One Hundred Years of Social Psychology Quantitatively Described.

This article compiles results from a century of social psychological research, more than 25,000 studies of 8 million people. A large number of social psychological conclusions are listed alongside meta-analytic information about the magnitude and variability of the corresponding effects. References to 322 meta-analyses of social psychological phenomena are presented, as well as statistical effect-size summaries. Analyses reveal that social psychological effects typically yield a value of r equal to .21 and that, in the typical research literature, effects vary from study to study in ways that produce a standard deviation in r of .15. Uses, limitations, and implications of this large-scale compilation are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social class-related experiences of men: Integrating theory and practice.

When a man loses the ability to be the "breadwinner," what types of conflicts does he experience? More important, how can counselors understand the full depth of his concerns if social class is not explored? However, the extant literature on social class and counseling applications is meager. Hence, the author explains the social class worldview model and modern classism theory as frameworks to understand subjective social class experiences. Although the models are theoretical, the author provides case vignettes to illustrate how clinicians can gather and interpret social class information and integrate it into client profiles and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mortality salience and the spreading activation of worldview-relevant constructs: Exploring the cognitive architecture of terror management.

Seven experiments assessed the hypothesis derived from terror management theory that reminding people of their mortality would increase accessibility of constructs central to their worldview. Experiment 1 found that mortality primes, relative to control primes, increased accessibility of nationalistic constructs for men but not for women. Experiment 2 replicated this finding and also found that mortality salience increased romantic accessibility for women but not for men. Four subsequent experiments supported the role of unconscious death-related ideation in producing these effects. A final experiment demonstrated that situational primes can increase the accessibility of nationalistic constructs for women after mortality salience. The roles of situational cues and individual differences in the effects of exposure to death-related stimuli on worldview-relevant construct accessibility are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The perils of outperformance: Sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison.

Outperforming others, although privately satisfying, can be a source of interpersonal strain. This article presents the framework of a major form of outperformance-related distress, which we label sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison (STTUC). To become STTUC, an individual must believe that another person is making an upward comparison against the self and feels threatened by the contrast in status. The outperformer must also experience concern about some facet of the other's response, and this concern may be focused on the other, the self, or the relationship. In addition to offering new predictions about outperformance-related distress, the STTUC framework unites many previously disconnected findings on topics such as fear of success, envy, self-presentation, and self-evaluation maintenance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of What emotions really are: The problem of psychological categories.

Reviews the book, What emotions really are: The problem of psychological categories by Paul E. Griffiths (see record 1997-30238-000). The author has made an important contribution toward integrating theory and research on emotions from fields as diverse as sociobiology, philosophy of language, evolutionary psychology, and neuroscience. Griffiths's provocative review of the major theoretical paradigms is disciplined in its attention to the historical contexts of the theories he considers. He demonstrates how those contexts shape the questions that particular theoretical models attempt to answer, and why models fail in their ambitions when they do fail. By laying out the competing paradigms and organizing them according to their basic assumptions, he creates a useful map of the issues confronting a general theory of emotion and argues convincingly for the revision of some basic psychological categories. He concludes that emotion as a general concept has no scientific utility and should be eliminated from psychological language because there is no single kind of process that underlies the behavior identified with emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The potential role of theory in the training of applied social psychologists.

There are a number of deficiencies in contemporary social-psychological theory as both a knowledge base and a guide for research and practice in applied social psychology. In principle, theory should be integrated with research and practice and should serve both a knowledge building and a guiding function for the discipline. In practice, much contemporary theory, based on laboratory experiments on intra- and interpersonal processes, is limited in its capacity to explain complex, real-world social behaviour. This paper discusses the actual and potential role of social-psychological theory in applied social psychology in relation to graduate training. A graduate programme offering the M.A. and Ph.D. is described in terms of objectives, requirements, and job placements. A survey of graduates is also reported. The role of theory in training M.A. students is problematic: theses are often atheoretical with an emphasis on research methodology, particularly programme evaluation. The Ph.D. programme requires the integration of theory with research and consultation activities and is attempting to increase the use of theory in the development of social programmes, the amelioration of social problems, and the formation of social policy. It is proposed that social-psychological theories covering several levels of analysis are necessary to understand social behaviour and to provide an adequate base for applied training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Toward a Psychology of the Scientist.

