Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction

Amazing deeds of heroism and horrific acts of terrorism. Undying love, friendships gone wrong, and inspirational leadership. Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction introduces the student to the fascinating mysteries of social behavior. By revealing the motives behind social behavior—why people love, hate, lead, and follow, for example—and bridging the person and the social situation, KNC actively engages the students’ natural curiosity while providing the only textbook with a truly integrative, coherent approach.

A unique integrated approach to social behavior: What do terrorist bombings, testosterone, one-minute “hurry dates,” Facebook, and political smear campaigns have to do with one another? Social Psychology textbooks typically provide a laundry list of interesting, but disconnected facts and theories. This standard approach grabs interest but falls short as a way to learn. Kenrick, Neuberg, and Cialdini instead provide an integrative approach, one that both builds upon traditional lessons learned by the field and pushes those lessons to the cutting-edge. By organizing each chapter around the two broad questions–“What are the goals that underlie the behavior in question?” and “What factors in the person and the situation connect to each goal?” –the book presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human behavior. Expanding the integrative theme in this edition, KNC highlights social psychology as the ultimate bridge discipline–connecting the different findings and theories of social psychology, exploring the field’s links to other areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, organizational, and neuroscience), and bridging to other important academic disciplines (e.g., anthropology, biology, economics, medicine, and law).

Opening mysteries: Each chapter begins with a mystery, designed not only to grab student interest, but also to organize the ensuing discussion of scientific research: Why did the beautiful and talented artist Frida Kahlo fall for the much older, and much less attractive, Diego Rivera, and then tolerate his numerous extramarital affairs? 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?

The authors are each well-known researchers who have contributed cutting edge findings to the field. The latest scholarship, engaging writing, engrossing real-world stories and the authors' strengths as renowned researchers and expert teachers, all come together to make the fifth edition of Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction an accessible and engaging read for students,¿while providing¿a modern and cohesive approach for their teachers.

Looking for additional resources to help you understand the material and succeed in this course? MyPsychLab contains study tools such as flashcards, self tests, videos, as well as writing resources and a complete ebook. MyPsychLab is available at www.mypsychlab.com.

CONTENTS:

1. Author Bios

2. A message from the authors

 

 

1. Author Bios:

 

Douglas T. Kenrick is a professor at Arizona State University. He received his B.A. from Dowling College and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He taught at Montana State University for four years before returning to ASU. His research has been published in a number of places, including Psychological Review, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, American Psychologist, Handbook of Social Psychology, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Current Directions in Psychological Science, Perspectives on Psychological Science, and Personality and Social Psychology Review. With John Seamon, he coauthored Psychology (1994). He has taught a graduate course on teaching psychology, and he thoroughly enjoys teaching undergraduate sections of social psychology, for which he has won several teaching awards.

 

Steven L. Neuberg received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and his graduate degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University. He spent a postdoctoral year at the University of Waterloo in Canada and has since taught at Arizona State University. Neuberg’s research has been published in outlets such as Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Handbook of Social Psychology, andPerspectives on Psychological Science, and has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. He has received a half dozen teaching honors, including his college’s Outstanding Teaching Award and the ASU Honors College Outstanding Honors Disciplinary Faculty Award. He has served on federal grant review panels and as associate editor of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and teaches a graduate course on teaching social psychology.

 

Robert B. Cialdini is Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and his graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina. He is a past president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology and has received the Society’s award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions. His research has appeared in numerous publications, including Handbook of Social Psychology, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. His book, Influence: Science and Practice, has sold over 2 million copies and has appeared in 26 languages.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

2. A message from the authors of KNC 5th edition:

 

My father was a Madison Avenue executive, and I always found his business fascinating.  I recently picked up a colorful book on the most successful ads of the 20th century–like the United Colors of Benetton, Apple’s Think Different, and Volkswagen’s Ugly is Only Skin Deep.  It struck me that Madison Avenue has been, at least some of the time, a place where brilliant artistic creativity meets the best principles of scientific social psychology. This stimulated my curiosity about why some work so well, so I ran down the hall to discuss the psychology of advertising with Bob Cialdini (who has been called upon to consult with the Obama campaign, with Al Gore, and with many leading corporations, on just such questions).  We thought it would be a kick to make up a few ads that turned the key psychological principles of those 20th century ad campaigns to another purpose: laying out the social psychological principles of the best ad campaigns in a way that connected with the key features or our social psychology text. 

 

Working together with our coauthor Steve Neuberg, and with my son Dave Kenrick (who has a film production degree from NYU, and who has prepared many of the audiovisual supplements for our text), we set up a website with an explanation of the social psychological principles at work in each of those successful ad campaigns.  That website also contains links where you can obtain samples of our lecture powerpoints, a sample chapter of the book, and a way to contact your local Pearson sales rep for more information.  To check it out, click here: http://www.knc5.com/Ad_Psych

 

Doug Kenrick

Professor

Arizona State University