Social Psychology : Unraveling the Mystery

by Kenrick, Douglas T.; Neuberg, Steven L.; Cialdini, Robert B.

• ISBN13: 9780205420483
• ISBN10: 0205420486
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-01-01
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Summary

Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery explores how social behavior is goal-directed and a result of interactions between the person and the situation. Social Psychology Unraveling the Mystery has two features that set it apart from other social psychology textbooks: Opening mysteries: Each chapter begins with a mystery of social behavior, designed not only to grab student interest, but also to organize the ensuing discussion of scientific research: Why would a poor black washerwoman give away her hard-earned life-savings? What psychological forces led the Dalai Lama, the most exalted personage in Tibet, to forge a lifelong friendship with a foreign vagabond openly scorned by Tibetan peasants? Why would a boy falsely confess to murdering his own mother? A unique integrated approach to social behavior: Rather than encyclopedically listing unconnected factoids, the authors organize each chapter around the two broad themes, asking: (1) what are the goals that underlie the behavior in question? (2) what factors in the person and the situation link to each goal? The book thus presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human behavior. Cutting-edge scholarship, lively writing, and the authors' strengths as both respected researchers and expert teachers, all come together to make the third edition of Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery an accessible and engaging read for students, and provides a modern and cohesive approach for their teachers.

Table of Contents

From the Authors	xiii
Introduction to Social Psychology	1	(29)
The Mysteries of Social Life	1	(2)
What Is Social Psychology?	3	(1)
Major Theoretical Perspectives of Social Psychology	4	(5)
The Sociocultural Perspective	4	(1)
The Evolutionary Perspective	5	(1)
The Social Learning Perspective	6	(1)
The Social Cognitive Perspective	7	(2)
Combining Perspectives	9	(1)
Basic Principles of Social Behavior	9	(3)
Social Behavior Is Goal Oriented	10	(1)
The Interaction between the Person and the Situation	11	(1)
How Psychologists Study Social Behavior	12	(13)
Focus on Method Why Good Theories Need Good Data	13	(1)
Descriptive Methods	14	(4)
Correlation and Causation	18	(1)
Experimental Methods	19	(2)
Why Social Psychologists Combine Different Methods	21	(2)
Ethical Issues in Social Psychological Research	23	(2)
How Does Social Psychology Fit into the Network of Knowledge?	25	(2)
Social Psychology and Other Areas of Psychology	25	(1)
Social Psychology and Other Disciplines	26	(1)
Revisiting the Mysteries of Social Life	27	(1)
Summary	28	(1)
Key Terms	29	(1)
The Person and the Situation	30	(38)
The Enigma of an Ordinary and Extraordinary Man	31	(2)
The Person	33	(14)
Motivation: What Drives Us	33	(4)
Knowledge: Our View of the World	37	(1)
Feelings, Attitudes, Emotions, and Moods	38	(1)
Focus on Method Assessing Feelings	39	(5)
Introducing the Self	44	(3)
The Situation	47	(10)
Persons as Situations: Mere Presence, Affordances, and Descriptive Norms	48	(3)
Focus on Social Dysfunction Descriptive Norms, Pluralistic Ignorance, and Binge Drinking on Campus	51	(1)
Rules: Injunctive Norms and Scripted Situations	52	(1)
Strong versus Weak Situations	53	(1)
Culture	54	(3)
The Person and the Situation Interact	57	(7)
Different Persons Respond Differently to the Same Situation	57	(1)
Focus on Application Person-Situation Fit in the Workplace	58	(1)
Situations Choose the Person	59	(1)
Persons Choose Their Situations	60	(1)
Different Situations Prime Different Parts of the Person	60	(2)
Persons Change the Situation	62	(1)
Situations Change the Person	62	(2)
Revisiting the Enigma of an Ordinary and Extraordinary Man	64	(1)
Summary	65	(2)
