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The Nature of Theory and Research in Social Psychology

  • 1st Edition - January 1, 1972
  • Latest edition
  • Authors: Clyde Hendrick, Russell A. Jones
  • Language: English

The Nature of Theory and Research in Social Psychology aims to provide advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a solid foundation in the logic of theory construction and… Read more

Description

The Nature of Theory and Research in Social Psychology aims to provide advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a solid foundation in the logic of theory construction and the experimental method; and to teach students how to read, critically evaluate, and appreciate professional literature in the behavioral sciences. The book is believed to be unique in this latter respect and that it will serve a vital need in several different courses. The book is organized into two parts. Part I contains a detailed exposition of the nature of theory and research. It discusses the nature of formal theory, derivation of hypotheses, and the testing of hypotheses. It explicates in great detail the experimental approach to hypothesis testing. Both formal and informal aspects of a psychological experiment are discussed. Part II includes five chapters that enable students to put their analytical skills to use. Five substantive areas from social psychology have been selected. Each chapter includes three reprinted journal articles, and the chapter may be considered a ""case study"" in the analysis of experimental research in a given problem area. The following topics are covered in this section: dissonance and disconfirmed expectancies; dissonance and severity of initiation, primary-recency in personality impression formation, forewarning and anticipatory attitude change, and dependency and helping.

Table of contents


Preface

Prologue

Part I Basic Issues in Theory Construction and Research Methods

Chapter 1 Formal Aspects of Theory and Hypothesis Testing

Prediction

Understanding

Control

Hypothesis Testing

Chapter 2 Interpreting Experimental Results

A Null Hypothesis Outcome

Alternative Interpretations of the Hypothesis

Multiple Independent Variables

Interactions between Independent Variables

Statistical Analysis of Research Data

Chapter 3 The Social Nature of Social Psychological Research

The Experiment as a Social Contract

Demand Characteristics

Overcoming Demand Characteristics

The Experimenter as a Variable

Controlling Experimenter Effects

Chapter 4 Conducting the Experiment

The Types of Social Experiments

Pretesting and Pilot Studies

Experimental Operations—Behavior versus Cognitions

Chapter 5 Generalizing beyond the Experiment

Internal and External Validity of an Experiment

Sampling: the Problem of Population Generality

Other Related Problems

Concluding Comments

References

Part II Case Studies in Social Research

Chapter 6 Dissonance and Disconfirmed Expectancies

Performance Expectancy as a Determinant of Actual Performance

Performance Expectancy as a Determinant of Actual Performance: a Partial Replication

Seven Studies of Performance Expectancy as a Determinant of Actual Performance

Chapter 7 Dissonance and Severity of Initiation

The Effect of Severity of Initiation on Liking for a Group

A Dependence Interpretation of the Effects of a Severe Initiation

The Effects of Severity of Initiation on Liking for a Group: a Replication

Chapter 8 Primary-Recency in Personality Impression Formation

Primacy Effects in Personality Impression Formation

Application of a Linear-Serial Model to a Personality-Impression Task Using Serial Presentation

Effects of Varying Trait Inconsistency and Response Requirements on the Primacy Effect in Impression Formation

Chapter 9 Forewarning and Anticipatory Attitude Change

Anticipatory Belief Lowering following Forewarning of a Persuasive Attack

Anticipation of Exposure to Persuasive Messages and Belief Change

Self-Esteem and Consistency as Determinants of Anticipatory Opinion Change

Chapter 10 Dependency and Helping

Affecting the Salience of the Social Responsibility Norm: Effects of Past Help on the Response to Dependency Relationships

Reciprocity and Responsibility Reactions to Prior Help

Effects of Prior Help and Hindrance on Willingness to Help Another: Reciprocity or Social Responsibility

Chapter 11 Postscript

Replications

Strong Inference

References

Subject Index

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: January 1, 1972
  • Language: English

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