This is an online course in experimentation as a method of the empirical social sciences, directed at science newcomers and undergrads. We cover topics such as:
- How do we know what’s true?
- How can one recognize false conclusions?
- What is an experiment?
- What are experiments good for, and what can we learn from them?
- What makes a good experiment and how can I make a good experiment?

The aim of the course is to illustrate the principles of experimental insight. We also discuss why experiments are the gold standard in empirical social sciences and how a basic understanding of experimentation can also help us deal with questions in everyday life.

But it is not only exciting research questions and clever experimental set-ups that are needed for experiments to really work well. Experiments and the knowledge gained from them should be as freely accessible and transparent as possible, regardless of the context. Only then can other thinkers and experimenters check whether the results can be reproduced. And only then can other thinkers and experimenters build their own experiments on reliable original work. This is why the online course Open for Insight also discusses how experiments and the findings derived can be developed and communicated openly and transparently.

In this course you will learn about social cognition—the part of psychology that deals with how individuals understand and make sense of the social world. You will learn about research that allows you to better understand how people think about and act upon their social environment and the people who inhabit it. On the one hand, social cognition is a theoretical, fundamental part of psychology. It can give us answers about such fundamental questions as: how do people form opinions? Or: why do people sometimes do good things, and sometimes they behave unfairly or in a morally questionable way? On the other hand, social cognition is also a practical part of psychology because it allows you to make sense of social phenomena, which can in turn be applied to areas such as consumer decisions. The course covers classical psychological research about social cognition, and also discusses current debates in the field.

The aims of the course are to help you gain knowledge and understanding about theoretical and empirical perspectives, and to practice making judgments about the scientific literature we address. Specifically, on successful completion of this course, you will be able to

- explain key ways through which social settings influence cognitive functioning and overt behavior,
- explain the key theoretical concepts applied to explain of classical effects found in the social cognition literature,
- explain the design of classical studies in social cognition,
- interpret the results of classical studies in social cognition,
- compare the results of classical, more recent and replication studies in social cognition,
- illustrate selected cognitive and behavioral findings from the social cognition literature,
- plan your future approach to studying established scientific literature on social cognition while integrating state-of-the-art findings.

The contents are:
- History & Concepts
- Memory
- Heuristics & Biases
- Deliberate Decisions
- Affect, Mood & Emotions
- Automaticity
- Stereotypes
- Social Comparison
- Prosociality & Morality
- Consumer Behavior
- Approach & Avoidance