- Docente: Salvatore Zappalà
- Credits: 3
- SSD: M-PSI/01
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Cesena
- Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Science of Food Consumes and Catering (cod. 0874)
Learning outcomes
The student will increase the psychological knowledge useful to understand human behvaior in different life events. Particularly, students will examine cognitive, affective and decision making processes that influence products' and services' purchase and usage, and particularly of food products. Besides, the course aims to focus students on the impact of restaurants and food services on clients' needs and attitudes and the relevance of communicative strategies for customer satisfaction.
Course contents
The course will deal the following contents:
- consumer behavior models,
- (food) perception
- learning (of eating styles),
- motivation (to buy foods, and use restaurants),
- personality and consumption,
- attitudes towards different and new foods,
- social infuence.
Readings/Bibliography
Suggested readings for the course are:
- Williams K.C., Psicologia per il marketing, Bologna, Il Mulino, (capitoli da II a VIII)
- Conner M., Armitage C. (2008) La psicologia a tavola, Bologna: Il Mulino, (capitolo atteggiamenti, pp. 64-80).
Additional research papers will be mentioned and suggested during class time.
Teaching methods
Lectures, exercises, design of customer satisfaction surveys, interviews to managers of food services.
Assessment methods
It is required:
a) to pass a written examination concerning main topics dealt during classes (3-4- simple open questions)
b) to write and discuss a report.
The aim of the exam is to show the knowledge of main course contents. The aim of the report is to show the ability to analyse a restaurant, by reporting owner, chef and customers opinions and attitudes towards the restaurant and the food. Students are required to collect information abut some of the choices of the owner about the restaurant, the typical clients of the restaurants, and so on. Besides a short customer survey is required.
The mark of this module will be averaged with the other module of "Architecture" that forms the Integrated course.
Teaching tools
personal computer and overhead projector; questionnaires; everyday materials for an experiment on liquid perception.
Office hours
See the website of Salvatore Zappalà