Attitudes and Persuasion

PSYCH 4630: Attitudes and Persuasion

Attitudes impact much of our everyday lives, including our behavior, goals, and even personal memories. In this course you will learn where our attitudes originate, the functions that they serve, and the processes by which attitudes are changed (“persuasion”). You will also gain practice analyzing scientific experiments related to attitudes and persuasion.

Prereq: A grade of C- or above in 2220, 2300, and either 2367.01, 3325, 3325H, or 3375.

Credit Hours

Sample Topics

Attitude Basics
Attitude Structure
Stats and Methods crash course
Measurement - Explicit & Implicit
Functions: Attention, Interpretation, Memory
Formation: Mere Exposure, Conditioning
Cognitive Dissodance
Attitude-Behavior Consistency
Social & Cultural Influences
Attitudes across time & the lifespan
Self-Defining Attitudes
Valence Weighting Bias
Attitudes & Motor Movements
Controversies in the field
Meta-cognition & Bias correction
Conspiracy & Misinformation

Meets the following Psychology Major Goals:

Knowledge Base in Psychology

Describe key concepts, principles, & overarching themes in psychology
Develop working knowledge of psychology's content domains
Describe applications of psychology

Scientific Inquiry & Critical Thinking

Use scientific reasoning to interpret psychological phenomena
Demonstrate psychology information literacy
Engage in innovative & integrative thinking & problem solving
Interpret, design, & conduct basic psychological research
Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry

Ethical & Social Responsibility in a Diverse World

Adopt values that build community at local, national, & global levels

Communication

Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes
Interact effectively with others

Professional Development

Apply psychological content & skills to career goals
Exhibit self-efficacy & self regulation
Refine project-management skills