Author Description

Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery explores how social behavior is goal-directed and a result of interactions between the person and the situation. Social Psychology Unraveling the Mystery has two features that set it apart from other social psychology textbooks: Opening mysteries: Each chapter begins with a mystery of social behavior, designed not only to grab student interest, but also to organize the ensuing discussion of scientific research: Why would a poor black washerwoman give away her hard-earned life-savings? 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? A unique integrated approach to social behavior: Rather than encyclopedically listing unconnected factoids, the authors organize each chapter around the two broad themes, asking: (1) what are the goals that underlie the behavior in question? (2) what factors in the person and the situation link to each goal? The book thus presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human behavior. Cutting-edge scholarship, lively writing, and the authors' strengths as both respected researchers and expert teachers, all come together to make the third edition of Social Psychology: Unraveling the Mystery an accessible and engaging read for students, and provides a modern and cohesive approach for their teachers. This affordable Books a la Carte Edition features the exact same content from our traditional textbook in a convenient, notebook-ready loose-leaf format - allowing students to take only what they need to class. As a bonus, the Books a la Carte Edition is accompanied by a full-color, laminated Study Card that's a perfect tool to help students prepare for exams.