Markus Brauer
Department of Psychology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Fall 2012
E-Mail: brauer2@wisc.edu
Office hours: Wednesday 1:15-2:15 pm
Room 417 (Brogden Psychology)
http://glial.psych.wisc.edu/index.php/psychsplashfacstaff/283
Designing and Testing Social Interventions (Psych 411)
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30-3:45am, room 101
Description:
The goal of this class is to familiarize you with the basic principles of designing and testing
social interventions. Topics include problem formulation, design, measurement, analysis, and the
application of findings to theory and practice. We will discuss social interventions in a variety of
areas: teenage pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, alcohol and drug abuse, prejudice and
discrimination, "achievement gap", pro-environmental behaviors, and health behaviors. At the
end of this course you will be able to (a) find the relevant scientific literature, (b) generate a
theory-based social intervention, (c) identify appropriate research designs and data collection
strategies, and (d) develop measures that can be used in randomized field experiments. Please be
aware that extensive work outside the classroom is required in order to succeed in this class.
Active participation in class, regular attendance, a consistent effort throughout the semester, and
a critical/questioning attitude are other ingredients for success.
Bibliography:
Cialdini, Robert B. (2006). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. New York, US: Harper
Collins Publishers.
Lee, Nancy R., & Kotler, Philip (2011). Social marketing: Influencing behaviors for good
(4th edition). Thousand Oaks, CA, US: Sage Publications.
Wilson, Timothy D. (2011). Redirect: The surprising new science of psychological change. New
York, US: Little, Brown and Company.
Useful web sites:
http://www.social-marketing.com/ The Social Marketing Place. Web site of Weinreich
Communications. See especially the links "What is Social Marketing" and "Building Social
Marketing into Your Program".
http://www.influenceatwork.com/ Influence at Work. The web site of Bob Cialdini's company
which allows clients improve organizational and personal performance by deploying
ethical influence strategies.
http://www.socialmarketing.blogs.com/ On Social Marketing and Social Change. Craig
Lefebvre's web site. See especially the links "On Facts and Theories" and "The Change We
Need: New Ways of Thinking About Social Issues".
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Program:
Week 1 (Sept. 4-6) – Effective and Ineffective Interventions
Tue 9/4: Read Wilson, chapter 1 (pp. 3-21, introduction) [19 pages]
Thu 9/6: Read Wilson, chapter 2 (pp. 23-38, randomization) [16 pages]
Week 2 (Sept. 11-13) – Introduction to Social Marketing
Tue 9/11: Read Wilson, chapter 5 (pp. 113-133, teenage pregnancies) [21 pages]
Thu 9/13: Read Wilson, chapter 6 (pp. 135-153, teenage violence) [19 pages]
Week 3 (Sept. 18-20) – Background and Situation Analysis
Tue 9/18: Read Wilson, chapter 7 (pp. 155-180, alcohol and drug abuse) [26 pages]
Thu 9/20: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 5. Guest speaker: Mike Rothschild
Week 4 (Sept. 25-27) – Reciprocation
Tue 9/25: Read Cialdini, chapter 2 (pp. 17-36, reciprocation) [20 pages], Hand in Steps 1 and 2
(chapter 5).
Thu 9/27: Read Cialdini, chapter 2 (pp. 36-56, reciprocation) [21 pages]
Week 5 (Oct. 2-4) – Selecting Target Audiences
Tue 10/2: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 6. Hand in Step 3 (chapter 6)
Thu 10/4: Read Wilson, chapter 8 (pp. 181-202, prejudice) [22 pages]. Guest speaker: Shawnika
Hull
Week 6 (Oct. 9-11) – Setting Objectives and Target Goals
Tue 10/9: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 7. Hand in Step 4 (chapter 7)
Thu 10/11: Read Cialdini, chapter 3 (pp. 57-85, commitment and consistency) [29 pages]
Week 7 (Oct. 16-18) – Identifying Target Audience Barriers and Benefits
Tue 10/16: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 8. Hand in Step 5 (chapter 8)
Thu 10/18: Read Cialdini, chapter 3 (pp. 85-113, commitment and consistency) [29 pages].
