 9 (Tu)
- Readings 📖
- Readings 📖
- Jul 10 (W)
- Readings 📖
- Readings 📖
- Jul 11 (Th)
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Insensitivity to future consequences following damage to human prefrontal cortex
- Group presentations begin
- Presentation groups and dates
- Readings 📖
- Jul 12 (F)
- HW 2 DUE at 11:59pm anywhere in the world
- Submit HW2
Week 3
- Jul 15 (M)
- Readings 📖
- Perceptual decision making: drift-diffusion model is equivalent to a Bayesian model (Link between DDMs and Bayesian Decision Theory…for the mathematically inclined)
- Group presentation paper: Dissociation of working memory from decision making within the human prefrontal cortex
- HW 3 RELEASED Due Jul 19
- HW3
- FINAL PROJECT RELEASED Due Aug 3
- Final project assignment
- Readings 📖
- Jul 16 (Tu)
- TD example: Schultz 1997 worked out step-by-step 🎥 Work out this example yourself by following the slides to better understand the TD algorithm!
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Matching behavior and the representation of value in the parietal cortex
- TD example: Schultz 1997 worked out step-by-step 🎥 Work out this example yourself by following the slides to better understand the TD algorithm!
- Jul 17 (W)
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Impulsivity and Response Inhibition Related Brain Networks in Adolescents With Internet Gaming Disorder
- Readings 📖
- Jul 18 (Th)
- LEC 10 Computational psychiatry 🎥
- Slides
- Readings 📖
- Jul 19 (F)
- HW 3 DUE
- Submit HW3
Week 4
- Jul 22 (M)
- In-class nudge activity
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Will You Accept an Imperfect AI? Exploring Designs for Adjusting End-user Expectations of AI Systems
- HW 4 RELEASED Due 26
- HW4
- In-class nudge activity
- Jul 23 (Tu)
- LEC 12 Human-centered design 🎥
- Slides
- Readings 📖
- Jul 24 (W)
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Building machines that learn and think like people
- Readings 📖
- Jul 25 (Th)
- (Apologies for this recording, we did group presentations at the beginning of class, but I failed to record until after the presentation was over)
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Beyond Accuracy: The Role of Mental Models in Human-AI Team Performance
Decision making resources for your own life! 🤔
- (Apologies for this recording, we did group presentations at the beginning of class, but I failed to record until after the presentation was over)
- Jul 26 (F)
- HW 4 DUE
- Submit HW4
Week 5
- Jul 29 (M)
- Readings 📖
- Group presentation paper: Does automation bias decision-making?
- Group presentation paper: Towards a Science of Human-AI Decision Making
- HW 5 RELEASED Due Aug 4
- HW5
- Post-course survey RELEASED Due Aug 5
- Post-course survey
- UCSD course evaluation Due Aug 2
- SET evaluations
- Readings 📖
- Jul 30 (Tu)
- Final Project Presentations Day 1 🎥
- Final presentation dates
- Submit presentation slides here
- In-class final presentation evaluation form
- Jul 31 (W)
- Final Project Presentations Day 2 🎥
- Final presentation dates
- Submit presentation slides here
- In-class final presentation evaluation form
- Aug 1 (Th)
- Final Project Presentations Day 3 🎥
- Final presentation dates
- Submit presentation slides here
- In-class final presentation evaluation form
- Aug 2
- UCSD course evaluations DUE Please please complete the official UCSD course evaluations so you can help out future students (and me!)
- SET evaluations
- Aug 3 (Sa)
- FINAL PROJECT PAPER DUE by 11:59pm anywhere in the world
- Submit final paper
- Aug 4 (Su)
- HW 5 DUE by 11:59pm anywhere in the world
- Submit HW5
- Aug 5 (M)
- Post-course survey DUE by 11:59pm anywhere in the world
- Post-course survey
- Submit completion code