The course aims to provide basic knowledge on the functioning of cognitive, emotional, and social processes that guide and influence decision-making, which is necessary to predict and direct consumer choice behavior, considering the evaluation of available alternatives. Rejecting the common assumption that human beings are fundamentally rational, the course will demonstrate how our errors are systematic and predictable and, consequently, how they can be used in choice architecture to actively guide individuals to choose what is best for themselves and for society, in everyday life and specifically in the context of consumption.

On this basis, the course aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools for developing and implementing transparent communications and effective decisions through the "nudge" approach, which involves presenting incentives and framing information to promote the most advantageous decisions for individuals and the community (e.g., sustainable consumption, healthy eating and lifestyles, social solidarity), while preserving freedom of choice and the integrity of information. Such knowledge, in a consumer-centered perspective, will be directly applicable to consumer behavior and experience, and useful for optimizing strategic decisions, communication, or the effectiveness of advertising campaigns in various organizational contexts. These skills are particularly important for communicators, operators, organizations, and institutions (public or private) that consider the well-being of the community the goal of their policies.

Finally, the course will provide the scientific tools necessary to understand the potential of Consumer Neuroscience, a discipline aimed at providing neuroscientific knowledge on the multiple unconscious processing factors underlying consumer behavior (not detectable through self-report measures or behavioral indices) and Neuromarketing, a practical application aimed at testing the effectiveness of different marketing strategies.

• Introduction to consumer psychology: the consumer as a decision-maker.
• Theories of judgment and decision-making: normative, descriptive and prescriptive models; the dual-process theory (intuitive vs. reflective information processing).
• Mental shortcuts and systematic errors in memory, reasoning and judgment, and their effects on consumer choices: belief and confirmation biases, law of small numbers bias, certainty bias; heuristics of affect, anchoring, availability, and representativeness.
• Loss aversion and the Prospect Theory.
• The framing effect in communication.
• The “nudge” approach: libertarian paternalism and choice architecture to improve well-being.
• Consumer self-nudging.
• Role of social context and groups in shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors: conformity, social identity, opinion leadership, influencers; use of social nudges.
• Principles and applications of Consumer Neuroscience and Neuromarketing: can we decode the unconscious mind of the consumer?
• The contribution of Positive Psychology: consuming for happiness.
• The "prosumer".

Examples and applications to the consumer context will be present for each topic covered, integrated with practical exercises.

None.

Knowledge and understanding:
Upon completion of this course, the student should demonstrate:
a. knowledge and mastery of the theoretical and methodological principles underlying the study of decision-making processes;
b. basic knowledge of the functioning of cognitive, emotional, and social processes that guide and influence decision-making, particularly in the context of consumption;
c. understanding of the mechanisms underlying the main systematic errors in judgment and decision-making processes, particularly in the context of consumption;
d. knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and methodological tools that can be used to promote, through choice architecture and communication, advantageous decisions for individuals and the community, particularly in the context of consumption;
e. understanding of the role played by social context and unconscious processing in shaping consumption attitudes and behaviors.

Applying knowledge and understanding:
The student should demonstrate the ability to apply to consumer behavior and experience the knowledge acquired on the functioning of decision-making processes, their related systematic errors, and choice architecture, in order to:
a. optimize strategic decisions, communication, or the effectiveness of advertising campaigns in various organizational contexts, in a consumer-centered perspective;
b. design decision environments that encourage people to choose what is best for themselves and for the community.

Making judgements:
The student should demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the role of psychological and social factors involved in decision-making processes and the use of systematic errors in memory, reasoning, and judgment in choice architecture designed within the context of consumption; identifying the limits and implications for professional practice, formulating hypotheses, identifying unresolved issues, and independently deepening their knowledge.

Communication skills:
The student should demonstrate the ability to clearly and coherently present the learned concepts, actively participate in discussion and exercise phases, and master the specific terminology related to decision and consumer psychology, also to the purpose of effectively communicating with other professionals in this field.

Learning skills:
The student will have acquired a good level of autonomy in integrating study materials, critically reading and interpreting information related to the main phenomena analyzed by decision and consumer psychology, connecting theoretical and empirical aspects of the scientific literature, and finding scientific information useful for deepening and updating their knowledge in this field.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

There are no instructional support activities planned.

Teaching

The course will include frontal lectures, video-clip projections, practical exercises, participation activities using online instruments.

Innovative teaching methods

Frontal lectures will be enhanced with interactive presentations on the Mentimeter platform to promote active learning and self-assessment, as well as to receive real-time feedback from students on the content of the lessons. Additionally, the educational practices of debate and problem-solving will be employed.

Attendance

The attendance of the lectures is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended.

Course books

• Lozza, E., Graffigna G. Introduzione alla psicologia dei consumatori. Il Mulino (Itinerari): Bologna, 2022.
• Kahneman, D. Pensieri lenti e veloci. Mondadori (Oscar Saggi Cult): Milano, 2022. Any reprint is acceptable, as long as it refers to the Italian translation of the original work published by the author in 2011.
• Thaler, R.H, Sunstein, C.R. Nudge. La spinta gentile. Universale Economica Feltrinelli/Saggi: Milano, 2024. Any reprint is acceptable, provided it refers to the Italian translation of the expanded edition of the work, published by the authors in 2021 (not the 2008 edition).
• The lecture slides, made available promptly on the Blended Learning course platform, are an integral part of the study material.

Assessment

The expected learning outcomes will be assessed through a written examination consisting of 15 multiple-choice questions and one open-ended question.

The multiple-choice questions are designed to assess the mastery of declarative knowledge and the understanding of concepts, models and practical examples covered during the course. Each question has three alternatives, of which only one is correct. Each question carries a value of 2 points, and there is no penalty for incorrect answers.

The open-ended question requires students to produce a short written essay on a topic covered in the course. It aims to assess the ability to integrate knowledge and skills to critically address the relationship among the topics discussed. The evaluation criteria are as follows: relevance and effectiveness of the answers in relation to the program content, ability to identify and highlight connections between different topics, level of articulation of the response, and appropriateness of the disciplinary language used.

The total time available to answer the multiple-choice questions and the open-ended question is 1 hour. The final grade, expressed in thirtieths, will be determined by the average of the scores obtained. In order to pass the exam, a minimum final grade of 18/30 is required, according to the following levels of proficiency:

0-17 (insufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are not achieved.
18-20 (sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" section are achieved.
21-23 (fully sufficient): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding" and "applying knowledge and understanding" sections are achieved.
24-26 (good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", and "making judgements" sections are achieved.
27-29 (very good): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding," "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", and "communication skills" sections are achieved.
30 and 30 cum laude (excellent): the learning outcomes specified in the "knowledge and understanding", "applying knowledge and understanding", "making judgements", "communication skills", and "learning skills" sections are fully achieved.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

This course does not differentiate between “attending” and “non-attending” students with regard to teaching methods, attendance obligations, course books or assessment.

Foreign students can contact the instructor to obtain study materials in English. Additionally, if they wish, they can request to take the exam in English by emailing the instructor at least one week before the examination date.

Some optional articles in English will be made available on the Blended Learning platform during the course.