Guest speaker: TBA
Week 8 (Oct. 23-25) – Generating a Positioning Statement
Tue 10/23: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 9. Hand in Step 6 (chapter 9)
Thu 10/25: Exam 1.
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Week 9 (Oct. 30 - Nov. 1) – Developing Marketing Strategies for the Product
Tue 10/30: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 10. Hand in Step 7.1 (chapter 10)
Thu 11/1: Read Cialdini, chapter 4 (pp. 114-140, social proof) [27 pages]. Guest speaker: Fiona
McTavish
Week 10 (Nov. 6-8) – Developing Marketing Strategies for the Price
Tue 11/6: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 11. Hand in Step 7.2 (chapter 11)
Thu 11/8: Read Cialdini, chapter 4 (pp. 140-166, social proof) [27 pages]
Week 11 (Nov. 13-15) – Developing Marketing Strategies for the Place
Tue 11/13: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 12. Hand in Step 7.3 (chapter 12)
Thu 11/15: Read Wilson, chapter 9 (pp. 203-235, achievement gap) [33 pages]. Guest speaker:
Judy Harackiewicz
Week 12 (Nov. 20-22) – Developing Marketing Strategies for the Promotion
Tue 11/20: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 13. Hand in Step 7.4 (chapter 13)
Thu 11/22: No class, no readings – Thanksgiving (maybe start revising the term paper)
Week 13 (Nov. 27-29) – Monitoring and Evaluation
Tue 11/27: Read Lee & Kotler, chapter 15. Hand in Step 8 (chapter 15)
Thu 11/29: Read Cialdini, chapter 5 (pp. 167-187, liking) [21 pages]. Guest speaker: Richie
Davidson
Week 14 (Dec. 4-6) – Liking
Tue 12/4: Read Cialdini, chapter 5 (pp. 188-207, liking) [20 pages]
Thu 12/6: Guest speaker: TBA. Revise entire paper (based on what you have learned since
September) and send it to reviewers
Week 15 (Dec. 11-13) – Project Presentations
Tue 12/11: Presentations of projects. Send reviews to authors and to me.
Thu 12/13 Presentations of projects
Final Exam Week: Dec. 17-21, 2012
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Assignments/Grades:
 Complete the readings before class twice a week. Readings, quizzes ………………. 10 points
(-2 points every time I realize you haven't done the readings)
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Post two discussion questions/comments on Learn@UW once a week ………..….. 10 points
before Thu 1 am (-1 point every time you don't post two meaningful
questions by Thu 1 am)
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Develop a Social Marketing Plan (SMP) with a partner. Hand in the ………….….. 10 points
"steps" of your SMP once a week before Tue 11 am (one grade per
pair, -2 points every time you don't deposit your "steps" by Tue 11am)
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Give a 7 min individual presentation of a scientific article …………………….….. 20 points
(based on performance, see instructions)
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Lead a class discussion with a partner ……………………………………………. 10 points
(based on performance, see instructions, one grade per pair)
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Review the initial version of a classmate's term paper by Dec. 11, 11 am …………. 10 points
(based on performance, -2 points for every hour you are late)
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Give a 7 min presentation of your intervention with a partner ……….……………. 20 points
(based on performance, see instructions, one grade per pair)
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Active participation in class discussions and exercises ……………………………. 10 points
(+2 points for every 3-week period)
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Hand-in your 12-page individual term paper by Dec. 21, 11 am …….……….……. 40 points
(based on performance, -2 points for every hour you are late)
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Exam 1 ……………………………………..………………………………………. 30 points
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Exam 2 ……………………………………………………………….……………. 30 points
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TOTAL
…………………………………………………………….……………. 200 points
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Extra credit (presentation of a social intervention) …………………….….………. 10 points
Attendance
Attendance is expected. If you must miss a class, it is essential that you notify me at least 24
hours in advance so that I can make arrangements for any in-class exercises and so that you can
be certain to get the materials that will be distributed during the class.You can miss three classes
without penalty (regardless of whether you notify me before or not). Starting with the fourth
class, you lose 10 points per missed class (regardless of whether your absence is justified or not,
and regardless of whether you notify me before or not). You will be counted as absent if you are
more then 5 minutes late.
