Handbook Of Research Methods In Social And Personality Psychology

This indispensible sourcebook covers conceptual and practical issues in research design in the field of social and personality psychology. Key experts address specific methods and areas of research, contributing to a comprehensive overview of contemporary practice. This updated and expanded second edition offers current commentary on social and personality psychology, reflecting the rapid development of this dynamic area of research over the past decade. With the help of this up-to-date text, both seasoned and beginning social psychologists will be able to explore the various tools and methods available to them in their research as they craft experiments and imagine new methodological possibilities.

This sourcebook covers conceptual and practical issues in research design, methods of research and statistical approaches in social and personality psychology. The primary purpose of the handbook is to provide readable yet comprehensive chapters on the range of methods and tools used by researchers in social and personality psychology. In addition, it should alert researchers to methodological possibilities they may not have thought of. Innovative research methods work best when they allow researchers to ask theoretically driven questions that could not have been asked previously, thereby enhancing the quality and depth of their empirical knowledge base. With the help of this text, both new and established social psychologists should learn about appropriate uses of each method and the opportunities they provide for expanding knowledge.

This indispensable sourcebook covers conceptual and practical issues in research design in the field of social and personality psychology. Key experts address specific methods and areas of research, contributing to a comprehensive overview of contemporary practice. This updated and expanded second edition offers current commentary on social and personality psychology, reflecting the rapid development of this dynamic area of research over the past decade. With the help of this up-to-date text, both seasoned and beginning social psychologists will be able to explore the various tools and methods available to them in their research as they craft experiments and imagine new methodological possibilities.

This indispensible sourcebook covers conceptual and practical issues in research design in the field of social and personality psychology. Key experts address specific methods and areas of research, contributing to a comprehensive overview of contemporary practice. This updated and expanded second edition offers current commentary on social and personality psychology, reflecting the rapid development of this dynamic area of research over the past decade. With the help of this up-to-date text, both seasoned and beginning social psychologists will be able to explore the various tools and methods available to them in their research as they craft experiments and imagine new methodological possibilities.

Bringing together leading investigators, this comprehensive handbook is a one-stop reference for anyone planning or conducting research on personality. It provides up-to-date analyses of the rich array of methodological tools available today, giving particular attention to real-world theoretical and logistical challenges and how to overcome them. In chapters filled with detailed, practical examples, readers are shown step by step how to formulate a suitable research design, select and use high-quality measures, and manage the complexities of data analysis and interpretation. Coverage ranges from classic methods like self-report inventories and observational procedures to such recent innovations as neuroimaging and genetic analyses.

Bringing together leading authorities, this unique handbook reviews the breadth of current approaches for studying how people think, feel, and behave in everyday environments, rather than in the laboratory. The volume thoroughly describes experience sampling methods, diary methods, physiological measures, and other self-report and non-self-report tools that allow for repeated, real-time measurement in natural settings. Practical guidance is provided to help the reader design a high-quality study, select and implement appropriate methods, and analyze the resulting data using cutting-edge statistical techniques. Applications across a wide range of psychological subfields and research areas are discussed in detail.

This handbook gives researchers and students an overview of the rich history of methodological innovation in both basic and applied research within social psychology. It is sometimes difficult for researchers, new and seasoned alike, to keep up with innovations that allow a greater diversity in the kinds and levels of research questions that can be addressed. As a result, the nature of the questions asked by many researchers may be unnecessarily constrained. Conversely, a rush to embrace newer approaches can lead to less-than-thorough consideration of fundamental issues that transcend any particular approach. The editors believe that the decision to use a particular methodological approach is optimally made when grounded in careful consideration of the `big picture′ of a program of research. Thus, methodological decisions are inextricably tied to what the researcher, ultimately, wants to know. In other words, research questions guide the methods rather than the reverse. Based on this `top-down′ perspective, chapters in this volume emphasize the conceptual basis of the methodology, with an explicit focus on the meaning of data when obtained via a particular methodology.

Precise shifts in the ways people make sense of themselves, others, and social situations can help people flourish. This compelling handbook synthesizes the growing body of research on wise interventions--brief, nonclinical strategies that are "wise" to the impact of social-psychological processes on behavior. Leading authorities describe how maladaptive or pejorative interpretations can undermine people’s functioning and how they can be altered to produce benefits in such areas as academic motivation and achievement, health, well-being, and personal relationships. Consistently formatted chapters review the development of each intervention, how it can be implemented, its evidence base, and implications for solving personal and societal problems.

