Social Psychology

Books on Social Psychology, Journals, Social Psychology Abstracts, Bibliography, Syllabus

Social psychology is the scientific study of how we interact with, think about and influence other people. It includes such topics as group processes, prejudice, love, and persuasion. Social psychology is similar to sociology in the topics it covers, however, social psychology looks more specifically at individual or personal explanations, whereas sociology looks at cultural explanations. - Dr. S. Pack.

Social psychology is the scientific study of humankind as social beings. The social psychologist is interested in how individuals think about others, influence others and are influenced by others, and how they interact with others. An exploration of theory and research concerning the individual in a social context.

Social psychological principles can be used:
To stop gang violence
To reduce discrimination
To reduce school dropout rates using social psychological principles
Reducing domestic violence using social psychological principles
Using social psychology to influence public policy
Resisting the appeal of propaganda (tv commercials)
Exploring the role of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors in advertising - Luis A.Vega, Ph.D.

Social Psychology Network, the largest social psychology database on the Internet. In these pages, you'll find more than 5,000 links related to psychology. - socialpsychology.org/

Psychology, Culture & Evolution - This notable resource from the University of Waterloo, Canada, is divided into three main sections, concerning: the evolution of human capacity to construct signs; cultural-historical psychology; and the evolution of the human brain. Each of these sections has links to relevant essays, documents and/or images, as well as links to other Internet sites. - arts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/

For those looking for a masters in psychology from an accredited school. Consider the Chicago school online.

Social Psychology - Part of Trinity University's Sociological Tour Through Cyberspace web site, this resource gives overviews, statistics, and links to other pertinent sites. Topics include: theories and methods, gender and sex, environmental psychology, belief systems, living in a symbolic world, persuasion group dynamics, collective behavior, inequality, political psychologies, urbanization, Scientific Mentalities and much more. - trinity.edu/~mkearl/socpsy.html

Current Research in Social Psychology (CRISP) is a peer reviewed, electronic journal covering all aspects of social psychology. Publication is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa which provides free access to its contents. Authors retain copyright for their work. CRISP is permanently archived at the Library of the University of Iowa and at the Library of Congress. Beginning in April, 2000, Sociological Abstracts publishes the abstracts of CRISP articles. - uiowa.edu/~grpproc

Social Psychology - Abstracts

Social psychology: the interplay between sociology and psychology.
Social Forces; 6/1/1995; Introductory extract - Thoits, Peggy A.

RESPONSE TO SEPTEMBER 11: ANXIETY, PATRIOTISM, AND PREJUDICE IN THE AFTERMATH OF TERROR
Chris L. Coryn, Western Michigan Uni., James M. Beale, University of Texas, Brownsville, Krista M. Myers, Indiana University, South Bend.
Abstract: In this study our P211 Methods of Experimental Psychology students and research team specifically examined feelings of personal anxiety created by terrorist attacks and ongoing conflict with the Middle East, patriotic attachment towards the United States, and subtle and blatant prejudicial attitudes toward Arabic people following the events of September 11, 2001. The design, hypotheses, instrument selection, data collection, and analyses for this study were conducted by our students as a course learning tool. Our students developed three distinct hypotheses and conducted analysis of these hypotheses, with minimal assistance from our research team. Three hundred-one (174 female, 127 male) students at Indiana University South Bend completed questionnaires for our study, measuring levels of anxiety, patriotism, prejudice, and a variety of sociodemographic factors. Four periods of data collection were completed during a period of 19 months following the events of September 11, 2001. Hypotheses developed by our students were tested using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) techniques. As predicted, anxiety producing events (periods 1 and 4 combined) coincided with greater patriotic attachment toward the United States and amplified prejudicial attitudes toward the target group; Arabic people. No significant differences were found for either gender or our experimental condition (support versus protest). - uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.9.12.html

MEN AND WOMEN PREFER RISK TAKERS AS ROMANTIC AND NONROMANTIC PARTNERS
Jonathan F. Bassett, Brett Moss, Southeastern Louisiana University
Abstract: Eighty-seven men and 219 women rated the desirability of either a low, moderate, or high risk-taker as a partner in several contexts. Women were more selective than men in all contexts. Men and women preferred risk takers as friends and short-term romantic partners but only women preferred risk takers as long-term romantic partners. The observed gender differences are consistent with predictions from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. However, the findings also evidence the similarity in men and women's interpersonal attraction criteria and point to the need for examining more proximal mechanisms that might make risk taking an appealing attribute in another person. - uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.9.10.html

