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The Sage Handbook of Methods in Social Psychology
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The Sage Handbook of Methods in Social Psychology

Edited by:

July 2003 | 560 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

"I like the premise and the resulting organizing theme. The organizational structure fits the described theme well and promises to provide a valuable resource both for educating researchers and for helping them through the myriad types of research methods that are available today...Achieves a nice balance, running the gamut of issues from the conceptual to the practical to the statistical....This book could easily become a classic."

--Donal Carlston, Purdue University

"The book's emphasis on the conceptual decisions that have to be made in doing research is enticing….I believe that this book has a niche as an advanced undergraduate or graduate-level text. I would certainly consider this book for my advanced undergraduate social psychology research methods class; in fact, I'm desperately in need of such a book."

--John Edwards, Oregon State University

"The handbook will contribute greatly to the training of graduate students and will also be used as reference by social psychologists working in multiple domains….It could be adopted for most advanced methods courses."

--Dolores Albarracin, University of Florida

"All chapters are solid contributions, a few are gems, and every author wrote with an eye to having the work used. This is a handbook to take off the shelf and dog-ear in the classroom, lab, or field. Highly recommended."

-CHOICE


The genius of social psychology as a field has been its ability to investigate the seemingly complicated behaviors that characterize humans as social creatures. The SAGE Handbook of Methods in Social Psychology simplifies this complexity by providing researchers and students with an overview of the rich history of methodological innovation in both basic and applied research within social psychology.

Editors Carol Sansone, Carolyn C. Morf, and A.T. Panter have chosen a particular methodological approach that is essential for optimal consideration of the "big picture" concept of a program of research. In this approach, research questions guide the methods rather than the reverse. Based on this "top-down" perspective, chapters in this unique volume emphasize the conceptual basis of the methodology, with an explicit focus on the meaning of data when obtained via a particular methodology.

Features and Benefits:

  • "Big Picture" Understanding. This volume focuses on the decision-making process, highlighting how methodological decisions are inextricably tied to what the researcher ultimately wants to know.
  • "Top-down" Perspective. Beginning chapters explore issues of selecting and identifying research questions and populations; middle chapters address design and analysis; and later chapters expand social psychological questions to other disciplines within and outside of psychology.
  • Straightforward Statistical Analysis. Statistical analysis is considered only to the extent that it helps to illuminate the meaning of data obtained through a particular methodological approach or design decision.
  • Interdisciplinary Approach. Innovative chapters explore such issues as ethics, diversity, individual differences, and how social psychology is moving into new areas that cross disciplinary bounds such as social neuroscience, social development, program evaluation, health, and education.

This Handbook is a vital resource for behavioral scientists in the academic and research settings who are interested in learning about modern perspectives on classic and innovative methodological approaches in social psychology. Also recommended for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in social psychology methods courses.


 
Foreword
 
Preface
 
SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK
Carol Sansone, Carolyn Morf & A.T. Panter
1. The Research Process: Of Big Pictures, Little Details, and the Social Psychological Road In Between
 
SECTION TWO: FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Thomas D. Cook & Carla Groom
2. The Methodological Assumptions of Social Psychology: The Mutual Dependence of Substantive Theory & Method Choice
Allan J. Kimmel
3. Ethical Issues in Social Psychology Research
Susan Fiske
4. Developing a Program of Research
 
SECTION THREE: DESIGN & ANALYSIS
 
A. Implications of a Heterogeneous Population: Deciding for Whom to Test the Research Question(s), Why, and How
Joan Miller
5. Culturally Sensitive Research Questions and Methods in Social Psychology
Yuichi Shoda
6. Individual Differences in Social Psychology: Understanding Situations to Understand People, Understanding People to Understand Situations
 
B. Operationalizing the Constructs: Deciding What to MEasure, Why, and How
Duane T. Wegener & Leandre R. Fabrigar
7. Constructing & Evaluating Quantitative Measures for Social Psychological Research: Conceptual Challenges & Methodological Solutions
Laura A. King
8. Measures & Meanings: The Use of Qualitative Data in Social & Personality Psychology
John F. Kihlstrom
9. Implicit Methods in Social Psychology
Rick H. Hoyle & Jorgianne I. Robinson
10. Mediated and Moderated Effects in Social Psychological Research: Measurement, Design, & Analysis Issues
 
