Preface
Most—but not all—of the students who will read this book are psychology majors. Approximately 15% of people who hold bachelor’s degrees in psychology will go on to earn a graduate degree in psychology. That means that 85% of psychology bachelor’s degree holders are using what they learned in their major in other careers, such as business, healthcare, engineering, computer science, and law enforcement. As I revised this book, I kept my students in mind. What is it that they—you—need to know about social psychology, regardless of future career?
It was important to me that everyone see themselves reflected in these pages. I taught for over 20 years at a college that is about 80% ethnic minoritized students. Many of our students are recent immigrants or refugees—or the children of immigrants or refugees. I am now affiliate faculty at an Hispanic-serving institution. It was important to me that my students and everyone else who has been historically excluded from textbooks, including those who define themselves as gender nonbinary and people with visible and invisible disabilities, recognize themselves throughout this book.
You will read about psychological research that has been conducted around the world. As we will see, most social psychological principles are universal, even when there are cultural differences that can affect how the principles manifest.
Knowledge of social psychology can help us all live better lives. Throughout the text, we will read about how people are using psychological principles to address serious social justice issues. I hope that as we move through the chapters, you, too, will feel inspired to use your new-found social psychological knowledge to make the world a better place.
May you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed revising it.
Sue Frantz (sfrantz@nmsu.edu)
Organization
The text moves systematically from lower to higher levels of analysis. However, the chapter order should not constrain you—choose a different order if you wish. Chapter 1 “Welcome to Social Psychology” presents an introduction to social psychology and the research methods in social psychology, Chapter 2 “The Social World: Learning and Cognition” presents the fundamental principles of social cognition, and Chapter 3 “Social Affect” focuses on moods, emotions, stress, and happiness. The remainder of the text is organized around three levels of analysis, moving systematically from the individual level (Chapter 4 “The Self” through Chapter 6 “Social Perception”), to the level of social interaction (Chapter 7 “Conformity, Obedience, and Leadership” through Chapter 10 “Aggression”), to the group and cultural level (Chapter 11 “Group Performance and Decision Making” through Chapter 13 “Competition and Cooperation in Our Social Worlds”).
Pedagogical Goals
Principles of Social Psychology contains a number of pedagogical features designed to help students develop an active, integrative understanding of the many topics of social psychology and to think like social psychologists.
Engaging Chapter Openers. Each chapter begins with a real-world example or a video, such as a TED Talk.
Social Psychology in the Public Interest. Social psychological findings interest students in large part because they relate so directly to everyday experience. The Social Psychology in the Public Interest Feature reinforces these links. Topics include Does High Self-Esteem Cause Happiness or Other Positive Outcomes? (refer to Chapter 3 “Social Affect”), Detecting Deception (refer to Chapter 6 “Social Perception”), Preventing Violence (refer to Chapter 10 “Aggression”), and Stereotype Threat and Stereotype Lift (refer to Chapter 12 “Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination”). The goal is to include these applied topics within the relevant conceptual discussions to provide students with a richer understanding within the context of the presentation.
Research Focus. Research is of course the heart of social psychology, and the research focus boxes provide detailed information about a study or research program. There is a mix of classic and contemporary research, with a focus on both what’s interesting and what’s pedagogical.
Learning Objectives. Each main chapter section identifies the learning objectives for that section.
Marginal Glossary of Key Terms. Placing the key terms in the margins allows students to easily review them by skimming through the text.
Key Takeaways. Students can review the highlights of the chapters.
Exercises and Critical Thinking Activities. These are thought questions that can be used to stimulate discussion and help students consider the chapter section content.
Applying Social Psychology. Each chapter ends with a section that summarizes how the material presented in the chapter can help students think about contemporary issues using social psychological principles. This section is designed to work with the chapter summary to allow a better integration of fundamental concepts.
Chapter Summary. The summary helps students understand the “big picture” significance of the preceding chapter.