Reviews the book, Toward a Psychology of the Scientist by Sonja C. Graver (1981). The major themes of this highly condensed 92 page book are that all sciences are philosophic and that psychological research provides insight into how scientists formulate and revise theories. The author further contends that the development of science would be enhanced if all scientists (including psychologists) understood the primary importance of the role of theory, imagination and creativity in experimentation. The scientific model suggested is that progress in science occurs by way of reformulations of arbitrary world views, and that scientific activities would be enhanced if the subjective and psychological, particularly cognitive, aspects were stressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The body and psychology.

Reviews the book, The body and psychology by Henderikus J. Stam (see record 1998-06784-000). Considering this collection as a whole, it is striking how many of the authors, some of whom have been proponents of social constructionist thinking, feel social constructionism is unable to articulate an adequate theory of the psychological body. This refreshingly critical edge will no doubt lead to more sophisticated debates on the psychological body. Overall, this book is probably best read by graduate students and scholars who have some familiarity with social constructionist theory (e.g., Harré), as well as poststructuralism (e.g., Derrida, Lacan) and social theory (e.g., Bourdieu). Moreover, since the authors rely on other disciplinary discourses, this will be an excellent text for graduate courses on the body in cultural studies and sociology. Teaching this book would be interesting as it contains some analytical contrasts; for example, one could turn Malone and Bayer on Baerveldt and Voestermans, Parlee on Kempen, or the thematic analysis of Frank on the book itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lessons Learned from a Lifetime of Applied Social Psychology Research.

I started life as an experimental social psychologist but migrated to applied social psychology research. Each time I have been involved in a major applied project I have learned things that have helped in subsequent projects. Most of the time the lesson has been about research design (e.g., you must know how the study should be done before you deal with the reality of how it has to be done). Examples of other lessons include using appropriate research technology, and the importance of program planner awareness of psychological research. In this paper I describe some of the major studies in which I was the investigator and the lesson (s) I learned from each. I also touch on the relevance of the scientist/practitioner model for the applied researcher. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Creativity Through Applying Ideas From Fields Other Than One's Own: Transferring Knowledge From Social Psychology to Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Subfields of psychology can be arguably characterized as islands of unconnected knowledge. The underlying theme of this paper is that these subfields have much to gain by looking at and studying each other's respective literature. This paper explains how the field of industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology has benefited from theory and research in social psychology, and suggests ways it can benefit even more so. Specifically, moral development, the group-serving bias, as well as inducing feelings of hypocrisy so as to foster subsequent behaviour change are discussed. Their potential for leading to further insight into existing problems, refining existing theories, and for raising new questions in I/O psychology is described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Boundaryless Psychology: A Discussion.

Comments on the articles by G. P. Latham and P. A. Heslin (see record 2003-07215-006), G. H. Seijts and B. W. Latham (see record 2003-07215-007), and R. G. Lord et al (2003) which examined the concept of a boundaryless psychology, focusing on industrial/organizational psychology. This article is divided into three parts. In the introduction, I echo the case for breaking down boundaries. In the Article Critiques, I point out some of the good points and some concerns about each of the empirical articles in this section. In the General Comments, I design a two-dimensional matrix to help researchers decide how to best break down barriers in their research. This matrix has Order of Distance Between Fields on one axis and Theory Development on the other. In order of proximal to distal, the former axis is divided into target subdiscipline, other like-paradigm subdisciplines, other subdisciplines, other broad category sciences, and other sciences. In order of moving away from one's own discipline, the later axis is divided into statistical methodologies, philosophy of science, history of science, humanities, vicarious experience, and personal experience. Finally, I give a hypothetical example to illustrate how a researcher could use this matrix to break down barriers in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of psychology in ONR.

