PSYC 119 PZ -Cultural Values/Attitude Change

Cultural Values and Attitude Change

This course meets at the intersection of social psychology and cultural psychology, addressing the need to understand the perspective of distinct groups ?consumers or audience segments? across cultures. Motivation theories will be analyzed along with intergroup process theories, and principles of persuasion will be discussed. People?s predominant values influence their perception ?how they interpret information? and that can vary by social context, biological predispositions, and their interaction. Thus, some cultural values may sometimes be open to change.

In this course, we will examine the multifaceted relationship between culture and cognition using system justification and self affirmation as guiding theoretical frameworks. How do our cultural and environmental contexts shape our perceptions, knowledge, and behaviors? How do specific aspects of a culture influence the ways in which people acquire, store, and process information? How do people develop their social identities and to what extent are those identities flexible? To what extent are our beliefs and knowledge structures context-dependent or universal? Why does social justice have implications for how people remember and ultimately for the health and well-being of all populations? You will explore these questions and more using the tools of psychological and cognitive science. Topics will include conceptual development, knowledge organization, causal reasoning and common errors of reasoning, cultural transmission, morality, trust, and cooperation.