FACIAL MAKE-UP ELICITS POSITIVE ATTITUDES AT THE IMPLICIT LEVEL: EVIDENCE FROM THE IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION TEST
Juliette Richetin, Jean-Claude Croizet, Université Blaise Pascal, CNRS, France, Pascal Huguet, Université Aix-Marseille.
Abstract: Three experiments tested whether the use of facial make-up elicits positive or negative implicit attitudes. Students in psychology, business, and aesthetics performed a series of Implicit Association Tests (IAT) measuring the link between portrayed women wearing or not wearing make-up and high versus low status professions, pleasant versus unpleasant words, and positive versus negative personality traits. Results showed that make-up was associated with positive traits and high-status professions at the implicit level. They are discussed in relation with previous findings indicating a negative influence of make-up on impression formation with exactly the same photographs and similar subject samples. - uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.9.11.html

Social psychology: the interplay between sociology and psychology.
Social Forces; 6/1/1995; Introductory extract - Thoits, Peggy A.

I will focus in this article on the point of greatest intersection between the disciplines of sociology and psychology: social psychology. Within this broad interdisciplinary tradition, sociologists and psychologists routinely cite and draw from each other's theory and research. I will argue, however, that the direction of strongest influence has run from psychology to sociology, rather than the reverse. This is in part because sociologists generally devote their efforts to identifying which social phenomena have effects on individuals while psychologists generally specialize in identifying the mechanisms or processes through which social phenomena have their effects on individuals. Consequently, sociologists often use, explicitly or implicitly, the work of psychologists to fill in the missing links that tie society to the individual. This observation fortifies Gove's argument that sociology is, or should be, an integrative discipline, a point to which I will return below.

The Various Social Psychologies
According to Allport (1968), social psychologists attempt to understand how the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others influences the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals. Allport's definition best applies to work within the discipline of psychology - what House (1977) and Stryker (1977) have termed psychological social psychology. The bystander intervention or "helping" literature provides a useful example. This research shows that the more witnesses to an emergency (actual presence of others), the less likely any one witness is to assist the victim (individual behavior) (Latane & Darley 1970). However, this literature does not simply document the strength or direction of social influences on behavior. The key word in Allport's definition is how others affect the individual. The psychologist's goal is to identify the mechanisms or processes through which others' actual or implied presence affects the person. Bystander research shows, for example, that multiple witnesses to an emergency are able to "diffuse responsibility" for taking action to other people. Diffusion of responsibility is a mechanism that helps to explain noninterventions.

An alternative brand of psychological social psychology has flourished in recent years. This is cognitive social psychology or the social cognition approach, which investigates how people store and process information. Information is stored as prototypes, schemas, scripts, and the like; information processing includes attending to cues, retrieving from memory, and making judgments, inferences, attributions, and predictions about oneself and others. Cognitions are loosely viewed as social in this approach because they are derived from social experience and have consequences for subsequent interpersonal behavior. For example, masculine and feminine schemas are presumed to be the products of traditional sex-role socialization and to function as heuristic models for rapidly recognizing and classifying one's own and others' behavior (Markus, Bernstein & Siladi 1982). The emphasis in this branch of social psychology once again is on understanding mechanisms or processes, in this case, the mental processes through which an individual's (socially derived) cognitions have effects on his/her own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.

My point here is that identifying processes or explanatory mechanisms (as well as conditions under which individual-level phenomena occur) is the common thrust of both psychological and cognitive social psychology. Because sociologists draw more heavily from the psychological than the cognitive social psychological literature, I will contrast briefly psychological social psychology with three sociological approaches: social structure and personality, symbolic interactionism, and formal small-groups theory.

