Social Psychology For Dummies

Your straightforward guide to Social Psychology!

Written for psychology students, Social Psychology For Dummies is an accessible and entertaining introduction to the field. Social Psychology For Dummies follows a typical university course, which makes it the perfect reference if you're in need of a clear (and enjoyable) overview of the topic. Whether you plan is to get ahead of the game or make up for lost time, we have you covered.

Online accessible review questions for each chapter are available to consolidate learning!

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Started with Social Psychology 5

Chapter 1: Introducing the Science of Social Psychology 7

Chapter 2: Exploring the Territory of Social Psychology 21

Chapter 3: Kitting Out: The Tools of Social Psychology 41

Part II: Understanding Attitudes and Actions 65

Chapter 4: Appraising Attitudes: The Troublesome Atoms of Social Psychology 67

Chapter 5: Uncovering Implicit Attitudes and Associations 81

Chapter 6: Investigating the Link between Behaviour and Attitudes 97

Part III: Thinking about Ourselves and Others 111

Chapter 7: Asking the Perennial Question: Who Am I? 113

Chapter 8: How Fantastic Am I! Looking at Self-serving Bias 123

Chapter 9: Attributing Causes to People’s Behaviour 135

Chapter 10: Making Judgements about Other People: Bias and Prejudice 149

Part IV: Comprehending Social Influence 163

Chapter 11: Appreciating the Power of the Situation 165

Chapter 12: Carrying Out Orders: Obedience 179

Chapter 13: Getting into Line: Conformity and Social Norms 195

Chapter 14: Persuading People to Part with Their Pounds 205

Part V: Assessing Relationships, Groups and Societies 219

Chapter 15: Interpersonal Relations: Liking, Loving and Living with Other People 221

Chapter 16: Examining the Benefits and Dangers of Social Groups 245

Chapter 17: Bridging Cross-Cultural Differences 261

Part VI: The Part of Tens 273

Chapter 18: Ten Questions for Getting the Most from Psychology Articles 275

Chapter 19: Ten Great Ways to Delve Deeper into Social Psychology 287

Index 295

Daniel C. Richardson, PhD, is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Experimental Psychology at University College London. He has taught psychology at Stanford University and the University of California Santa Cruz, and his Introduction to Social Psychology course was awarded the Provost Teaching Award at University College London.

Learn about:

• All the major theories and topics in the field
• Engaging and exciting research studies
• Connections between social psychology and everyday life
• Ways to read and write papers more effectively

Your complete guide to getting ahead or catching up on the topic of social psychology

Whether you want to catch up or get ahead, this book is the resource you need! Get an engaging, accessible overview of the topic, and then dig into the details of social psychology tools and tactics, the relationship between attitudes and behaviours, cognitive dissonance and many other topics. Get going in no time with this complete guide!

• Investigate social psychology — get an overview of what social psychology is, what tools the discipline makes use of and much more
• Attitudes and actions — dive into the details of attitudes, actions and more, including implicit attitudes, self-perception theory and parental idealisation
• Think about yourself and others — explore how we construct a sense of self, develop biases and make fundamental attribution errors
• The social influence — discover the power of social influence, theories of authority and concepts of commitment
• All about relationships — find out about interpersonal relationships, notions of physical attraction, nuances of group thinking and more
• A deeper look — get tips on what to keep in mind when reading social psychology articles and how to spot flaws

Open the book and find:

• An overview of the scope of social psychology
• The tools and tactics used by social psychologists
• Explorations of attitudes and behaviours
• Discussions on conformity, obedience and persuasion
• Details on group thinking and cross-cultural differences
• A full exploration of self-identity
• Information on social categorisation and biases