M.A. (Psychology) Consumer Psychology Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026
Semesters III and IV are from the Board's own Semester III and IV syllabus approved on 12 July 2024 (item 5.7 (N)), in force from 2024-25. The 2023 document's credit table shows an earlier plan for Semesters III and IV; the 2024 syllabus is the one the University examines, and its Winter 2026 timetables name these papers.
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Syllabus for Consumer Psychology
Course objectives
- A. To orient students to the emergence and development of consumer psychology B. To introduce basic psychological principles so as to understand consumer behaviour C. To familiarise how people’s buying behaviour gets affected by self and social processes D. To acquaint advanced research methods to examine different aspects of consumer beahviour
Course outcomes
- A. Students will acquire the knowledge of historical antecedents of consumer psychology B. Students will develop an understanding of psychological principles underlying consumer behaviour C. Students will be able to appreciate how consumers are affected by self and social processes on daily basis D. Students will gain knowledge of advanced research methods in consumer psychology
Unit 1: Introducing Consumer Psychology
- a Historical antecedents
- b Understanding consumer behaviour: Varied theoretical approaches
- c Methodological issues in understanding consumer behaviour
- d Consumer society in the twenty-first century
Unit 2: Psychological Issues in Consumer Behaviour
- a The implicit consumer cognition
- b The nature and role of affect in consumer behaviour
- c Consumer attitudes and behaviour
- d Motivation and goals in consumption
Unit 3: The Self and Social in Consumer Behaviour
- a Dynamics of relationship between Brands and identity
- b How products prime social networks
- c Family consumption decision making
- d Consumer socialization
Unit 4: Advances in Research Methods
- a Online observation
- b Netnography
- c Focus group and depth interviews
- d Cross-cultural consumer psychology
Books for study
- Belk, R. W. (Ed.) (2006). Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing. USA: Edward Elgar
- Belk, R. W., Fischer, E & Kozinets R. V. (2013). Qualitative Consumer and Marketing Research. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd.
- Daniela, M. A. (2011). Fundamental Theories on Consumer Behaviour: An Overview of the Influences Impacting Consumer Behaviour. “Ovidius” University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Volume XI, Issue 2, pp. 837-841.
- Haugtvedt, C. P. &Herr, P.M. Kardes, F. R. (2008).(Eds). Handbook of Consumer Psychology. New York: Taylor & Francis Group.
- Howard, D. J., Kirmani, A., & Rajagopal, P. (Eds.) (2013). Social Influence and Consumer Behaviour. New York: The Psychology Press.
- Kirmani, A. (2009). The self and the brand. Journal of Consumer Psychology 19, 271 to 275.
- Kopetz, C. E. et al. (2012). The dynamics of consumer behavior: A goal systemic perspective. Journal of Consumer Psychology 22, 208 to 223.
- Oyserman, D. (2009). Identity-based motivation and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology 19, 276 to 279.
- Pham, M. T. (2013). The seven sins of consumer psychology. Journal of Consumer Psychology 23, 4, 411 to 423.
- Priest, J., Carter, S., & Statt, D. A. (2013). Consumer Behaviour. UK: Edinburgh Business School.
Books for reference
- Close, A. G. (2012) (Ed.) Online Consumer Behaviour: Theory and Research in Social Media, Advertising and E-tail. New York: Routledge.
- Heath, R. (2012). Seducing the Subconscious; The Psychology of Emotional Influence in Advertising. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
- K. Dill (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Media Psychology. New York:Oxford University Press.
- Kimmel, A. J. (2012). Psychological Foundations of Marketing. USA: The Psychology Press.
- Schiffman, L. G., Kanuk, L. L., & Wisenblit, J. (2009). Consumer Behaviour. Global Tenth Ed. USA: Pearson.
Reproduced from the University of Mumbai syllabus for M.A. (Psychology), Semester III and IV, AC 12/07/2024, Item No. 5.7 (N), in force from the academic year 2024-25. Wording and numbering are as printed there; the marks scheme is in the PDF above.
The complete syllabus
This subject is cut from the University document for its semesters. Open the document here if you want the whole thing rather than a single subject.