Cognition 101: How We Acquire Knowledge, Gain Understanding, and Make Decisions

Stuart Vyse, Ph.D., is the author of "Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition," which received the William James Book Award of the American Psychological Association. A celebrated psychologist and professor as well as a recognized author, he is the perfect guide for this audio series on the power of superstition. This wide-ranging course reveals the method to our madness in everything from finances to Friday the 13th. An expert on irrational behavior, Prof. Vyse discusses what it means to be rational before delving into the many reasoning errors and psychological challenges that lead us astray. In 15 lectures, you will learn to identify the logical fallacies and quirks of our psychology that tempt us to make unwise decisions. While the course is based in theory, it's also teeming with practical advice. You'll examine several popular conspiracy theories before exploring the remarkable staying power of common "bad luck" superstitions: How did these superstitions come to be? Is it always bad to be irrational? At what point do our beliefs veer into the territory of wishful thinking or willful ignorance? Packed with fun examples and everyday pointers, this course leaves you thinking long and hard about how you think. With Prof. Vyse's guidance, you'll learn to better understand your beliefs and make better decisions.

Revered as a consummate statesman who cemented America’s place on the global stage, Franklin Delano Roosevelt affected tremendous change in the United States in course of his career. To understand his life is to understand how the nation claimed world leadership in what many call the American Century. In this fascinating course, award-winning American history professor Jeffrey Webb introduces you to the man behind the legendary life. You’ll begin by learning about FDR’s privileged upbringing and early career in public service, explore his unconventional marriage to Eleanor Roosevelt, and recount his life-long struggle with paraplegia beginning at age 39. You’ll also cover FDR’s progressive policies as governor of New York during the Great Depression and the historic New Deal, which set the nation on a new path of social and political development. Prof. Webb provides enlightening context for FDR’s confrontation of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan and his celebrated leadership of the Allies. You’ll explore his wartime “home front” policies - including the internment of Japanese Americans - that dramatically expanded the power of the federal government. In this remarkable series, you’ll learn how FDR’s mind and career were shaped by the titanic events of his era, and how his leadership in this era of bewildering change defined America’s, and the world’s future.

How can you keep your brain sharp at any age? Drawing on the explosion of new evidence about brain health, Dr. Richard Isaacson, MD, shows you how to protect, engage, and exercise your brain over time. It's not just about living longer, but about living better. An award-winning professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College and a leading expert on brain health, Dr. Isaacson is also an exceptionally bright Alzheimer's clinical specialist. He earned his medical degree at age 23, and what's more, he has a personal stake in his research. As a preschooler, his uncle rescued him from drowning in a pool—an episode that bonded them for life. Years later, when Dr. Isaacson was in high school and applying to medical programs, his uncle was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. From that moment forward, Dr. Isaacson dedicated himself to advancing brain science and helping people optimize their brain health. Now, in this 12-lecture series, Dr. Isaacson disseminates his findings to thoughtful people like you—who care about enhancing your quality of life and that of your loved ones. You will reap a host of priceless benefits from this series if you follow Dr. Isaacson's advice. A calm, clear, and light-hearted speaker, he highlights the importance of incremental, actionable steps for optimizing brain health. Using science, you can take proactive steps today to keep your brain healthy and sharp.

Join Daniel Reisberg, Patricia & Clifford Lunneborg Professor of Psychology at Reed College, in an exploration of the slippery and surprising nature of memory. You rely on your memory in virtually every aspect of your life. In this engrossing audio series, cognitive psychology professor Daniel Reisberg shares modern scientific research on the function and failures of memory. You’ll cover theoretical points, delving into the biology of memory and memory disorders, as well as gain practical information that can help you improve your memory. In 15 eye-opening lectures, you’ll learn the answers to questions such as •What makes memory unreliable and malleable? •Can we “remember” things that never really happened? •Why do two people sometimes remember a shared experience differently? •Is memory a “use it or lose it” function? A consultant and expert witness on eyewitness testimony in judicial proceedings, Professor Reisberg shares his real-world experience of how incorrect or incomplete memories can lead to false convictions. You’ll also learn how to optimize your own memory, as well as how to recognize and cope with potential signs of memory disorders. You’ll discuss timely concerns such as whether the digital age is having a detrimental effect on our collective memory. You’ll also explore the implications of memory in the COVID-19 era.

Get science-based answers to your most pressing questions about your kids and the media in this pioneering audio series. Douglas A. Gentile—a parent, preeminent child psychologist, and award-winning professor—teaches you practical strategies for wiser media habits. In 23 engaging lectures, Dr. Gentile gives you the knowledge you need to foster healthy brain and social development, helping your children become calmer, happier, and more sociable. As you look at cutting-edge scientific discoveries, you will understand how your child's brain is wired, how it matures, and how the media molds it.   You'll discover the truth about media violence, the link between screen time and school performance, the surprising ways advertisers influence your child, and much more. With Dr. Gentile's advice, you'll learn to harness the positive effects of media and prevent harmful effects like video game addiction. Taught by one of America's leading experts, this course is the definitive parent's guide to children and the media. We live in a world flooded with multimedia influences. Now more than ever, good parenting requires science-based knowledge to enable you and your children to make good choices. As Prof. Gentile says, ""It's like knowing how a magic trick is performed."" You will leave the course understanding not only the "whats" of media psychology but also the "hows" and "whys" behind it.

Heralded as one of the world's greatest scholars of scholars of late medieval religious heterodoxy, Thomas Fudge combines scholarly insight with great storytelling. For centuries, the idea of witches living in our midst has enthralled us. How did this fascination develop? Why did it lead to the persecution of thousands of accused "witches," most of them women? What does the history of witch hunts reveal about our identities and Western civilization at large? Holding doctorates in both medieval history and theology, Prof. Fudge is the perfect guide for this audio course on witch-hunting. Under his tutelage, you will discover how a culture of paranoia developed, why those ideas appealed to men and women in the 16th and 17th centuries, and what effects linger even today. Throughout this 18-part series you will analyze primary sources to understand and contextualize the regulation, detection, and prosecution of alleged witchcraft. By studying the medieval foundations for modern manifestations of witch-hunting—like McCarthyism—you will become more conscientious of the social dynamics of witch-hunts. As Prof. Fudge underscores, witches are a topic "used, misused, and abused."