Key Terms	67	(1)
Social Cognition: Understanding Ourselves and Others	68	(34)
Portraits of Hillary Rodham Clinton	69	(1)
The Social Thinker	70	(3)
Four Core Processes of Social Cognition	71	(1)
The Goals of Social Cognition	72	(1)
Conserving Mental Effort	73	(9)
Expectations	73	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy	74	(1)
Dispositional Inferences	75	(3)
Other Cognitive Shortcuts	78	(2)
Arousal and Circadian Rhythms	80	(1)
Need for Structure	81	(1)
Complex Situations and Time Pressure	81	(1)
When the World Doesn't Fit Our Expectations	82	(1)
Managing Self-Image	82	(8)
Cognitive Strategies for Enhancing and Protecting the Self	83	(2)
Focus on Application Control Beliefs and Health	85	(2)
Self-Esteem	87	(1)
Threats to Self-Esteem	87	(1)
When Self-Esteem Is Fragile	88	(1)
How Universal Is the Need for Positive Self-Regard?	89	(1)
Seeking Accuracy	90	(8)
Unbiased Information Gathering	90	(1)
Considering Alternatives	91	(1)
Attributional Logic: Seeking the Causes of Behavior	92	(1)
Mood	93	(2)
Need for Cognition	95	(1)
Unexpected Events	95	(1)
Social Interdependence	96	(1)
Accuracy Requires Cognitive Resources	96	(2)
Revisiting the Portraits of Hillary Rodham Clinton	98	(1)
Summary	99	(2)
Key Terms	101	(1)
Presenting the Self	102	(36)
The Amazing Lives of Fred Demara	103	(2)
What Is Self-Presentation?	105	(6)
Why Do People Self-Present?	105	(1)
When Do People Self-Present?	106	(2)
The Nature of Self-Presentation	108	(1)
Focus on Application Detecting Deception	109	(2)
Appearing Likable	111	(9)
Strategies of Ingratiation	111	(1)
Focus on Method The Science of Deciphering Facial Expressions	112	(5)
Gender	117	(1)
Potential Friends and Power-Holders	118	(1)
Multiple Audiences	119	(1)
Appearing Competent	120	(6)
Strategies of Self-Promotion	120	(2)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Paradox of Self-Handicapping	122	(1)
Competence Motivation and Shyness	123	(1)
When Competence Matters	124	(1)
Competence Checks	125	(1)
The Interpersonal Cycle of Self-Promotion	125	(1)
Conveying Status and Power	126	(7)
Strategies of Status and Power	126	(3)
Gender Revisited	129	(2)
Image Threats, Newly Available Resources	131	(1)
Different Strategies for Different Audiences	131	(2)
Revisiting the Amazing Lives of Fred Demara	133	(2)
Summary	135	(2)
Key Terms	137	(1)
Attitudes and Persuasion	138	(38)
The Changing Story of Peter Reilly	139	(2)
The Nature of Attitudes	141	(4)
Attitude Formation	141	(1)
Attitude Strength	142	(1)
Attitude-Behavior Consistency	143	(2)
What Is Persuasion?	145	(10)
Measuring Attitude Change	145	(1)
Focus on Method The After-Only Design	146	(2)
Cognitive Responses: Self-Talk Persuades	148	(2)
Focus on Application Smoking the Tobacco Companies with Counterarguments	150	(1)
Dual Process Models of Persuasion: Two Routes to Change	151	(4)
The Goals of Persuasion: Why People Change Their Attitudes and Beliefs	155	(1)
Seeking Accuracy	155	(7)
Good Shortcuts	155	(4)
What Affects the Desire for Accuracy?	159	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction Defensiveness and Denial	160	(2)
Being Consistent	162	(8)
Balance Theory	163	(1)
Cognitive Dissonance Theory	164	(2)
What Affects the Desire for Cognitive Consistency?	166	(2)
Consistency with What?	168	(2)
Gaining Social Approval	170	(3)
Self-Monitoring	170	(1)
Gender: Women, Men, and Persuasion	170	(1)
The Expectation of Discussion	171	(1)
Self-Monitoring and Expectation of Discussion	171	(2)
Revisiting the Story of Peter Reilly	173	(1)
Summary	174	(1)
Key Terms	175	(1)
Social Influence: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience	176	(38)
The Extraordinary Turnaround (and Around) of Steve Hassan	177	(2)
Categories of Social Influence: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience	179	(8)
Conformity: Asch's Research on Group Influence	180	(2)
Compliance: The ``Foot-in-the-Door'' Technique	182	(1)
Focus on Method Participant Observation	182	(2)
