Biased? Me? How Biology & Psychology Affect Our Opinions and Actions

Take the Course

So much of practicing law involves decision-making and convincing others to make better decisions based on fact rather than emotion. This course is intended to guide attendees to appreciate how they involuntarily make decisions and teach them to recognize and prevent bias. We'll examine the following:

• The biology of human decision-making, including emotion, mood, complex cognition, and reasoning

• The psychology of decision-making, heuristics, and issue-framing

• The seven steps to effective decision-making

• Self-serving bias, confirmation bias, and epistemic closure

• The backfire effect of receiving contradictory evidence

• Crushing your insular cortex to relieve the stress of unacceptable truth

• Justification and politicization

• Tipping points to change misperceptions

• Professional training received by judges

• Strategies to prevent bias in your decision-making

• Strategies for communicating to third-parties