Studying at York
Human Risk - PSY00096M
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The concept of risk is an outgrowth of society’s great concern about coping with the hazards of every day life. Risk is not simply a matter of numbers. Advances in cognitive science have shown that understanding risk involves grappling with individual differences, context, and societal factors. In an ever-changing world, do the psychological models built to explain human reactions to risk still apply? Has recent research improved our understanding of how people perceive and act in relation to risk? In this module, we will use current examples to address these questions and provide an up-to-date overview of what is known about the psychology of risk.
Module learning outcomes
- Discuss the development of rational approaches to risk and their relation to psychological theory
- Critically evaluate how everyday decision making deviates from rational decision making in systematic and predictable ways
- Integrate the role of risk at different levels of analysis—brain, person, group, society—and over different timescales
- Reason about the impact of decisions taken now on the future of humanity.
Module content
- Tackling hazard head on: the science of risk
- Individual differences risk tolerance
- Fear, uncertainty, doubt: the emotional component
- Neurohazard: risk and brain science
- Risk illusions and cognitive biases
- Safety in numbers and the madness of crowds: Risk in social contexts
- “DON’T PANIC!” Communicating risk
- Superforecasters
- The ultimate risk.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 40 |
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 60 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 40 |
| Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled) | 60 |
Module feedback
The marks on all assessed work will be provided on e-vision.
Indicative reading
N/A