An Invitation to Social Psychology

by Miller, Dale T.

• ISBN13: 9780534592059
• ISBN10: 0534592058
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-29
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

Organized around the theme of self-censorship -- the disconnect between what people privately think or feel and how they act publicly -- this brief seven-chapter text introduces students to social psychology by focusing on the field's most interesting studies and real-world applications. An INVITATION TO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY contains high-interest studies that will engage students as they convey how social psychologists think about social life. Dale Miller shows that the common and extreme forms of social behavior are more alike than unlike. With an emphasis on social interaction in everyday situations, he makes connections to students' lives as if to say "we've all been in this situation." AN INVITATION TO SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY covers fewer studies but in considerably more detail than a traditional introductory text. It includes textured descriptions, so students come away with a deeper understanding of the core methodologies used by social psychologists to understand the world from a social psychological perspective. Miller achieves the balance of crafting a social psychology text that is valuable to instructors, while at the same time interesting and fun for students. Miller's text can be used as either a core or supplemental text in an introductory or advanced social psychology course.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Chapter 1 Introduction	1	(12)
What is Self-Censorship?	2	(1)
Social Psychology and Self-Censorship	2	(2)
Humans as Norm Followers	2	(1)
Humans as Meaning Seekers	3	(1)
Why Do We Censor Ourselves?	4	(3)
To Preserve the Group and One's Standing in It	4	(1)
To Enhance One's Attractiveness to Others	4	(1)
To Avoid the Disapproval of Others	5	(1)
To Remain True to One's Self-Image	6	(1)
Does Self-Censorship Require Awareness?	7	(1)
Consequences of Self-Censorship	8	(2)
Individual Consequences	9	(1)
Collective Consequences	10	(1)
The Self in Self-Censorship	10	(1)
Chapter Review	11	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	11	(2)
Chapter 2 Social Etiquette	13	(20)
Implicit Social Etiquette: Respecting the Situational Definitions of Others	14	(1)
Compliance: When the Requestor's Definition Prevails	15	(6)
Give Him a Nickel!	15	(2)
Throwing a Frisbee in Grand Central	17	(2)
The Used Water Bottle	19	(1)
Drinking and Driving	20	(1)
The Other Side of the Coin: The Pressure to Present Reasonable Definitions	21	(2)
Authority and Compliance: The Milgram Experiment	23	(2)
Why Did People Shock?	24	(1)
Confronting Others in Their Own Space	25	(1)
The Etiquette of Prejudice and Discrimination	26	(4)
Prejudice Succumbs to Etiquette	27	(1)
Etiquette Succumbs to Prejudice	28	(2)
Summing Up	30	(1)
Chapter Review	31	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	31	(2)
Chapter 3 Conformity	33	(20)
Punishing Opinion Deviants	34	(3)
Conformity Pressure in the Laboratory	34	(2)
Conformity Pressure in the Courtroom	36	(1)
Conformity Pressure in the Cabinet Room	37	(1)
Punishing Behavioral Deviants	37	(2)
Conformity Pressure in the Classroom	38	(1)
Conformity Pressure in the Workplace	38	(1)
Conformity Pressure on the Street Corner	39	(1)
The (Un)Popularity of Deviants	39	(3)
Campus Popularity and Political Opinions	40	(1)
Sorority Popularity and Eating Behavior	41	(1)
Conformity Without Pressure	42	(2)
Implicit Peer Pressure	42	(1)
The Asch Studies	43	(1)
Conforming to an Ideal Self	44	(4)
Conforming to a Gender Ideal	45	(1)
Conforming to a Pro-Environment Ideal	46	(2)
Conformity Without Awareness	48	(1)
Speaking Quietly in the Library	48	(1)
Summing Up	49	(1)
Chapter Review	50	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	50	(3)
Chapter 4 Self-Censorship and the Collective	53	(18)
Pluralistic Ignorance: When Individual Fear of Overreaction Leads to Collective Underreaction	54	(2)
Pluralistic Ignorance and Group Decision Making	56	(1)
The Origins of Pluralistic Ignorance: The Illusion of Transparency	56	(2)
The Illusion of Transparency Among Bystanders to an Emergency	57	(1)
Pluralistic Ignorance and the Perpetuation of Unpopular Social Practices	58	(4)
The Perpetuation of College Drinking Practices	58	(3)
The Perpetuation of Group Conflict	61	(1)
When Attitude Change Occurs Without Norm Change	62	(3)
The Perpetuation of Discrimination	63	(1)
The Perpetuation of Violence	63	(2)
When Norm Change Occurs Without Attitude Change	65	(1)
Backlash	65	(1)
Changing Attitudes Versus Dispelling Pluralistic Ignorance	66	(2)
Summing Up	68	(1)
Chapter Review	68	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	69	(2)
Chapter 5 Self-Censorship and the Individual	71	(18)
Unwarranted Feelings of Inferiority and Inadequacy	72	(5)
Doubting One's Intelligence	72	(2)
Doubting One's Competence	74	(1)
Doubting One's Virtue	75	(1)
Feeling Out of Step with Life Transitions	76	(1)
Unwarranted Feelings of Difference and Alienation	77	(4)
The Illusion of Universality	77	(2)
Feeling Both Superior and Alienated	79	(1)
Secondary Feelings of Deviance	80	(1)
Behavioral Consequences for the Self	81	(4)
Health-Endangering Behavior	82	(1)
Relationship-Impeding Behavior	82	(2)
Conflict-Perpetuating Behavior	84	(1)
Overcoming Pluralistic Ignorance	85	(1)
Summing Up	86	(1)
Chapter Review	86	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	87	(2)
Chapter 6 Censoring and Expressing Prejudice	89	(20)
Norms Against Racial Prejudice	90	(2)
Censoring the Expression of Prejudice	91	(1)
The Search for Prejudice: Trying to Outsmart the Censor	92	(5)
Subtle Measures of Prejudice	92	(1)
Nonverbal Measures of Prejudice	93	(1)
Implicit Measures of Prejudice	94	(3)
Controlling Prejudiced Thought	97	(4)
Postconscious Stereotype Control	98	(1)
Preconscious Stereotype Control	99	(2)
Licensing Prejudice: Finding Acceptable Channels of Expression	101	(5)
Disguising Racial Bias in Innocent Attire	101	(2)
The Liberating Effects of Moral Credentials	103	(3)
Summing Up	106	(1)
Chapter Review	107	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	107	(2)
Chapter 7 Censoring and Expressing Irrationality	109	(20)
Maximizing Monetary Value Over Psychological Well-being	109	(8)
Censoring Feelings of Disgust	110	(1)
Censoring Feelings of Resentment	111	(1)
Censoring Feelings of Unfairness	112	(3)
Censoring Feelings of Embarrassment	115	(1)
Reflection Increases Rationality But Not Satisfaction	116	(1)
The Legitimating Impact of Self-interest	117	(5)
Emphasizing Self-interest in Accounts for Behavior	117	(2)
Concealing Compassion Within the Guise of Self-interest	119	(1)
Pointing to Self-interest to Justify Morally Questionable Behavior	120	(2)
Using Self-interest to Provide Psychological Cover	122	(2)
Appearing to Care about Money	122	(1)
The Exchange Fiction and Charitable Giving	123	(1)
The Growing Power of the Rationality Ideal	124	(2)
Summing Up	126	(1)
Chapter Review	126	(1)
Going Beyond the Chapter	127	(2)
Epilogue	129	(2)
Appendix: Research Summary Tables	131	(15)
References	146	(10)
Name Index	156	(3)
Subject Index	159