Goal

The goal of the class is to gain a better understanding of the situational, biological, cognitive, and evolutionary factors that drive consumer behavior. We will address these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective, including relevant theories and empirical research findings from Psychology, Marketing, Cognitive Science, Biology, and Economics.

Description

Consumer decisions are ubiquitous in daily life and they can have long-ranging and important consequences for individual (financial) well-being and health but also for societies and the planet as a whole. To help people making better choices it is important to understand the factors that influence their behavior. Towards this goal, we will explore how consumer behavior is shaped by social influences, situational and cognitive constraints, as well as by emotions, motivations, evolutionary forces, neuronal processes, and individual differences. Across all topics covered in class, we will engage with basic theoretical work as well as with groundbreaking empirical research and current scientific debates.

The lecture will be held in English.

Grading

There will be a written exam at the last day of class. The exam will cover the content of the lecture and the literature listed in the required reading list that will be made available to enrolled students on the first day of class. The the exam questions will be in English. You are allowed to bring a language dictionary into the exam but you are not allowed to bring notes. 

Workload

The total workload for this course is approximately 135 hours.

Presence time: 30 hours

Preparation and wrap-up of the course: 45 hours

Exam and exam preparation: 60 hours

Comment

This lecture features a “double down” format: There will be two lecture sessions in a row during the first half of the semester. Thus, you will be finished with this class after 7 weeks.

Will be made available to enrolled students on the first day of class.