The Psychology of Professional Learning and Development

School of Business and Economics

The Psychology of Professional Learning and Development

Full course description

When do smart people make stupid decisions? Why can't you force people to be creative? How do you become an expert at something? And why do some experts fail, make mistakes, or become overconfident in decision making?

The present course analyzes and examines how people make decisions in business and everyday life. Based on insights from cognitive psychology we explore how professionals make decisions and learn in different work settings. Specifically we will study such topics as cognitive biases, creativity, learning from failure, and expertise development. The course provides a strong foundation in cognitive psychology that can contribute to your understanding in many different domains, such as (behavioral) economics, finance and marketing.

Learning in this course is based on a series of experiments conducted in the classroom and through projects and assignments with your peers, tutor, and in small groups to understand the nature of cognition in the business context.

Course objectives

You will explore and apply theoretical concepts of cognitive psychology to develop an understanding about what enables professionals to become top performers in their field. Throughout the course, you will develop the skill to apply theoretical concepts to(business) practice, cases, as well as to your own experiences and educational situation. This transfer will be done through modeling complex situations and formulating specific implications and recommendations. You will also learn to manage your own and others' learning with a special emphasis on feedback-seeking.

Prerequisites

Students need to be interested in issues of decision-making, learning and human performance. An advanced level of English is crucial to engage in all activities in this course.

The Psychology of Professional Learning and Development