Outlines, with illustrative examples, the nature of psychological research supported by ONR. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Implications of 'Psychological Injuries' for Clinical Psychology Training Programs.

This paper uses the psychological and legal concept of "psychological injury" as an illustration of the evolving market for psychological knowledge and of necessary changes in the graduate and internship training of clinical psychologists. Our current graduate and internship training fails many of our students through neglecting important areas of knowledge and experience. In this paper, I discuss the importance of exposing graduate students to: a) the economics of mental health; b) professional roles involving knowledge dissemination outside traditional academia; c) information needs of direct and indirect consumers of psychological knowledge; and, d) communication skills necessary when interacting with nonpsychologists. Suggestions are made for the improvement of our graduate training programs, including more explicit acknowledgement of the likely career paths of most of our graduates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The Problem of Validity in Field Studies of Psychological Disorder": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by Bruce P. Dohrenwend and Barbara Snell Dohrenwend (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1965, 70[1], 52-69). The footnote identification in Table 6 (page 62) in the original article is incorrec. The correct version is given here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1965-08281-001.) Results of over 25 attempts to count untreated cases of psychological disorder in community populations are reviewed, and the problem of validity in the measures of disorder is analyzed. Evidence of validity is found to be scant. The position is taken that, with no generally accepted criteria available, and no universe of content agreed upon, construct validity takes on added importance. A lead to 1 possible nomological net for the construct of psychological disorder is the consistent finding that the lowest socioeconomic stratum has the highest rate of symptomatology. This lead is developed with reference to the transcience of symptomatology found in extreme situations, in contrast to the persistence of symptomatology observed in patients and in studies of experimental neurosis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computer science and the enrichment of psychological research.

An analysis is made of the impact of computer science on research method and theory construction in psychology. The influence is roughly divided into what is described as the Level of Application and the Level of Conceptual Enrichment. At the first level the new discipline is used as a tool to extend the facilities available to the psychologist. In spite of this, it is argued, the simple increase in technical power has led to important differences in the kind of research that can be considered and has been the determining factor in the direction and the extent of the development of various research areas in psychology. At the second level computer science has contributed a wealth of conceptual resources. It has been the source of many theoretical constructs and, even more significantly, has contributed an alternative language for the expression of psychological theory--the language of a computer algorithm which simulates the relevant behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems.

Reviews the book, Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems edited by Frank W. Schneider, Jamie A. Gruman, and Larry M. Coutts (see record 2005-02098-000). Though I think the appeal of this text ought to extend well beyond the intended audience, Schneider et al. are marketing their book as an undergraduate level introductory text. It thus contains much of the pedagogy that instructors have come to expect in textbooks. Of course, the typical undergraduate text is written by a single author or group of authors. Schneider et al. opted for a different approach; Theirs is an edited volume, a collection of chapters written by specialists in a wide range of topic areas. Whereas it might have been natural in this case to expect problems with lack of consistency in style, organization, and content across the chapters, I was impressed by the effectiveness with which the editors maintained consistency throughout. One of the main strategies by which they achieved this level of success seems to have been by encouraging authors to use several classic theories and studies, where appropriate, in discussing the content relevant to their own areas of expertise. In total, there are 16 chapters. The first four chapters, which include an introductory chapter and chapters on theory, research methods, and intervention and evaluation, serve largely to set the context for the more focused, topic-driven material that comes later. Because this book is intended as a broad introduction to applied social psychology and because the chapters are rather short in length (20 to 25 pages on average), the coverage within any given chapter is selective rather than comprehensive in nature. I think Applied Social Psychology will make a substantial contribution as an undergraduate text--useful both as an introductory text in courses on applied social psychology and, where time will permit, as a secondary text to complement the main text in introductory or junior graduate-level survey courses on social psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Community Psychology: In Pursuit of Liberation and Well-being.

