PSY 218 The Psychology of Fiction
This course explores the psychology of fiction using scientific methods to examine questions such as how narratives impact cognition, emotion, and social behavior, and how people understand and discuss stories in various settings. We will investigate how printed fiction, as well as other cultural products like artworks and movies, are entangled with processes such as empathy, imagination, and autobiographical memory. Students will explore the cognitive and emotional effects of fiction, the neural processes involved in reading, the ways we understand and relate to fictional characters, and the relationship between language and thought. The course also addresses broader questions such as how we interpret fictional characters’ actions, how narratives can be used therapeutically, and how different stories shape people’s understanding of the world.