Obedience: Milgram's Shock(ing) Procedure	184	(3)
The Goals of Social Influence	187	(1)
Choosing Correctly	187	(7)
Authority	188	(2)
Social Validation	190	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction Mass Hysteria	191	(1)
Uncertainty	192	(1)
Consensus and Similarity	192	(2)
Uncertainty and the Desire for Accuracy	194	(1)
Gaining Social Approval	194	(9)
Social Norms: Codes of Conduct	195	(3)
What Personal Factors Affect the Impact of Social Approval?	198	(2)
What Situational Factors Affect the Impact of Social Approval?	200	(2)
Who's Strong Enough to Resist Strong Group Norms?	202	(1)
Focus on Application Doing Wrong by Trying to Do Right	202	(1)
Being Consistent with Commitments	203	(7)
Commitment-Initiating Tactics	204	(2)
Harnessing Existing Commitments	206	(1)
Active and Public Commitments	207	(1)
Men, Women, and Public Conformity	208	(2)
Revisiting the Turnaround of Steve Hassan	210	(1)
Summary	211	(2)
Key Terms	213	(1)
Affiliation and Friendship	214	(30)
The Fugitive Who Befriended the God-King	215	(1)
What Is a Friend?	216	(4)
Studying Real-Life Relationships	217	(1)
Focus on Method Studying Intimate Relationships without Really Being There	217	(2)
Goals of Affiliation and Friendship	219	(1)
Getting Social Support	220	(7)
Focus on Application Health Psychology and Emotional Support	221	(1)
Do Women Tend and Befriend While Men Fight or Take Flight?	222	(1)
Threats: Why Misery (Sometimes) Loves Company	223	(1)
Pushing Support Away	224	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Self-Perpetuating Cycle of Loneliness and Depression	225	(2)
Attachment and Social Development	227	(1)
Getting Information	227	(5)
Social Comparison and Liking for Similar Others	228	(1)
Self-Disclosers and Nondisclosers	229	(1)
Uncertainty	230	(1)
Similarity	230	(1)
When Dissimilarity Can Save Self-Esteem	231	(1)
Gaining Status	232	(2)
Men's Friendships Are More Hierarchical	232	(1)
Status by Association	233	(1)
Seeking Status May Erode Social Support	234	(1)
Exchanging Material Benefits	234	(7)
Fundamental Patterns of Social Exchange	235	(1)
Individual Differences in Communal Orientation	236	(1)
Communal and Exchange Relationships	237	(1)
Proximity and Social Capital	237	(2)
Are Exchange Relationships Different in Western and Non-Western Cultures?	239	(2)
Revisiting the Fugitive Who Befriended the God-King	241	(1)
Summary	242	(1)
Key Terms	243	(1)
Love and Romantic Relationships	244	(34)
The Puzzling Love Lives of the British Monarchs	245	(1)
Defining Love and Romantic Attraction	246	(4)
The Defining Features of Love	246	(2)
Focus on Method Uncovering the Different Factors of Love	248	(1)
Are There Different Varieties of Love?	248	(1)
The Goals of Romantic Relationships	249	(1)
Obtaining Sexual Satisfaction	250	(7)
Hormones	250	(1)
Sociosexual Orientation	250	(1)
Who's Sexually Attractive?	251	(2)
Gender Differences in Sexuality	253	(1)
Arousing Settings	254	(1)
Cultural Norms about Sexuality	255	(1)
Sexual Situations Look Different to Men and Women	256	(1)
Cultural Practices May Trick Evolved Mechanisms	256	(1)
Establishing Family Bonds	257	(6)
The Importance of Attachment	257	(1)
Attachment Style	258	(1)
Exchange/Communal Orientation	259	(1)
Threats	260	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction Obsessive Relationships and Unrequited Love	261	(1)
Jealousy and Same-Sex Competitors	262	(1)
Relationships Change Our Personalities	263	(1)
Gaining Resources and Social Status	263	(7)
Gender and Sexual Orientation	264	(2)
Culture, Resources, and Polygamy	266	(2)
Social Exchange in Committed Relationships	268	(1)
When Dominance Matters	268	(2)
Breaking Up (and Staying Together)	270	(4)
Some People Are Better at Getting Along	270	(1)
Some Situations Pull Couples Apart	270	(1)
Interactions: It Takes Two to Tango	271	(1)
Focus on Application Studying Healthy Communication to Save Marriages	272	(2)
Revisiting the Love Lives of the British Monarchs	274	(1)
Summary	275	(2)
Key Terms	277	(1)
