Not available in 2020/21
PB305 Half Unit
Social Neuroscience of Economic Life
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Frederic Basso
Availability
This course is available on the BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.
Optional course for BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science Year 3 and outside option for other second and third year students and General Course students, subject to pre-requisites
Pre-requisites
Students must have completed PS110.
Students should have taken PS110 (Fundamentals of Psychological Science) OR PS111 (Fundamentals of Behavioural Science)
Course content
The idea of a Social Neuroscience of Economic Life is not obvious. From the point of view of mainstream economics, economic life is under the scope of economics. Economics as a mathematical science is, to some extent, a rejection of social and (neuro-)psychological dimensions of economic life. And as the “queen of social sciences”, mainstream economics was even considered by some authors as the framework (the so-called “economic imperialism”) for studying social and (neuro-)psychological processes out of the economic life. This course introduces an approach that is different and complementary to the rational choice models that depict the economic actor as an information processor whose behaviour can be understood independently of specific contexts. Beyond Homo Economicus, this course considers Homo Sapiens with its rationality, but also with its embodied, emotional, social and cultural dimensions through the lens of neuroscience. Students will be encouraged to integrate the ideas from the course with their wider learning in psychological and behavioural sciences, and to consider the application of those ideas to real world cases and problems in economic life.
The course will include lecture and seminar contents such as:
Week 1: Introduction to Social Neuroscience of Economic Life
The Social Neuroscience of Decision Making
Week 2: From bounded rationality to emotions in decision-making
Week 3: From framing to stories in decision-making
The Social Neuroscience of Economic Interactions
Week 4: From sympathy to mentalizing
Week 5: From the mirror neuron system to embodied cognition
The Social Neuroscience of Consumption
Week 6: The neuroscience of self extension
Week 7: From product marketing to neuroaesthetics
Week 8: The neuroscience of persuasion
Week 9: Sensory marketing and neuromarketing
Conclusion
Week 10: The ethical issues of Social Neuroscience of Economic Life
Teaching
10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of classes in the LT.
The intensive learning of subject-specific and generic skills during teaching time will be supplemented in three ways by activities in reading week. These provide opportunities to take a wider perspective on the programme, to integrate its content and to develop personal and career-related skills:
1. LSELife activities to develop key skills for the course
2. Collective formative feedback and planning sessions for the formative assessments.
3. Sessions on the integration of ideas from this course with ideas from other courses on the programme.
Formative coursework
Students will be expected to produce 1 essay and 1 presentation in the LT.
In order to assess student performance and practice for the summative assessments, students will:
1. Write a 1,000-word essay.
2. Make a presentation prior to the summative presentation.
Indicative reading
Cacioppo, J.T, Visser, P.S., & Pickett, C.L. (2012). Social neuroscience: People thinking about thinking people. A Bradford Book.
Camerer, C., Loewenstein, G., & Prelec, D. (2005). Neuroeconomics: How Neuroscience Can Inform Economics. Journal of Economic Literature, 43(1), 9–64.
Glimcher, P. W., Camerer, C., Poldrack, R. A., & Fehr, E. (2008). Neuroeconomics: Decision making and the brain (1st ed.). Academic Press.
Lieberman, M. D. (2007). Social cognitive neuroscience: A Review of core processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 58(1), 259–289.
Plassmann, H., Venkatraman, V., Huettel, S., & Yoon, C. (2015). Consumer neuroscience: Applications, challenges, and possible solutions. Journal of Marketing Research, 52(4), 427–435.
Students will be expected to read essential readings plus additional reading from the primary literature each class. These readings will be provided in the course outline.
Assessment
Essay (100%, 3000 words) in the LT.
Students will be required to write a 3,000-word essay (100% weight)
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Psychological and Behavioural Science
Total students 2019/20: Unavailable
Average class size 2019/20: Unavailable
Capped 2019/20: No
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Self-management
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Commercial awareness
- Specialist skills