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Discussion questions/comments
Except when instructed otherwise, you should post two questions/comments about the assigned
readings on the Learn@UW discussion board.
 You must make the posting by 1 am Thursday (i.e., Wednesday evening before you go to
bed) so that discussion leaders have sufficient time to read the postings and prepare for class.
 Content is more important than length, but you should aim to write about 150 words for each
posting.
 In order to receive full credit, your posting needs to go beyond statements such as “Why did
the author claim X?” or “I thought Y was interesting”. It is certainly acceptable to say such
things in your posting, but you should push yourself to expand your questions and comments
to make them substantive. For example: “I thought X finding was interesting because it
contradicted Y’s theory about social influence...”; or, “I didn’t understand X’s conclusion
because the study actually seems to suggest Y...”; or, “I think study X is related to an article I
read in a previous class because Y...”; or, “In future work, it would be important to know X,
because otherwise Y...”
Discussion leading:
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Once during the course of the semester, you will work together with another student to help
lead the day’s discussion. Leading means you will: read through your peers’ postings and
identify interesting questions/comments to pose to the class for discussion.
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You may identify common themes in the responses (e.g., “Several people questioned X
conclusion, and so we’d like to spend some time discussing that topic”). You may also
identify individual questions/comments that you thought were particularly thought-provoking
or unique (e.g., “Iris raised a really interesting idea for an evaluation study, and I would like
to talk about the best design for such a study, and what the results might tell us”).
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At some point during the class discussion, it may prove useful to go back to the original text
in order to verify a certain point or in order to remind us of some detail. Make sure you know
the text very well and are able to summarize parts of it upon demand.
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You may share discussion-leading tasks with your partner in any way you see fit. Be in touch
with your partner before the class meets to figure out how you will accomplish discussion
leading.
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I would like to meet with discussion leaders 5 minutes prior to the start of class (i.e., at 2:25
pm) so that we can be on the same page about how class will proceed. If you cannot meet
with me before class on days you are scheduled to lead (e.g., because you have another class
immediately beforehand), please let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the classroom at
2:25 pm.
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Participation, no gadgets policy
All class sessions involve active discussion based on the readings, with an emphasis both on
theoretical questions and practical implications. You should be prepared to share your ideas and
to listen to and interpret the issues presented by others.
Please carefully review the readings for every class session. Most participation will be voluntary;
however, in order to insure that everyone has the opportunity to be involved, individuals will
occasionally be called upon “cold.”
Quality discussion comments possess one or more of the following attributes (also relevant for
the discussion questions/comments to be posted on Learn@UW):
 Offer a relevant perspective on the issue.
 Apply the theory and concepts offered in the readings and lectures.
 Move the discussion forward by building on previous contributions with new insights; do
not repeat points already made by others.
 May include asking good questions. This is a skill to be practiced as well; good questions
are rarer than good answers.
Where to take complaints about a Teaching Assistant or Course Instructor:
Occasionally, a student may have a complaint about a Teaching Assistant or course instructor. If
that happens, you should feel free to discuss the matter directly with the TA or instructor. If the
complaint is about the TA and you do not feel comfortable discussing it with him or her, you
should discuss it with the course instructor. If you do not want to approach the instructor, make
an appointment to speak to the Department Chair, Professor Patricia Devine:
chair@psych.wisc.edu.
If your complaint has to do with sexual harassment, you may also take your complaint to Vicky
Lenzlinger, Administrative Program Specialist, vlenzlinger@psych.wisc.edu. Her office is
located on the second floor of the Psychology building, room 222.
If you believe the TA or course instructor has discriminated against you because of your religion,
race, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnic background, you also may take your complaint to the
Office of Equity and Diversity, room 179-A Bascom Hall, or go to: http://www.oed.wisc.edu/