Prosocial Behavior	278	(34)
The Strange Case of Sempo Sugihara	279	(2)
The Goals of Prosocial Behavior	281	(1)
Improving Our Basic Welfare: Gaining Genetic and Material Benefits	282	(6)
Insights into the Evolution of Help	282	(1)
Focus on Method Using Behavioral Genetics to Study Helping	283	(1)
Learning to Help	284	(2)
Similarity and Familiarity	286	(1)
Focus on Application Getting Help by Adjusting the Helper's Sense of ``We''	286	(2)
Genetic Similarity and Need	288	(1)
Gaining Social Status and Approval	288	(7)
Social Responsibility: The Helping Norm	289	(3)
Desire for Approval	292	(1)
Effects of Those around Us	292	(1)
Gender and Help	293	(2)
Managing Self-Image	295	(6)
Personal Norms and Religious Codes	295	(2)
Labeling and Self-Focus	297	(1)
Deciding Not to Help Friends or to Seek Their Help	298	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction Failing to Seek Needed Help	299	(2)
Managing Our Emotions and Moods	301	(5)
Managing Emotional Arousal in Emergencies: The Arousal/Cost-Reward Model	301	(1)
Managing Mood in Nonemergencies: The Negative State Relief Model	302	(4)
Does Pure Altruism Exist?	306	(3)
The Empathy-Altruism Sequence	306	(2)
An Egoistic Interpretation	308	(1)
Revisiting the Case of Sempo Sugihara	309	(1)
Summary	310	(1)
Key Terms	311	(1)
Aggression	312	(40)
A Wave of Senseless Violence	313	(2)
What Is Agression?	315	(3)
Different Types of Aggression	315	(1)
Gender Differences in Aggression May Depend on Your Definition	315	(2)
The Goals of Aggressive Behavior	317	(1)
Coping with Feelings of Annoyance	318	(7)
The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis	319	(1)
Feelings of Arousal and Irritability	320	(1)
Unpleasant Situations	321	(2)
Annoyance Leads to Changes in Perception of Situations	323	(2)
Some People Create Their Own Annoying Situations	325	(1)
Gaining Material and Social Rewards	325	(8)
Focus on Social Dysfunction Gangland Violence	326	(1)
Social Learning Theory and Media Violence	327	(1)
Who Finds Rewards in Violence?	328	(1)
Glamorized Violence in the Media	329	(1)
Focus on Method Using Meta-Analysis to Examine the Effects of Violent Media	330	(3)
Violent Media Magnify Violent Inclinations	333	(1)
Gaining or Maintaining Social Status	333	(7)
Aggression and Sexual Selection	334	(1)
Sex and Testosterone	335	(2)
Insults and Other ``Trivial Altercations''	337	(2)
Different Paths to Status	339	(1)
Protecting Oneself or Others	340	(3)
Self-Defenders	340	(2)
Perceived Threats	342	(1)
Self-Protective Aggression Can Increase Danger	342	(1)
Reducing Violence	343	(4)
Rewarding Alternatives to Aggression	343	(1)
Focus on Application Using Cognition to Manage Angry Arousal	343	(2)
Legal Punishments	345	(1)
Prevention by Removing Threats	345	(2)
Revisiting Senseless Violence	347	(1)
Summary	348	(2)
Key Terms	350	(2)
Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination	352	(38)
The Unlikely Journey of Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis	353	(2)
Planet Prejudice	355	(6)
Prejudice and Stereotypes	356	(1)
Discrimination	357	(1)
The Costs of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination	358	(3)
The Goals of Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination	361	(1)
Supporting and Protecting One's Group	361	(4)
Creating and Maintaining Ingroup Advantage	362	(1)
Social Dominance Orientation	363	(1)
Intergroup Competition	364	(1)
The Self-Fulfilling Spiral of Intergroup Competition	365	(1)
Gaining Social Approval	365	(3)
Conformity Seeking, Self-Monitoring, and Perceived Social Standing	366	(1)
The Times	366	(1)
Intrinsic Religiosity and Prejudice	367	(1)
Managing Self-Image	368	(5)
Personal and Social Identities	369	(1)
Ingroup Identification	370	(1)
Authoritarianism	370	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Authoritarian Personality	370	(2)
Failure	372	(1)
Self-Esteem and Threat	372	(1)
Seeking Mental Efficiency	373	(7)
The Characteristics of Efficient Stereotypes	375	(1)
