PSYC 008. First-Year Seminar: Language, Psychology, and Advertising

This course explores the social and cognitive mechanisms of language through the lens of advertising. Marketers and politicians have an intuitive grasp of many of the ways in which communication works. We will investigate the psychological and linguistic underpinnings of how people communicate literally and between the lines in order to understand how and when these messages are effective. We will also review the role that mental processes such as attention, memory, inference, and decision making play in shaping how we interpret persuasive messages. Having a better grasp of these mechanisms will help students consciously evaluate the intended impact of certain advertising techniques. A further goal is to provide conceptual tools for evaluating the scientific soundness of laws and policies pertaining to advertising.
Social sciences.
1 credit.
Eligible for COGS

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