96468 - Communication Psychology

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have acquired psychological knowledge useful for understanding communicative behaviors. In particular, the student will be familiar with the main concepts and rules related to communicative competence, both verbal and non-verbal, and will be able to understand some of the cognitive, affective, and decision-making mechanisms underlying the processes of purchasing and consuming products and services in general, with a specific focus on food-related ones.

Course contents

Introduction to the Psychology of Communication

• Basic concepts of communication
• Understanding and producing messages
• Visual and verbal codes
• Nonverbal communication
• Persuasive communication

Psychology of Communication and Neuromarketing

• Introduction to persuasive communication and neuromarketing
• Perception and the role of communication
• Attention and awareness in marketing
• The role of emotions in persuasive processes
• Rationality, unawareness, and decisions
• Learning, memorization, and the role of communication
• Implicit and explicit attitudes and their measurement for persuasion
• The rules of persuasion and the contribution of neuromarketing

Applications

• Mass communication
• Marketing and communication
• Communication and health promotion
• Communication technologies and social media

Readings/Bibliography

- Slides

- Introduzione alla psicologia della comunicazione, by Lotto and Rumiati, Ed. il Mulino (2013)

- Vincenzo Russo. Psicologia della comunicazione e neuromarketing, Ed. Pearson, MyLab (2017)

Teaching methods

The instructor will use slides to summarize the principles of Communication Psychology and Neuromarketing. Students will have the opportunity to access visual materials such as interesting videos taken from YouTube. Furthermore, specific neuroscientific investigation techniques applied to communication and the study of persuasion in advertising and gastronomy will be covered.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist of a multiple-choice test covering all the topics in the textbook.

There will be 30 multiple-choice questions to be completed within a time limit of 20 minutes. The scoring will be as follows: +1 point for each correct answer, 0 points for each unanswered question.

The exam will be considered passed if a score equivalent to half of the maximum attainable score is achieved.

Teaching tools

- Course slides
- Textbooks (Psychology of Communication and Neuromarketing)
- Articles
- Course-related videos from YouTube

Office hours

See the website of Andrea Pavan