Focus on Method Exploring the Automatic Activation of Stereotypes	376	(1)
Need for Structure	377	(1)
Moods and Emotions	377	(2)
Cognitively Taxing Circumstances	379	(1)
Overheard Ethnic Slurs	379	(1)
Reducing Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination	380	(6)
Interventions Based on the Ignorance Hypothesis	380	(1)
The Goal-Based Approach	381	(3)
When Contact Helps	384	(1)
Focus on Application Cooperation in the Classroom	385	(1)
Revisiting the Journey of Ann Atwater and C.P. Ellis	386	(2)
Summary	388	(1)
Key Terms	389	(1)
Groups	390	(38)
Blowing the Whistle on Hidden Group Pathologies	391	(2)
The Nature of Groups	393	(8)
The Mere Presence of Others and Social Facilitation	393	(2)
Crowds and Deindividuation	395	(1)
Groups as Dynamic Systems: The Emergence of Norms	396	(1)
Focus on Method Using Computer Simulation to Explore Complex Group Processes	397	(2)
``Real'' Groups	399	(1)
Why Do People Belong to Groups?	400	(1)
Getting Things Done	401	(7)
Lightening the Load, Dividing the Labor	401	(1)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Social Disease of Social Loafing	402	(2)
Expectations of Individual Failure and Group Success	404	(1)
Current Needs, Individualistic Societies	404	(1)
When Are Groups Most Productive?	405	(3)
Making Accurate Decisions	408	(8)
The Need to Know	408	(1)
Uncertain Circumstances	409	(1)
Discussion and Decision-Making	410	(2)
Focus on Application Majority and Minority Influence in the Jury Room	412	(4)
Gaining Positions of Leadership	416	(7)
Who Wants to Lead?	417	(1)
When Opportunity Knocks	418	(1)
Who Gets to Lead?	419	(1)
When Are Leaders Effective?	419	(4)
Revisiting the Revealed Pathologies of the FBI, Enron, and WorldCom	423	(2)
Summary	425	(2)
Key Terms	427	(1)
Social Dilemmas: Cooperation Versus Conflict	428	(32)
Contrasting Future Worlds	429	(2)
Defining Social Dilemmas	431	(4)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Tragedy of the Commons	432	(1)
Interlocking Problems and Solutions	433	(1)
Goals Underlying Global Social Dilemmas	434	(1)
Gaining Immediate Satisfaction	435	(7)
Social Traps	435	(1)
Egoistic versus Prosocial Orientations	436	(2)
Changing the Consequences of Short-Sighted Selfishness	438	(2)
Different Strokes for Different Folks	440	(2)
Defending Ourselves and Valued Others	442	(14)
Outgroup Bias and International Conflict	442	(1)
Some of Us Are More Defensive Than Others	443	(2)
Competition and Threat	445	(2)
Focus on Method Time-Series Analysis and International Cooperation	447	(3)
Intercultural Misperception and International Conflict	450	(2)
The Reciprocal Dynamics of Cooperation and Conflict	452	(2)
Focus on Application Increasing Intergroup Cooperation with the GRIT Strategy	454	(2)
Revisiting the Future	456	(1)
Summary	457	(1)
Key Terms	458	(2)
Integrating Social Psychology	460	(29)
Public Spectacles, Hidden Conspiracies, and Multiple Motives	461	(2)
What Ground Have We Covered?	463	(1)
Findings and Theories	464	(1)
Major Theoretical Perspectives of Social Psychology	464	(7)
The Sociocultural Perspective	465	(1)
The Evolutionary Perspective	466	(3)
The Social Learning Perspective	469	(1)
The Social Cognitive Perspective	469	(1)
Are Gender Differences in Our Genes, in Our Cultural Learning Experiences, or All in Our Minds?	470	(1)
Combining the Different Perspectives	471	(9)
Social Behavior Is Goal Oriented	472	(3)
Focus on Social Dysfunction The Thin Line between Normal and Abnormal Social Functioning	475	(3)
The Interaction between the Person and the Situation	478	(2)
Why Research Methods Matter	480	(3)
Focus on Method Some Conclusions for Consumers of Social Science Information	481	(2)
How Does Social Psychology Fit into the Network of Knowledge?	483	(2)
Focus on Application Social Psychology's Usefulness for Business, Medicine, and Law	484	(1)
The Future of Social Psychology	485	(1)
Summary	486	(1)
Key Terms	487	(2)
References	489	(74)
Author Index	563	(20)
Subject Index	583	(16)
Photo Credits	599