Reviews the book Community Psychology: In Pursuit of Liberation and Well-being, edited by Geoffrey Nelson and Isaac Prilleltensky (2005). As their subtitle suggests, the authors are concerned with many matters beyond a mental health focus. Although they modestly describe themselves as "editors," Nelson and Prilleltensky actually wrote most of the book, with only Parts 5 and 6 devoted to the work of others. In Part I, the authors introduce their project for community psychology, offering "issues, values, and tools for liberation and well-being." In Part II, "Values, Principles, and Conceptual Tools," the authors talk about sources of values and the way values are chosen to inform research and action. Part III, "Tools for Action," is devoted to interventions at various levels: social, organizational, small group, and individual. In Part IV, the authors present "Tools for Research." Part V presents diverse topics that include marginalization; globalization, poverty, and social justice; colonization and racism; immigration, adaptation, and the challenges of cultural diversity. Part VI, a final "look toward the future," talks about the new aims and definitions of community psychology presented by this text. This books is one of those rare texts that fully meets the twin purposes of providing ideas for the mature community psychologist as well as working as a text for advanced students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationships between motivations of intergroup differentiation as a function of different dimensions of social identity.

This article aims to classify social identity-based theories of intergroup differentiation in terms of different dimensions of social identity to understand further the motivational bases of intergroup differentiation. For this purpose, I attempt to incorporate three lines of research in social psychology: (a) theories examining intergroup differentiation as a function of social identity, namely social identity theory and SCT; (b) studies suggesting social identity as a multidimensional construct; and (c) motivational theories of intergroup differentiation, namely subjective uncertainty reduction theory, optimal distinctiveness theory, and self-esteem hypothesis. It is suggested that subjective uncertainty reduction theory explains motivational basis of cognitive dimension, that optimal distinctiveness theory explains motivational basis of emotional dimension, and that self-esteem hypothesis explains motivational basis of evaluative dimension of social identity. Finally, the relationships between motivations of intergroup differentiation as a function of different dimensions of social identity are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

From Theory to Application and Back Again: Implications of Research on Medical Expertise for Psychological Theory.

Research directed at an understanding of medical expertise is about 30 years old, and many developments in this literature parallel progress in cognitive psychology. Over the past 15 years or so, this research became much more closely identified with particular psychological theories. Initial forays into medicine were essentially direct applications of methods developed in the psychology lab to the more natural domain of medicine, with varying degrees of success. These attempts were followed by a second wave that took the psychological theories themselves more seriously in a more thoughtful application of psychological methods to the medical domain. I will argue in the present paper that the methods and theories used in the study of medical expertise have advanced to the point that there is some reverse flow and they are providing a unique and valuable perspective on the nature of thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of social psychology.

Reviews the book, Handbook of social psychology edited by Gardner Lindzey (1954). The reviewer notes that the publication of this two-volume Handbook is a truly signal event in social psychology. The text is comprehensive, up to date, balanced. It gives extensive treatment to theory, to methodology, and to research findings and applications. It is sophisticated in its approach and makes no concession to oversimplified presentation, either in content or in style. The reviewer also reports that the editor has demonstrated a high order of intelligence and judgment in the selection and organization of the various chapters. No main area of social psychology is neglected. As contrasted with the more typical compendiums of material in a large field, this book succeeds remarkably in avoiding unnecessary redundancy. The choice of authors in this text is also excellent. Some of the authors have taken this as an occasion for creating something beyond simply a critical review of an area of social psychology; parts of some of the chapters are original contributions to the theory and method of social psychology. Overall, this Handbook offers convincing evidence that social psychology is indeed a field in its own right, continually growing in the extent to which its methods and findings bear intimate relationship with other areas of psychology, and at the same time contributing a steady stream of methods and data which are uniquely to be found in connection with social behavior of individuals and groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)