Social Psychology - Journals

Electronic Journal - Current Research in Social Psychology (CRISP) - [ISSN 1088-7423]
Editor: Lisa Troyer, University of Iowa, Deputy Editor: Leda Nath, University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.
Current Research in Social Psychology (CRISP) is a peer reviewed, electronic journal covering all aspects of social psychology. Publication is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa which provides free access to its contents. Authors retain copyright for their work. CRISP is permanently archived at the Library of the University of Iowa and at the Library of Congress. Beginning in April, 2000, Sociological Abstracts publishes the abstracts of CRISP articles. - - uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.html

Journal of Family Psychology - ISSN: 0893-3200, Published quarterly, Editor: Anne E. Kazak - apa.org/journals/fam.html

Developmental Psychology
Journal Description: Editor: James L. Dannemiller, PhD, Published bimonthly, beginning in January
Developmental Psychology publishes articles that advance knowledge and theory about human development across the life span. Although most papers address directly the issues of human development, studies of other species are appropriate if they have important implications for human development. The journal includes significant empirical contributions to the study of growth and development and, occasionally, scholarly reviews, theoretical articles, and social policy papers. Studies of any variables that affect human psychological development are considered. - apa.org/journals/dev/description.html

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology - The journal is divided into three independently edited sections:
ATTITUDES AND SOCIAL COGNITION addresses those domains of social behavior in which cognition plays a major role, including the interface of cognition with overt behavior, affect, and motivation.
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND GROUP PROCESSES focuses on psychological and structural features of interaction in dyads and groups.
PERSONALITY PROCESSES AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
apa.org/journals/psp.html

Social Psychology - Syllabus

Social Psychology - PSY 350 - Department of Psychology at Western Kentucky University - Fall 2003

SO/PY 442 Social Psychology Spring, 2004
University of North Alabama - Department of Sociology

Courses Related to Social Psychology - .socialpsychology.org/courses.htm

Personality Psychology Courses - .socialpsychology.org/pcourses.htm

SYLLABUS: BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 512: ADVANCED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
csubak.edu/~lvega/512sylfall98.html

INSTRUCTOR: Luis A.Vega, Ph.D. (Office: 664-3024; Fax: 665-6955) email: lvega@csubak.edu

Class Homepage WWW: .csubak.edu/~lvega/

COURSE DESCRIPTION
As defined in the university catalog, this course covers:
An exploration of theory and research concerning the individual in a social context. Selected topics will be considered in detail, with emphasis on contemporary issues in social psychology. Prerequisites: Psychology or Sociology 312 (or any social psychology course taken at another university) and consent of instructor. Carries credit in either Psychology or Sociology.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Social psychology is the scientific study of humankind as social beings. The social psychologist is interested in how individuals think about others, influence and are influenced by others, and how they interact with others. The course s designed to give you a detailed overview of the major topics currently important in the discipline, as well as some of the history and methodology that form the basis of our present understanding. This course has as its cornerstone the scientific method and the use of empirical research as the means of understanding social behavior.

In addition, our emphases in this course will be threefold: First, we will review twelve areas of social psychology by reading original journal articles and by emphasizing general, classic, and contemporary selections.

Second, with social psychology becoming more cognitive in orientation, we will critically analyze the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. As we shall see, a cognitive orientation, while important, leaves many gaps in our understanding of social behavior.

Finally, we will review social psychological findings from a cross-cultural perspective. With over 70% of the major work in "psychological" social psychology being produced in North America, we will see that many findings may not be as universal as we once thought (not surprising given that most subjects for social psychological experiments were U.S. college sophomores).

PAPER 1
Theoretical. Pick an area of social psychology that appeals to you and write a 10-15 page paper chronicling the theoretical development of that area. This means that you will need to read the classic studies, specify how theory has played an important role in the development of that area, and summarize the types of questions that can be answered (as well as those that cannot), given the current status of that area. As a frame of reference for the steps you will need to take in writing this paper, I suggest you read the Personality and Social Psychology Review or the Psychological Review journals, both of which publish theoretical papers. You may also want to read the guidelines for writing theoretical papers provided in the American Psychological Association Publication Manual (4th ed.). If more help is needed in writing this paper, I will set time in class for this purpose. You will need at least 15 references (75 points). A proposal for this paper is due on September 28th, with the final paper due on October 21st.

