What do people fear the most? What do our dreams mean? Are we born racists? What makes us happy? What are the causes and treatments of mental illness? This course attempts to answer these and many other questions through a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. It explores topics such as perception, communication, learning, memory, decision making, persuasion, emotions and social behavior. Let’s look at how these areas of the mind develop in children, how they differ from person to person, how they are connected to the brain, and how they are broken by disease and injury.