Skip to main content Skip to secondary navigation

Winter Deadline EXTENDED to 11:59PM tonight (Mon 11/4)

We realize there’s a lot going on in the world right now…so we’re giving you a few extra hours this evening to make your Winter IntroSem selections. Deadline extended to 11:59PM tonight, Monday, November 4. Act fast. Late submissions and emailed entreaties will not be accepted after this time! Click on Seminars to review your options and go to the IntroSems’ VCA to submit your statement and rank your top three.

Main content start

PSYC 21Q: How we think as how we feel: Cognitive and emotional influences on mental health

Application Deadline: November 4

General Education Requirements

Not currently certified for a requirement. Courses are typically considered for Ways certification a quarter in advance.


Course Description

Plato described Reason and Emotion as two horses pulling a chariot in different directions. Was he right? By the end of this course, you will be able to decide for yourself, based on the latest scientific evidence. We will start by reading philosophical texts that establish the classical Western view of emotion and cognition as opposing forces, and of emotion as detrimental to rational decision-making. We will then put these views to the test by examining evidence from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry. You will learn how thoughts and emotions affect perception, memory, and decision-making. You might be surprised to learn how often thoughts and feelings influence one another!

We will then turn to practical applications. First, we will examine the effects of thoughts and feelings on rational decision-making. When thoughts and feelings compete, which one wins? Is it ever rational to follow your emotions? Second, we will examine evidence from different stages of development about the effect of cognitive abilities on decision-making. Are children ever more rational than adults? Third, we will learn about the role of thinking and feeling in mental health, and in disorders such as anxiety, depression, and autism. We will also discuss cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people change how they feel by changing how they think. Fourth, we will examine the role of the physical body in influencing thoughts and feelings. Is sleep as good as overnight therapy? Is there a scientific basis for the notion that emotions originate from the heart? By the end of this course, you will be able to describe whether the best decisions come from the head, the heart, or their interaction.

Course sessions will comprise lectures and group discussions/laboratory activities. Assessments will include written assignments, quizzes, and a final presentation.


Meet the Instructor: Christina Chick

Christina Chick

Christina F. Chick

"I am a cognitive psychologist and an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. I am fascinated by the ways in which cognitive and emotional functioning interact at different stages of development, and how these processes contribute to mental health and mental illness. Before coming to Stanford, I studied how emotion and cognition affected decision-making in adolescents versus adults. My current research examines the mechanistic contributions of sleep, cognition and affect to the onset and course of psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. I truly enjoy working with undergraduate students in both the classroom and the laboratory, and I welcome your inquiries about this course."

More News Topics

More News