On the relevance of social psychology.

Proposes that "a relevant social psychology should be concerned with the study of social movements produced by social problems." It is suggested that the main problem is the definition of a social situation. Factors involved in a social situation are discussed. The need for establishing models based on fundamentals which are "relevant for all researchers in a problem area" is emphasized. The dynamics of group formation, intergroup relations, and communications and attitude change are examined to provide a basis for understanding social movements. Social movements are viewed as the best indicators of social problems and the direction of social change. The rise of a social movement is summarized as: (a) "a formative pattern of attempts toward change that develops in phases over time"; (b) "initiated through interaction . . . prompted by a motivational base . . . fed by persisting social problems"; (c) "carried out by those directly affected"; (d) a "declaration of gripes and the formulation and proclamation of platform or ideology"; (e) "bringing about evolutionary or revolutionary changes, or of suppressing changes"; and (f) effecting change by "appeals to the public, slogans, symbolisms, agitation, episodes of collective action, and encounters with the opposition." (36 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On social psychology and policy analysis.

Responds to criticisms by H. H. Kendler (see record 1984-12071-001), I. J. Mansdorf (see record 1984-12073-001), D. A. Resnick (see record 1984-12082-001), and G. Caplan (see record 1984-12061-001) of the present author's (see record 1983-32571-001) social-psychological assessment of the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, based on an analysis of Yasser Arafat's cognitive style. The author upholds the validity of his use of psychological principles in policy analysis, responds to specific criticisms related to cultural and political realities in the Middle East, and argues that recent political events support his conclusions concerning the readiness of Palestinians to seek peace. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the social psychology of hearsay evidence.

The issue of using hearsay evidence in cases involving children's testimony is a difficult one for both the legal scholar and psychological researcher. At best, the psychological research done so far can be considered only a 1st step along a long path of future efforts. The author suggests a framework for future work on hearsay and highlights 2 issues: the fidelity issue, which centers on whether hearsay witnesses provide better or worse accounts of events than do child witnesses; and the calibration issue, which refers to whether jurors give appropriate weight to factors that indicate accuracy or error on the part of the hearsay witness. For each, the author describes specific issues that social and cognitive psychological research indicates are central or problematic ones. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychology of subtle control: An attributional analysis of behavioural persistence.

Reports results of 2 experiments suggested by attribution theory, using a total of 65 undergraduates with high scores on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility. Results of both experiments confirm the hypothesis that relatively subtle (i.e., unrecognized) control over behavior may be an important antecedent of its posttreatment persistence. Under certain S conditions, this persistence was undone by contingent reinforcement of the behavior already under subtle (i.e., posthypnotic) control. This debilitating impact of reinforcement may have been due to Ss' reactance against it, or possibly to their misattribution of behavior to the reinforcement. The psychotherapeutic implications of these and other similar findings are discussed. (French summary) (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social psychology, experimental psychology and the social psychology of the experiment.

Discusses the recent growth of experimental social psychology which has involved wholesale adoption of classical methodology as conceived by experimental psychology. Paradoxically, research and writings on the "social psychology of the experiment" raise serious questions about certain assumptions implicit in classical methodology, i.e., those concerning the nature of the subject matter and the relationship between E and S. The views of R. Rosenthal, M. T. Orne, and others are discussed in this context and general implications considered in the light of the humanistic movement in American psychology. The general conclusion is that the values and criteria for all experimentation in psychology may be destined to undergo a radical reorientation. (French summary) (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing the social ethics of psychology: Toward a psychology at the service of social change.

Presents a proposal for furthering the social ethics of psychology under the general term conscientization (P. Freire, 1971), which entails carrying out 2 tasks, denunciation and annunciation. It is argued that in contrast to its considerable efforts to insure proper ethical behavior toward individual clients, psychology has virtually neglected its moral obligations to society. Psychology can contribute to the advent of social change toward a "good" society by making explicit the process by which people come to accept the current social order as the best possible one, and by proposing strategies to counteract this pervasive phenomenon. This article illustrates how psychological research and psychologists can significantly transform social structures incapable of promoting human welfare. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Situations matter: Teaching the Lewinian link between social psychology and rehabilitation psychology.

