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Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age
Course
en
English
Subtitles available
12 h
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- Self-paced
- Free Access
- Fee-based Certificate
- 4 Sequences
- Introductive Level
- Subtitles in German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian
Course details
Syllabus
- Week 1 - Introduction
Individuals and cultures can make themselves smarter. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, people have become enormously smarter. The Information Age requires a brand-new set of skills involving statistics, probability, cost-benefit analysis, prin... - Week 1 - Lesson 1: Statistics
Basic concepts of statistics and probability including the concepts of variable, normal distribution, standard deviation, correlation, reliability, validity, and effect size. Concrete examples are drawn from everyday life and show how the concepts can be used ... - Week 1 - Lesson 2: The Law of Large Numbers
How to think about events in such a way that they can be counted and a decision can be made about how much data is enough. You will learn about the concept of error variance and how it can be combatted by obtaining multiple observations. Your will learn that y... - Week 2 - Lesson 3: Correlation
It can be extremely difficult to make an accurate assessment of how two variables are related to one another; prior beliefs can be more important than data in estimating the strength of a given relationship. You will learn simple tools to estimate degree of as... - Week 2 - Lesson 4: Experiments
You will learn that correlations can only rarely provide conclusive evidence about whether one variable exerts a causal influence on another and why experiments provide far better evidence about causality than correlations. You will be shown how to conduct exp... - Week 3 - Lesson 5: Prediction
You will learn about the kinds of systematic errors we make when trying to predict the future. You will learn about regression to the mean and why you should assume that extreme values on a variable will be less extreme when next observed. You will learn how t... - Week 3 - Lesson 6: Cognitive Biases
We understand the world not through direct perception but through inferential procedures that we are unaware of. Our understanding of the world is heavily influenced by schemas or abstract representations of events. We are prone to serious judgment errors that... - Week 4 - Lesson 7: Choosing and Deciding
How to conduct a cost-benefit analysis. Why you should throw the analysis away after doing it if the decision is personal and very important. How to avoid throwing good money after bad. How to avoid doing something that will prevent you from doing something mo... - Week 4 - Lesson 8: Logic and Dialectical Reasoning
The distinction between inductive logic and deductive logic. Syllogisms. Conditional reasoning. The distinction between truth of an argument and validity of an argument. The concepts of necessity and sufficiency. Venn diagrams. Common logical errors. When to a... - Week 4 - Conclusion
Prerequisite
None.
Instructors
Richard E. Nisbett
Theodore M. Newcomb Distinguished University Professor
Department of Psychology
Editor
The University of Michigan (UM, UMich or simply Michigan) is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the United States. Founded in 1817, the university is Michigan's oldest and largest.
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world by taking a leadership role in creating, communicating, preserving, and applying academic knowledge, art, and values, and by developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
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