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Experiments with People: Revelations from Social Psychology
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This book provides an opportunity to explore the fascinating,
underpublicized, and sometimes misunderstood subject of social psychology.
In it, twenty-eight intriguing studies that throw light on human social
thinking and behavior are reviewed. These studies, mostly laboratory experiments,
address topics such as people's unawareness of why they do
what they do, the tenacity with which they maintain beliefs despite contrary
evidence, and the surprising extent to which they are influenced by the social
groups to which they belong. The results of these studies help the
reader understand many social phenomena that would otherwise remain
deeply puzzling, such as the operation of unconscious prejudices, belief in
mental telepathy, intense loyalty to questionable groups, the occasional
cruelty and indifference of ordinary people, and the nature of love relationships.
We chose to include each study because, in addition to being ingeniously
designed and carefully executed, it raised a question of theoretical
significance or addressed a problem of practical importance.
This volume is not a reader—we do not reproduce (lawyers take note!) any
of the original journal articles. Rather, each chapter offers a detailed exposition
of, and commentary on, a single study (though often citing closely related research).
We first introduce the problem that the researchers sought to solve
("Background"). We then describe how the study was conducted ("What They
Did") and what its findings were ("What They Found"). Next comes a "So
What?" section, the purpose of which is to persuade anyone inclined to view
the study as trivial that his or her misgivings are unfounded. We continue with
an "Afterthoughts" section, in which we discuss some of the broader issues
that the study raises, of a conceptual, practical, or ethical nature. Finally, each
chapter concludes with an explicit statement of the unique "Revelation" that
each study affords, often a profound and counterintuitive truth.
One of our goals in writing this volume was to make a convincing case
for the use of experiments in social psychological research. Colloquially,
the word experiment refers to the trying out of some new idea or technique.
Our usage is more technical: It refers to the random assignment of
many subjects—here human participants—to different groups
Robert P.Abelson and Kurt P.Frey and Aiden P. Gregg - Personal Name
0-8058-2896-6
NONE
Experiments with People: Revelations from Social Psychology
Psychology
English
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
2004
New Jersey
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