C. Research Designs: Deciding the Specific Approach for Testing the Research Question(s), why, and How
S. Alexander Haslam & Craig McGarty
11. Experimental Designs & Causality in Social Psychology Research
Melvin M. Mark & Charles S. Reichardt
12. Quasi-experimental & Correlational Designs: Methods for the Real World When Random Assignment Isn't Feasible
Stephen G. West, Jeremy C. Beisanz & Oi-Man Kwok
13. Within-subject & Longitudinal Experiments: Design & Analysis Issues
Richard Gonzalez & Dale Griffin
14. Measuring Individuals in a Social Environment: Conceptualizing Dyadic & Group Interaction
Wendy Wood & P. Niels Christensen
15. Quantitative Research Synthesis: Examining Study Outcomes over Settings, Samples, & Time
 
SECTION FOUR: EMERGING INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES: THE INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY & OTHER DISCIPLINES
Michael H. Birnbaum
16. Methodological & Ethical Issues in Conducting Social Psychology Research via the Internet
John T. Cacioppo, Tyler S. Lorig, Howard C. Nusbaum & Gary G. Berntson
17. Social Neuroscience: Bridging Social & Biological Systems
Eva M. Pomerantz, Diane N. Rubl,e & Niall Bolger
18. Supplementing the Snapshots with Video Footage: Taking a Developmental Approach to Understanding Social Psychological Phenomena
 
SECTION FIVE: THE APPLICATION OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY & ITS METHODS TO OTHER DOMAINS
Geoffrey Maruyama
19. Program Evaluation, Action Research, & Social Psychology: A Powerful Blend for Addressing Applied Problems
Peter Salovey & Wayne T. Steward
20. Methodological Challenges & Scientific Rewards for Social Psychologists Conducting Health Behavior Research
Leigh Thompson, Mary Kern, & Denise Lewin Loyd
21. Research Methods of Micro Organizational Behavior
Judith M. Harackiewicz & Kenneth E. Barron
22. Conducting Social Psychological Research in Educational Settings: "Lessons We Learned in School
 
Name Index
 
Subject Index
 
About the Editors
 
About the contributors

"I like the premise and the resulting organizing theme. The organizational structure fits the described theme well and promises to provide a valuable resource both for educating researchers and for helping them through the myriad types of research methods that are available today...Achieves a nice balance, running the gamut of issues from the conceptual to the practical to the statistical....This book could easily become a classic."

Donal Carlston
Purdue University

"The book’s emphasis on the conceptual decisions that have to be made in doing research is enticing….I believe that this book has a niche as an advanced undergraduate or graduate-level text. I would certainly consider this book for my advanced undergraduate social psychology research methods class; in fact, I’m desperately in need of such a book."

John Edwards
Oregon State University

"The handbook will contribute greatly to the training of graduate students and will also be used as reference by social psychologists working in multiple domains….It could be adopted for most advanced methods courses."

Dolores Albarracin
University of Florida

"All chapters are solid contributions, a few are gems, and every author wrote with an eye to having the work used. This is a handbook to take off the shelf and dog-ear in the classroom, lab, or field. Highly recommended."

CHOICE
Key features
  • Emphasis on a conceptual or "big picture" understanding. The book focuses on the decision-making process, highlighting how methodological decisions are inextricably tied to what the researcher ultimately wants to know and emphasizing design and analysis decisions to be made when adopting given methodological approaches.
  • Organized along a "top-down" perspective. Beginning chapters explore issues of selecting and identifying research questions and populations; middle chapters address design and analysis; and later chapters expand social psychological questions to other disciplines within and outside of psychology.
  • Use of a general template of the top-down perspective. Within chapters, contributing authors first describe a concrete and relevant social psychological research problem and then discuss relevant methodological issues in the context of that problem; chapters are written to maximize conceptual and practical understanding of both newer and established methodologies.
  • Inclusion of statistical analysis without bogging down in it. Statistical analysis is considered only to the extent that it helps to illuminate the meaning of data obtained through a particular methodological approach or design decision.
  • Consideration of innovative, cutting-edge topics and interdisciplinary approaches. Innovative chapters explore such issues as ethics, diversity, and individual differences, and a concluding section shows how the sorts of decisions described in earlier sections play out as social psychology increasingly moves into new areas that cross disciplinary bounds (social neuroscience, social development, program evaluation, health, education, etc.).

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ISBN: 9781452261645

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ISBN: 9780761925354
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