Social Psychology (3rd Edition)

Book Preface

The goal of our book is to introduce students to the exciting ways that sociologists study social psychology. Sociology provides a unique vision of the social psychological world both in the theoretical perspectives that sociologists employ when they study human interactions and in the methodological techniques they utilize. We believe that these perspectives and methods yield insights into the social world that cannot be found in any other discipline, insights that are indispensible to understanding the reciprocal relationships between individuals and society. In this edition, we continue to update the research and theories in social psychology, but we have also endeavored to improve the format of the book to better reflect the field today. Here is a short summary of updates that you will find throughout the text:
• Expanded discussion of the best research in sociological social psychology from leading scholars in the field today
• More examples of theories and research as applied to popular culture
• Access to more “rich media” such as links to important websites
• New summary reviews in each section called “The Take-Away Message,” in which students are asked to consider how they can employ the material in their personal and professional lives
• More photos, graphs, and tables

These changes are in both form and function. The “form” of the book has been changed to include more graphics and links, giving students more diverse ways to learn the material. We hope that these additions will also help instructors find ways to introduce or utilize the book in the classroom. The “functional” changes to the text include updating chapters with citations to and discussion of new research, and rearranging materials based on input from experts in the field (see the list of chapter-by-chapter changes below); we have also added new topics (e.g., sociological theory and research on social relationships, now in Chapter 10). Ultimately, we want to make the text material more relevant to students’ day-to-day lives. One way that we have accomplished this is by including “The Take-Away Message” at the end of each section in which we provide some ideas of how students may be able to incorporate section materials into their personal and professional lives.