CONTENT + SKILLS GAINED

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

Humans are undoubtedly fascinating beings, and our brains work in mysterious ways – even to ourselves! Cognitive science is essentially the study of all things related to how the brain works and how our minds organize information. It’s a vast field that is continuously evolving as we scientifically advance. But to understand where to focus your efforts as a change-maker and know where to intervene, you need to understand the intersections of behavior, bias, attitudes, and social structures.

WHAT YOU WILL UNCOVER IN THIS COURSE

  • Sift through how you have been taught to think to formulate a base understanding of the mental processes that influence decision making.

  • Discover the cause and effect relationship of neurochemical influencers, while identifying and relating to them in your own life.

  • Determine and understand the dynamic impacts that cognitive bias and social conditioning has on us all

  • Recognize the many powerful influences that subconsciously impact our day to day decision making

CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION

Available for this course

Certificates are issued by the UnSchool (using third party certifier Accredible.com) upon successful and demonstrable completion of all course elements. Accredible uses bank-level encryption and blockchain logging to ensure legitimacy and verification, and offers easy to share credentials that you can receive as a downloadable PDF, share on LinkedIn and other digital platforms. Accredible also allows you to control your own data via their credential portal, accessible for free when you receive any certificates or badges.

Dr. Leyla Acaroglu

Instructor Bio:

Sustainability provocateur, award-winning designer, 2016 UNEP Champion of the Earth, and creative changemaker pioneer, Dr. Leyla Acaroglu challenges people to think differently about how the world works. As the founder of the UnSchool and creator of the Disruptive Design Method, Leyla weaves together her skills as a designer, sociologist, and social entrepreneur to create highly immersive educative experiences. She is a renowned international expert on systems thinking and sustainability, running workshops around the world and designing activating experiences, gamified toolkits, and unique educational experiences that help equip people with the tools to intervene and change systems to make the status quo obsolete. Sought after for her unique approach to activating positive social change by design, Leyla's main-stage TED talk on sustainability has been viewed over a million times, and she is the author of several handbooks, as well as an op ed contributor for major publications like the New York Times.

Dr. Leyla Acaroglu

UnSchool Founder + Global Change Maker

COURSE CONTENT

  • 01

    Welcome

  • 02

    Part 1: How does the brain work?

    • Read: Wonders of The Human Brain

    • Video: How does the brain work?

    • Read: Neurochemicals

    • Activity: Neurochemical Impact

    • Read: The Human Cognitive Experience

    • Read: Social Construction

    • Knowledge Check: Cognitive Science

  • 03

    Part 2: Are Humans Rational?

    • Read: Human Rationality

    • Watch: Are Humans Rational?

    • Read: The Human Experience & Decision Making

    • Read: Social Norms

    • Read: Social Mechanism that affects human decision making

    • Read: Types of Motivation

    • Read: Habits

    • Read: Cognitive Dissonance

    • Watch: Cognitive Dissonance

    • Activity: Cognitive Dissonance Worksheet

    • Read: Status Anxiety

    • Knowledge Check: Are Humans Rational?

  • 04

    Part 3: Busting Cognitive Biases

    • Read: Cognitive Bias

    • Watch: Busting Cognitive Biases

    • Read: Types of Cognitive Bias

    • Activity: Cognitive Bias Check

    • Read: Confirmation Bias

    • Read: Bystander Effect

    • Read: Choice Paralysis

    • Activity: Functional Fixation Busting

    • Knowledge Check: Busting Cognitive Biases

  • 05

    Part 4: Hacking Your Brain Through Cognitive Interventions

    • Read: Hacking Your Own Bias

    • Video: Hacking Your Biases Through Cognitive Interventions

    • Read: Unconscious Bias

    • Read: 2 Thinking Systems

    • Read: The Framing Effect

    • Activity: Busting Bias Worksheet

    • Knowledge Check: Cognitive Interventions
  • 06

    Part 5: The Brain and Making Change

    • Read: Making Change

    • Watch: The Brain & Making Change

    • Read: Neuroplasticity

    • Read: Social Influence and Change

    • Read: Personal Agency and Sphere of Influence

    • Knowledge Check: The Brain & Making Change

  • 07

    Conclusion

    • Tying It All Together

    • Cognitive Science & Biases Final Reflection

    • Additional Resources and Links

    • A message From Leyla
  • 08

    Completion Certificate

    • Cognitive Science & Biases Final Knowledge Check

    • Get your certificate of completion!

  • 09

    Next Steps

    • Continue Your Learning Journey!

WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THE UNSCHOOL PROGRAMS

“My point of view on life is to keep exploring the world. That's why I love to travel, it is first-hand learning. The UnSchool has the same feeling – getting to know a lot of people from different backgrounds – and it's exciting to learn new subjects: systems thinking, sustainability and most importantly, change. It shaped who I am now!”

Rox De La Fuente

“Dr. Leyla Acaroglu's Disruptive Design Workshop is brain-bending, fun, and high-velocity, going far beyond typical design thinking. It's exactly what is needed right now for solving complex environmental and social challenges (and they are all complex.) Leyla delivered a serious arsenal of tools and methods for creating the kinds of purpose-driven, disruptive products and experiences we all need to bring to life.”

Jeff Corkran

“"The UnSchool provided an opportunity to strengthen a network of likeminded social entrepreneurs, inspire disruptive design, celebrate epic innovation and reaffirm my previous knowledge"”

Charlotte Rose

COGNITIVE BIAS

UNCOVER YOUR OWN

This course will help you wrap your head around the relationship between the brain’s inner workings, our experiences of the world, and consequently, our capacity to influence and effect change in it.

From the conscious to subconscious, you'll gain insight into neurochemical influencers, the power of social influencers and norms, the force of biases on our emotions, perceptions and actions.

We will explore how we make decisions and the power of social influencers that subtly construct our personal world and the wider human experience. 

Look at what motivates people in their decision making (it’s not always what you think!) and the effects those choices have on our day-to-day lives. Investigate how cognitive experiences and biases greatly influence perceptions and actions. 

This is the perfect, definitive guide for any human brain owner - an operating manual for understanding and  hacking your own fears, thoughts, and actions. 

By the end of the course, you'll be equipped to begin identifying and recoding the biases that impede rational decision making AND will have a more nuanced understanding of how to motivate changes and actions, with people's (not so rational) brains in mind.

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