PAPER 2
Applications. Pick an area of social psychology that appeals to you and write a 15-20 page paper that applies social psychological principles to a problem area (the topic for this paper can be the same area you picked for your theoretical paper). You will need a minimum of 20 references for this paper. Some possible topics you may want to consider, but should not feel limited to:

Stopping gang violence using social psychological principles
Reducing discrimination using social psychological principles
Reducing school dropout rates using social psychological principles
Reducing domestic violence using social psychological principles
Using social psychology to influence public policy
Resisting the appeal of propaganda (e.g., tv commercials)
Exploring the role of emotions, cognitions, and behaviors in advertising

REQUIRED TEXTS can be found at the university bookstore:

Korn, J. H. (1997). Illusions of reality: A history of deception in social psychology. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Lesko, W. A. (1997). Readings in social psychology: General, classic, and contemporary selections (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Plous, S. (1993). The psychology of judgment and decision making. New York: McGraw Hill.

Smith, P. B., & Bond, M. H. (1999). Social psychology across cultures: Analysis and perspectives (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. GO TO MENU

ON RESERVE AT STIERN LIBRARY REFERENCE DESK--Presentation Readings

Anderson, C. A., Benjamin, A. J., Bartholow, B. D. (1998). Does the gun pull the trigger? Automatic priming effects of weapon pictures and weapon names. Psychological Science, 9, 308-314.

Dovidio, J. F., Gaertner, S. L., & Validzic, A. (1998). Intergroup bias: Status, differentiation, and a common in-group identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 109-120.

Haney, C., & Zimbardo, P. (1998). The past and future of U.S. prison policy: Twenty-five years after the Stanford Prison experiment. American Psychologist, 53, 709-727.

Kerr, N. L. (1998). HARKing: Hypothesizing after the results are known. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 196-217.

Mays, V. M., Bullock, M., Rosenzweig, M R., & Wessells, M. (1998). Ethnic conflict: Global challenges and psychological perspectives. American Psychologist, 53, 737-742.

Mischel, W. (1998). Metacognition at the hyphen of social-cognitive psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 84-86.

Rubin, M., & Hewstone, M. (1998). Social identity theory's self-esteem hypothesis: A review and some suggestions for clarification. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 40-62.

Tassinary, L. G., & Hansen, K. A. (1998). A critical test of the waist-to-hip-ratio hypothesis of female physical attractiveness. Psychological Science, 9, 150-155.

Taylor, S. E. (1998). The social being in social psychology. In Gilbert, D. T., Fiske, S. T., & Lindzey, G. (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 1), pp. 58-95. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Social Psychology - PSY 350 - Department of Psychology at Western Kentucky University - Fall 2003
Instructor: Dr. S. Pack, Ph.D. - e-mail: shana.pack@wku.edu
web page address: .wku.edu/~shana.pack/
Mission: From the WKU Department of Psychology Mission Statement:
“The primary mission of the Department of Psychology at Western Kentucky University is to provide our students with a strong education in the theoretical, scientific, and applied study of psychology. To this end we seek to:
Provide our undergraduate majors with knowledge of psychology as an art, a science, and a profession.
Provide students enrolled in programs throughout the university with a basic understanding of psychology.
A second component of our mission is to contribute to the advancement of psychology and psychological knowledge.
A final component of our mission is to improve the lives of others through the application of knowledge and expertise in psychology.
In all our endeavors we are committed to the values we share as psychologists, especially our respect for the welfare and dignity of all people. We value and appreciate the diversity of the students we teach, the public we serve, and the colleagues with whom we work (and the technology with which we do all things).”
To read the complete mission statement, go to http://edtech.tph.wku.edu/~rmiller/mission.htm
Course Description
From the University catalog: A general introduction to social psychology for majors and non-majors in psychology.
Emphasis is given to the psychological components of common social behaviors including the psychological aspects of contemporary social problems. 3 hours; can be used to help meet General Education requirement section C;
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
A description that might actually mean something to students: Social psychology is the scientific study of how we interact with, think about and influence other people. It includes such topics as group processes, prejudice, love, and persuasion. Social psychology is similar to sociology in the topics it covers, however, social psychology looks more specifically at individual or personal explanations, whereas sociology looks at cultural explanations.
Course Objectives
Required Materials
Social Psychology, 10th edition by Robert Baron & Donn Byrne