What’s New in Version 3.0
This new version welcomes a co-author, Sue Frantz (Highline College, faculty emerita; New Mexico State University, affiliate faculty), who has worked with a diversity of students in over 30 years of teaching. As a result, Frantz contributes many fresh, classroom-based insights to enliven the text and bring it fully up to date.
Keeping the student reading experience in mind, the narrative now employs “we,” “us,” or “our” pronouns, which many students find more inviting and engaging. In-text citations were removed to increase ease of reading for students with developing reading skills. Numbered footnotes are used in their place. Quiz questions have been removed from the print book, but are now included in the online reader so they can be autograded. Each section also has updated questions in the homework module that encourage students to remember and think about content. All of the exercises and critical thinking questions that end each section have been updated.
All of the chapter openers have been revised. For example, Chapter 2 “The Social World: Learning and Cognition” opens with discussion of how our schema for medical doctors influence our behavior toward medical doctors who do not fit our schemas, and Chapter 6 “Social Perception” opens with an ESPN video showing how a little league batter reacted after being hit in the head with a baseball.
Except for classic studies, examples for all concepts have been brought up to date, with most material coming from research published in 2018 or later.
This revision acknowledges that the students who will read this book come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse identities. Images have been updated to better reflect this diversity. New references feature many recent articles from international journals. Chapters have been updated to reflect different cultural experiences.
Keeping the student reading experience in mind, the narrative now employs “we,” “us,” or “our” pronouns, which many students find more inviting and engaging. In-text citations were removed to increase ease of reading for students with developing reading skills. Numbered footnotes are used in their place. Quiz questions have been removed from the print book, but are now included in the online reader so they can be autograded. Each section also has updated questions in the homework module that encourage students to remember and think about content.
Supplements
Principles of Social Psychology v3.0 is accompanied by a robust supplements program that augments and enriches both the teaching and student learning experiences. The supplements have been prepared to ensure accuracy and to ensure full alignment with the book’s narrative. Faculty should contact their FlatWorld sales representative or FlatWorld support at support@flatworld.com for more information or to obtain access to the supplements upon adoption.
Sample Syllabi
Sample syllabi based on either 16-week or 10-week terms provide useful templates that help new adopters transition from their current course textbook to Principles of Social Psychology v3.0. Faculty can download the syllabi from the FlatWorld website or they can be obtained by contacting your local FlatWorld representative or FlatWorld support (support@flatworld.com).
Instructor’s Manual
The instructor’s manual (IM) includes Learning Objectives and an outline for each chapter. The IM features additional content and multi-media suggestions to help enrich the classroom experience and help bring social psychology to life for students.
PowerPoint Slides
PowerPoint Slides organized by chapter include a concise and thorough outline, a list of Learning Objectives, and figures and tables contained in the text. These slides work well for both face-to-face and online learning environments, enliven lectures, and stimulate class discussions. Adopters can use the slides as composed to support lectures or customize and build upon them to suit their particular teaching goals.
Test Item File
The Test Item File (TIF) includes more than 150 questions per chapter in true/false, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and essay-question formats. All answers are provided, including possible responses to the essay questions. The items have been written specifically to reinforce the major topics covered in each chapter and to align with FlatWorld Homework and in-text quiz items. The Test Item File questions are also available in pre-formatted form for easy export into popular learning management systems such as Canvas or Blackboard.
Test Generator—Powered by Cognero
FlatWorld is pleased to provide a computer-generated test program powered by the leading assessment provider Cognero to assist instructors with selecting, randomizing, formatting, loading online, or printing exams. Please contact your local FlatWorld representative or FlatWorld support (support@flatworld.com) for more information or to request the program.
FlatWorld Homework
FlatWorld Homework is provided in an easy-to-use interface. Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, and other question types are available for use and are all auto-gradable. Students who utilize the homework questions should see their performance improve on examinations that are given using the Test Item File questions that accompany this book.
Online Quizzes and Flashcards
Autograded Quiz questions and Flashcards for student self-evaluation are organized by chapter and section and embedded in the online version of the book. Students can use the Quizzes and Flashcards to test their comprehension by section as they read and learn, once they have completed a chapter, or for test review.