A little-recognized fact is that social psychology and rehabilitation psychology share a common theoretical ancestry in the situation perspective of Kurt Lewin. Theory and research in both fields assumes that situational influences often override the impact of personal factors, including dispositions. Situational analyses led to the development of a variety of cognitive explanations capturing people's phenomenal accounts for the causes of behavior and concomitant interpretation of social problems. Teachers can explore reasons why, despite the fields' having a shared theoretical perspective and topics of common interest (e.g., attitudes, prejudice, discrimination), little scholarly intradisciplinary contact currently occurs between them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive psychology and social change.

E. E. Sampson's (see record 1982-04617-001) charges that the cognitive perspective denies reality, depicts mental acrobatics as substituting for effective action, and necessarily serves the existing social order can only be made by selectively ignoring the contributions of the Gestalt psychologists and of other prominent proponents of the cognitive perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental psychology and social responsibility.

Argues that (1) the roles of scientist and human being are to some extent inseparable, (2) the scientist cannot escape responsibility for the uses made of his knowledge, and (3) basic research must be defended in terms of its potential social value, however remote. It is argued that experimental psychologists have a series of obligations which can be met through formal organizations. They include: (1) the responsibility to interpret its basic research to society as a whole; (2) the responsibility to encourage its own social support through social action; (3) the need to step up its attack on pressing social problems; and (4) the responsibility to oppose political climates that would inhibit the progress of free psychological inquiry and to encourage political climates that permit and encourage such progress. A few illustrative examples are cited of the involvement of psychological associations in social action and of instances in which they might have been involved and were not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian psychology: Some social and applied emphases.

Recent concern with national identity has motivated an examination of possible relationships between features of Canadian society and the nature of applied and social Psychology. Experience with the production of a bibliography and book of readings in this area provided the background, necessary for a detailed discussion of the issues. A matrix of research questions was elaborated by crossing some special features of social and cultural life in Canada with the sub-disciplines of Social, Clinical, Educational and Work Psychology. It was concluded that there could be "a Canadian Psychology" in these social and applied areas, but that considerable effort is required before it is attained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Marital satisfaction and marital violence: Moderating effects of attributional processes.

The moderating effects of causal and responsibility attributions for negative partner behavior on the relationship between marital satisfaction and marital violence were examined. Sixty-six married couples reported on their marital satisfaction, their attributions for negative partner behavior, and their own use of physical aggression during conflict in their relationships. Responsibility attributions moderated the relationship between marital satisfaction and aggression among wives but not among husbands. Specifically, marital satisfaction and physical aggression were significantly related for wives high in responsibility attributions but not for husbands or for wives low in negative attributions. Potential reasons for gender differences in the pattern of results and their implications for treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching social psychology: A Canadian dilemma.

Criticizes the American dominance of Canadian social psychology. It is argued that many American models and perspectives are only partially relevant to Canada. The exclusive use of American textbooks is also criticized; these texts are considered to incorrectly interpret Canadian phenomena as directly analagous to American. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling and attributional effects on children's achievement: A self-efficacy analysis.

56 children (mean age 9 yrs, 10 mo) showing low arithmetic achievement received either modeling of division operations or didactic instruction, followed by a practice period during which half of the Ss in each treatment received effort attribution for success and difficulty. Both treatments enhanced division persistence, accuracy, and perceived efficacy, but cognitive modeling produced greater gains in accuracy. Perceived efficacy was an accurate predictor of arithmetic performance across levels of task difficulty and modes of treatment. The treatment combining modeling with effort attribution produced the highest congruence between efficacy judgment and performance. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The attributional norm of internality and depressive sensitivity to social information.

Two experiments with 209 undergraduates examined the existence in an achievement-related context of a social norm favoring internal explanations for task performances. In Exp I, Ss' reactions to a male actor's high, moderate, or low self-attribution of causal responsibility for his negative performance outcome on an ostensibly standardized aptitude test were assessed. Results indicate that the actor was evaluated more positively to the degree that he accepted more personal responsibility for his performance. In Exp II, Ss were classified as depressed or nondepressed, based on their scores on the Beck Depression Inventory. Ss' reactions to an actor's high or low self-attributions of causal responsibility for his poor performance on a test of analytical ability were assessed. On the basis of the notion that the chronic lack of control and resultant uncertainty, presumably characteristic of depressed persons, motivates attributional information processing, it was expected that depressed Ss would be more sensitive to the actor's violation of the norm of internality and would respond with more social disapproval than nondepressed Ss. Results are generally consistent with this reasoning. Findings are discussed in terms of the interpersonal implications of expressed attributions. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social psychology of citations.

