K2SP 3715 - From Political Behavior to Political Dynamics: A Cognitive Approach to the Political Sphere — Fabrique des Maquettes Pédagogiques

Informations

This course offers a panorama of how cognitive approaches can help to understand the dynamics of

the political sphere. Through an in-depth analysis of key issues related to political dynamics, it

introduces the main cognitive mechanisms relevant for both the analysis of political behaviour and the

evaluation of public policies. To this end, the course will be organised around a combination of formal

lectures and student-led discussions on the application of psychological insights to concrete situations

and actual public policies. The first half of the semester will be devoted to understanding key

democratic issues such as political participation and polarisation, and the second half to analysing

larger social dynamics such as attitudes to inequality and social trends. Importantly, the ethical and

methodological aspects of this approach will be discussed throughout the semester.

None

This course aims to be as engaging and interactive as possible. Students will have regular opportunities

to reflect on the cognitive insights and two sessions will be dedicated to discussing their behavioural

analyses.

10% class participation

40% case study presentations (cognitive analysis of a concrete issue, twice per semester, collective

work)

50% Final paper - writing a cognitive analysis of a real policy issue (3000 words - individual work)

Mercier, H. (2017). How gullible are we? A review of the evidence from psychology and social science. Review of General Psychology, 21(2), 103-122.

Lire en ligne
Payne, B. K., & Hannay, J. W. (2021). Implicit bias reflects systemic racism. Trends in cognitive sciences, 25(11), 927-936.
Starmans, C., Sheskin, M., & Bloom, P. (2017). Why people prefer unequal societies. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(4), 1-7.
Todorov, A., Mandisodza, A. N., Goren, A., & Hall, C. C. (2005). Inferences of competence from faces predict election outcomes. Science, 308(5728), 1623-1626.

Lire en ligne

Aarøe, L., & Petersen, M. B. (2014). Crowding out culture: Scandinavians and Americans agree on social welfare in the face of deservingness cues. The Journal of Politics, 76(3), 684- 697.

Lire en ligne
Bastardoz, N., & Van Vugt, M. (2019). The nature of followership: Evolutionary analysis and review. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 81-95.

Lire en ligne
Crowder-Meyer, M., Gadarian, S. K., & Trounstine, J. (2020). Voting can be hard, information helps. Urban Affairs Review, 56(1), 124-153.Kelly, D., & Setman, S. (2020). The psychology of normative cognition.

Emprunter
El Zein, M., Bahrami, B., & Hertwig, R. (2019). Shared responsibility in collective decisions. Nature human behaviour, 3(6), 554-559.

Emprunter
Sijilmassi, A., Safra, L., & Baumard, N. (2024). ‘Our Roots Run Deep’: Historical Myths as Culturally Evolved Technologies for Coalitional Recruitment. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1-44.

N° d'UP	Type d'UP	Unités pédagogiques	Enseignants	Nombre d'heures	Crédits
57357	Cours magistral	From Political Behavior to Political Dynamics: A Cognitive Approach to the Political Sphere	Lou SAFRA	24	4