Baron/Byrne/Branscombe's Social Psychology–a text that has motivated students to take social psychology out of the classroom and into their lives for over four decades–has gone through its most major revision to date! Welcoming Nyla Branscombe to the author team has been a key addition to the 11th edition.
This classic text retains the hallmark of its own past success: up-to-date coverage of the quickly evolving subject matter written in a lively manner that has been embraced by hundreds of thousands of students around the world. This book continues to balance its coverage of fundamentals with current research.
Each chapter concludes with “Summary and Review of Key Points,” “Key Terms,” and “For More Information.”
1. The Field of Social Psychology: How We Think About and Interact with Others.
Social Psychology: A Working Definition.
Social Psychology in the New Millennium: New Perspectives, New Methods.
Answering Questions About Social Behavior and Social Thought: Research Methods in Social Psychology.
The Quest for Knowledge and Rights of Individuals: Seeking an Appropriate Balance.
Using This Book: A Road Map for Readers.
2. Social Perception: Understanding Others.
Nonverbal Communication: The Language of Expressions, Gazes, and Gestures.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See it—Fragrance: A Fading Nonverbal Cue?
Attribution: Understanding the Causes of Others' Behavior.
Impression Formation and Impression Management: How We Combine – and Use – Social Information.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—From Cognitive Algebra to Motivated Processing.
3. Social Cognition: Thinking About the Social World.
Schemas: Mental Frameworks for Organizing – and Using – Social Information.
Heuristics and Automatic Processing: How We Reduce Our Effort in Social Cognition.
Potential Sources of Error in Social Cognition: Why Total Rationality Is Rarer than You Think.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It—How the Criminal Justice System Could Be Improved—but Isn't: The Potential Role of Cognitive Biases.
Affect and Cognition: How Feelings Shape Thought and Thought Shapes Feelings.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—The Effects of Being in a Good Mood on Social Behavior and Social Cognition: From “The Warm Glow of Success” to the Effects of Mood on Heuristic Thinking.
4. Attitudes: Evaluating the Social World.
Attitude Formation: How - and Why - Attitudes Develop.
The Attitude-Behavior Link: When – and How – Attitudes Influence Behavior.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress – Studying the Attitude-Behavior Link.
The Fine Art of Persuasion: Using Messages to Change Attitudes.
When Attitude Change Fails: Resistance to Persuasion.
Cognitive Dissonance: Why Our Behavior Can Sometimes Influence Our Attitudes.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It – When a Physical Addiction and Dissonance Collide, Guess Which Wins?
5. Aspects of Social Identity: Self and Gender.
Social Identity: An Overview.
The Self: Components of One's Unique Identity.
Gender: Being a Male or a Female as a Crucial Aspect of Identity.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress – Sex, the Gender Revolution, and Related Issues.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It – Little Girls Beset by Bigger Worries.
6. Prejudice: Its Causes, Effects, and Cures.
Prejudice and Discrimination: Their Nature and Origins.
The Origins of Prejudice: Contrasting Perspectives.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—Hard Economic Times and Violence Against Minority Groups: From Lynchings in the South to Hate Crimes in New York.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It—Thin May Be “In,” but in the U.S., “Fat Is Where It's At: Combating Prejudice Against Obese Persons.”
Why Prejudice Is Not Inevitable: Techniques for Countering Its Effects.
Prejudice Based on Gender: Its Nature and Effects.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It – Can a Lecture Be Sexually Harassing?
7. Interpersonal Attraction: Initial Contact, Liking, Becoming Acquainted.
The Beginning of Attraction: Proximity and Emotions.
Becoming Acquaintances: The Need to Affiliate and the Effect of Observable Characteristics.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It – Do Looks and Style Influence Voters?
Moving toward Friendship: Similarity and Mutual Liking.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress – Similarity, Dissimilarity, or Both?
8. Close Relationships: Family, Friends, Lovers, and Spouses.
Interdependent Relationships with Family and Friends versus Loneliness.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress –The Importance of Adult Attachment Style in Interpersonal Behavior.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It – Are Seven-Minute Dates the Solution?
Marriage: The Ultimate Close Relationship.
9. Social Influence: Changing Others' Behavior.
Conformity: Group Influence in Action.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—The Persistence of Social Norms: From the Autokinetic Phenomenon to the “Culture of Honour.”
Compliance: To Ask—Sometimes – Is to Receive.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It—High-Pressure Tactics for Gaining Compliance: Do You Really Need a $1500 Vacuum Cleaner? Does Anyone?
Extreme Forms of Social Influence: Obedience to Authority and Intense Introduction.
10. Prosocial Behavior: Helping Others.
Responding to an Emergency: Why Are Bystanders Sometimes Helpful, Sometimes Indifferent?
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—The Study of Prosocial Behavior Began with a Murder.
The Helpers and Those Who Receive Help.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It—Prosocial Responding to an Apparent Crime.
11. Aggression: Its Nature, Causes, and Control.
Theoretical Perspectives on Aggression: In Search of the Roots of Violence.
Determinants of Human Aggression: Social, Personal, Situational.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It—Agression in the Air—And No Wonder!
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—Studying Heat and Aggression: From the Laboratory to Police Records of Assault.
Aggression in Long-Term Relationships: Bullying and Workplace Violence.
The Prevention and Control of Aggression: Some Useful Techniques.
12. Groups and Individuals: The Consequences of Belonging.
Groups: What They Are and How They Function.
How Groups Affect Individual Performance: From Social Facilitation to Social Loafing.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—From Drive to Attentional Focus: How Does the Presence of Others Influence Task Performance?
Coordination in Groups: Cooperation or Conflict?
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It – “We're All in This Together, So Why Doesn't Everyone Do Their Share?” : A Social Dilemma in the Office.
Perceived Fairness in Groups: Its Nature and Effects.
Decision Making by Groups: How It Occurs and the Pitfalls It Faces.
13. Social Psychology in Action: Applications to Law, Medicine, and Organizations.
Applying Social Psychology to the Interpersonal Aspects of the Legal System.
Applying Social Psychology to Health-Related Behavior.
Beyond the Headlines: As Social Psychologists See It—Pets Can Help Reduce Stress.
Applying Social Psychology to the World of Work: Job Satisfaction, Helping, and Leadership.
Social Psychology: Thirty Years of Progress—Understanding the Dimensions and Limits of Leadership Style: From Autocratic and Democratic Leaders to Charisma.