Discusses 2 social facets of citations and citation counts. It is proposed that literature is cited both because of scholarly impact and to show a familiarity with the pertinent literature. In this sense, citation counts measure social consensus indistinguishable from scholarly impact. Qualitative evaluation methods are considered to be appealing because of the social-historical climate. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychology of social impact.

Proposes a theory of social impact specifying the effect of other persons on an individual. According to the theory, when other people are the source of impact and the individual is the target, impact should be a multiplicative function of the strength, immediacy, and number of other people. Furthermore, impact should take the form of a power function, with the marginal effect of the Nth other person being less than that of the (N–2)th. When other people stand with the individual as the target of forces from outside the group, impact should be divided such that the resultant is an inverse power function of the strength, immediacy, and number of persons standing together. The author reviews relevant evidence from research on conformity and imitation, stage fright and embarrassment, news interest, bystander intervention, tipping, inquiring for Christ, productivity in groups, and crowding in rats. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-worth protection in achievement motivation: Performance effects and attributional behavior.

Two experiments tested central assumptions of the self-worth theory of achievement motivation. This theory states that certain students, known as self-work protective students, will voluntarily withdraw effort in achievement situations in which poor performance is likely to be attributed to low ability. Thereby, a sense of self-worth is protected. Self-worth theory also states that these students will perform well in situations in which a mitigating excuse allows poor performance to be attributed to a factor that is unrelated to ability. Experiment 1 confirmed that self-worth protective students perform well following failure that allows a face-saving opportunity but perform poorly following failure that does not allow face-saving. The results of Experiment 2 confirmed that the poor performance of self-worth protective students following failure is associated with a lesser tendency to assume personal responsibility for failure. These findings are discussed in terms of strategies for modifying the achievement-limiting behaviors of self-worth protective students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the conflicts between biological and social evolution and between psychology and moral tradition.

Reports the APA Presidential address delivered at the Chicago convention, August 1975. Urban humanity is considered as a product of both biological and social evolution. Evolutionary genetics shows that when there is genetic competition among the cooperators (as for humans but not for the social insects), great limitations are placed upon the degree of socially useful, individually self-sacrificial altruism that biological evolution can produce. Human urban social complexity is a product of social evolution and has had to counter with inhibitory moral norms the biological selfishness which genetic competition has continually selected. Because the issues are so complex and the available data are so uncompelling, all of this should be interpreted more as a challenge to an important new area for psychological research than as established conclusions. It is emphasized, however, that these are important issues to which psychology should give much greater attention, and that scientific reasons exist for believing that there can be profound system wisdom in the belief systems our social tradition has provided us with. (31/2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theory and philosophy in social psychology.

Social psychologists are generally very empirical, and their research is usually theoretically oriented. However, what passes for theory is often no more than a couple of vague statements. Nevertheless, coming from the tradition of Kurt Lewin, we tend to reject papers that do not test a "theory". On the other hand, we pay no attention to theories lacking experimental support. Clinical observations are not enough. There is very little concern with philosophical issues. Ken Gergen of Swarthmore College is a notable exception and is often on convention programs. His comments about "historicism" in social psychology have caused some published rebuttals, but our members are largely not very concerned with this or with Gergen's more recent forays in "social re-constructionism". (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lessons from the history of social psychology.

Presents a survey of the metatheoretical perspectives and theory–research areas that constitute the main history of US social psychology. Findings reveal the individual to be at the center of the most widely engaging and influential schools and movements. Conversely, theories and research programs that have dealt generally with group or collective phenomena, employing interdependence or other "relational" concepts, have had a less continuous and long-term impact on the field. The individuocentric bias derives mainly from methodological doctrines associated with the concept of psychology as a natural empirical science. It is concluded that theories based on intraindividual processes are inadequate to explain social behavior whose dynamic and structural sources lie in the 3 interdependent contexts of biology, physical ecology, and the sociocultural environment. (90 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)