SO/PY 442 Social Psychology Spring, 2004
University of North Alabama - Department of Sociology
Professor: S. Alexander Takeuchi, Ph.D. (aka "Dr. T")
Phone: (256) 765-4527 / e-mail: satakeuchi@una.edu
Web: http://www2.una.edu/Takeuchi/

DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
Social Psychology is the scientific study of the nature, causes and the consequences of human social cognition and behavior. It is an interdisciplinary field of study that is rooted in both psychology and sociology. In this course, you will be exposed to fundamental theories and concepts of social psychology from the sociological and psychological traditions as well as the applications of those theories and concepts to different social issues. More specifically, we will analyze the nature, causes and consequences of various social behaviors we engage in and the influence of society on the way we interact with others. We will do this by addressing various issues we encounter in our daily lives.
The goal of this course is to enable you to better understand ourselves and our social behavior from a social psychological point of view while dealing with common social issues in our everyday life. I believe this is one of the most interesting disciplines in social science, and I hope you will enjoy this course.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Michener, H. A. and DeLamater, J. D. (2004). Social Psychology (5th Ed.). Harcourt Brace.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th Edition. American Psychological Association.

Books On Social Psychology

Social Psychology of Organizational Behavior: Key Readings
Book by Leigh L. Thompson (Editor)
Each article in this collection of readings has been carefully chosen for its tremendous impact on the field of organizational behavior. It focuses specifically on micro-organizational behavior, which has almost uniquely been influenced by social psychology. The reader is carefully structured into Sections which reflect a progression through widening levels of analysis: the
science of organizational behavior; decision making; negotiation and social dilemmas; groups and teams; procedural justice; relationships and trust; and vales, norms and politics. This volume is in an attractive, user-friendly format and will make excellent supplementary reading to courses on the social psychology, work and organizational psychology, and business.

The Social Psychology of Behavior in Small Groups Book by Donald C. Pennington
Covers theories of group behavior and their application in organizational psychology and everyday social behavior. Topics include structure, formation, roles of individuals within groups, co-operation, conflict, teamwork, leadership, and decision-making.

The Social Mind : Cognitive and Motivational Aspects of Interpersonal Behavior - Book by Joseph P. Forgas (Editor), Kipling D. Williams (Editor), Ladd Wheeler (Editor)
"The editors of this book once again collected some of social psychology's best researchers, and allowed them to produce an exciting and wide-ranging collection of chapters that explore how the world within the mind represents, creates, interacts with, and is influenced by the world without." Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University
"At last here is a volume that provides a compelling answer to the question of what is `social' about social cognition. The editors have assembled a stellar cast of social psychology researchers to address this question head-on and the result is eye-opening and mind-expanding. From intraindividual to interpersonal to group processes, the consistent message throughout the chapters of the volume is that of the inextricable connections between human cognition and social behavior. Empirically and conceptually the contributors to this project make a convincing case that, for human beings, mental life IS social life." Marilynn B. Brewer, Ohio State University
"...the book makes an important contribution to the field and will be of particular relevance to researchers in social psychology. I was also rather surprised at how relevant the book is to practitioners." Contemporary Psychology
Effective social interaction requires sophisticated mental and motivational strategies. The Social Mind reviews and integrates recent psychological research on the relationship between people's thoughts and motives--their "social mind"--and their interpersonal strategies. The research shows that success in personal relationships, group behavior and strategic interaction are all significantly influenced by how individuals interpret and explain the social world around them. The implications of this research for personal adjustment, organizational effectiveness and clinical, counseling, and health psychology are also explored.

A Three-Dimensional Model of Human Behavior - Book by Michael Pak
If you want to understand and influence human behavior, whether you’re a student, teacher, scientist, diplomat, social activist, psychologist, M.D., politician, or just want to change your community for the better, you need to read "A Three Dimensional Model of Human Behavior by Michael Pak, M.D. –the only book about predicting human behavior based on a U.S. Patent (2003)
Based on his experience in living in different parts of the world, Dr. Pak uses fictitious lively characters to illustrate various modes of behavior. Students and teachers of the behavioral sciences will find useful insights and a new angle on predicting human behavior while the general public will be entertained, informed, and find simple stories and illustrative graphs about common
human misunderstandings no matter what culture one’s from or working with, and a models to immediately implement in their lives.

E-Books