Customer Reviews

Readings in Social Psychology: General, Classic, and Contemporary Selections

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have a Master's in Behavioral Science that encompasses Social Psy, Behavioral Psy, and Counseling Psy ...my undergrad Social Psy professor used this book as a teaching supplement. I didn't realize the value of it until I was well underway with graduate courses that required research papers.

The advantage this book presents is that it provides the student and professor a single source from which to refer rather than obtaining all the articles individually. It is a great teaching tool because it does contain several classic studies as well as many contemporary studies covering a broad scope of topics that everyone should know and learn in undergrad social psych, which is what it was designed to do.

Accordingly, these studies can provide the student with a solid foundation from which to build. One may consider this research material outdated; however, it was this very research that provided the groundwork for further research. I still refer to this collection from time to time to reinforce the concepts that it covers and to provide my research with even more support.

Nevertheless, a professor could not go wrong using this book as a supplemental learning tool. Again, the information contained in this book is all valuable and useful. Moreover, a professor can use this to teach students how to read and interpret journal articles and how to extrapolate useful information from them. Remember, the articles contained in the book are all valid, peer reviewed, and published in journals. Thus, the information contained in this book is useful in teaching as well as learning, regardless of the publication date of any particular article.

I would definitely use this book as a supplemental for teaching an undergrad social psych class. In my opinion, if you are teaching with this book and are disappointed, then you must not be a very good teacher or you don't understand its value, or you don't posses the intellect needed to understand the material it contains. I freely admit that at first I didn't even care to understand the articles and at first I found it rather mundane to read through any of them until I read them with a purpose. I didn't even realize the books value until I found myself in grad school. I went back and read and reread many articles and even used a few in my required research writings. Realizing the limitations of each study led me in new directions and gave me ideas about what topics on which I should find additional research.
In short, this book is a valuable reference tool as well as a valuable teaching supplement.

I have had to teach with this book several times, and it always disappoints. If you are looking for a reader that will: 1. foster interest and discussion 2. get students thinking. This is not the book for you. If, as most readers do, you want a couple classic studies and a whole lot of filler, this is your book.

I don't recommend purchasing this book if it is for a graduate, or undergraduate but difficult or serious class. It was not useful in my own undergraduate social psychology class, and I also could not resell it since it was labeled the examination copy and not for resale. Fine for someone curious about social psychology, but for professional or academic use not recommended.

The book came in a timely manner and arrived in new condition exactly as I ordered it. Very pleased.