PS927: Neuroeconomics (2021/22)
Module Code: |
PS927 |
Module Name: |
Neuroeconomics |
Module Credits (CATS): |
15 |
Module Convener |
Elliot Ludvig |
Module Teachers |
Elliot Ludvig |
Module Aims The module will introduce students to the key theories and major findings in neuroeconomics. Core questions that will be addressed include: What are the neural substrates of subjective values, delay discounting, and risk aversion? How does the brain learn from rewarding experience? Can neuroscientific discoveries inform economic theory? How can neuroeconomic ideas be used and applied in the real world? Students will learn the requisite background and directly engage the primary literature. |
Learning Outcomes |
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By the end of the module, students should be able to:
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Assessed by:
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Module Work Load |
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Module Length |
10 weeks |
Lectures |
10 lectures of 2 hours each |
Seminars |
8 seminars of 1 hour each |
Attendance |
Attendance at lectures and seminars is compulsory |
Module Assessment |
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Assessed work: Essay - 4000 words Weekly thought questions – based on weekly lecture topics Group presentation – based on thought questions |
Weighting: 45% 5% 10% |
Exams: 2 Class Tests – medium-length and long answers |
Weighting: 40% |
Module Programme |
Topics covered on the course will likely include:
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Module Reading List |
Glimcher, P. & Fehr, E. (2013). Neuroeconomics: Decision Making and the Brain (2nd edition). Academic Press: London. Sutton, R. & Barto, A. (1998/2014). Reinforcement Learning. (2nd edition). MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. Redish, A. D. (2013). The Mind within the Brain: How We Make Decision and How Those Decisions Go Wrong. Oxford University Press: Oxford. Kahneman, D. (2012). Thinking Fast and Slow. Farrar, Strauss, Giroux: New York. Dayan, P. & Abbott, L. E. (2005). Theoretical Neuroscience. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. Glimcher, P. (2004). Decisions, Uncertainty, and the Brain: The Science of Neuroeconomics. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA. Greene, J. (2014). Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason and the Gap Between Us and Them. Atlantic Books: London. |