Diary Methods, sometimes known as intensive repeated measures or ecological assessments, are an important method for social and personality psychologists. The volume begins with a rationale for such methods, with an emphasis on social and personality psychology, and then provides a non-technical, accessible description of how to use such methods, including advice on study design, data analysis, and preparation of papers. Both interval contingent methods (e.g., daily diaries) and event contingent methods (e.g., social interaction diaries) are covered. The author, John B. Nezlek, has used these methods in his own scholarly work for over 30 years and has written this book to provide an introduction to these methods for those who are not familiar with them. This book will be perfect for advanced students and researchers in social and personality psychology and related disciplines who use and want to use diary methods in their research. The SAGE Library of Methods in Social and Personality Psychology is a new series of books launching in early 2011 to provide students and researchers with an understanding of the methods and techniques essential to conducting cutting-edge research. Each volume explains a specific topic and has been written by an active scholar (or scholars) with expertise in that particular methodological domain. Assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, the volumes are clear and accessible for all readers. In each volume, a topic is introduced, applications are discussed, and readers are led step by step through worked examples. In addition, advice about how to interpret and prepare results for publication are presented. The Library should be particularly valuable for advanced students and academics who want to know more about how to use research methods in social and personality psychology.

Psychology, focusing on processes that occur inside the individual and Sociology, focusing on social collectives and social institutions, come together in Social Psychology to explore the interface between the two fields. The core concerns of social psychology include the impact of one individual on another; the impact of a group on its individual members; the impact of individuals on the groups in which they participate; the impact of one group on another. This book is a successor to Social Psychology: Social Perspectives and Sociological Perspectives in Social Psychology. The current text expands on previous handbooks in social psychology by including recent developments in theory and research and comprehensive coverage of significant theoretical perspectives.

The Handbook of Personality Dynamics and Processes is a primer to the basic and most important concepts, theories, methods, empirical findings, and applications of personality dynamics and processes. This book details how personality psychology has evolved from descriptive research to a more explanatory and dynamic science of personality, thus bridging structure- and process-based approaches, and it also reflects personality psychology’s interest in the dynamic organization and interplay of thoughts, feelings, desires, and actions within persons who are always embedded into social, cultural and historic contexts. The Handbook of Personality Dynamics and Processes tackles each topic with a range of methods geared towards assessing and analyzing their dynamic nature, such as ecological momentary sampling of personality manifestations in real-life; dynamic modeling of time-series or longitudinal personality data; network modeling and simulation; and systems-theoretical models of dynamic processes. Ties topics and methods together for a more dynamic understanding of personality Summarizes existing knowledge and insights of personality dynamics and processes Covers a broad compilation of cutting-edge insights Addresses the biophysiological and social mechanisms underlying the expression and effects of personality Examines within-person consistency and variability

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Applied social psychology combines the science of social psychology with the practical application of solving social problems that exist in the real world. This exciting textbook provides a thorough explanation of how social psychologists can contribute to the understanding and management of different social problems. A highly prestigious team of contributors from across Europe and the United States illustrate how social psychological theories, research methods and intervention techniques can be successfully applied to social problems encountered in the fields of physical and mental health, integration and immigration issues, gender issues, organizational issues, economic behaviour, political behaviour, environmental behaviour and education. Each field studied features an overview of important problems, the role of human behaviour in these problems, the factors influencing relevant behaviour, and effective ways to change this behaviour. This is an essential volume for all undergraduate and graduate students studying applied social psychology.

Understanding interpersonal relationships requires understanding actors, behaviors, and contexts. This 2002 volume presents research from a variety of disciplines that examine personal relationships on all three levels. The first section focuses on the factors that influence individuals to enter, maintain, and dissolve relationships. The second section emphasizes ongoing processes that characterize relationships and focuses on issues such as arguing and sacrificing. The third and final section demonstrates that the process of stability and change are embedded in social, cultural, and historical contexts. Chapters address cultural universals as well as cross-cultural differences in relationship behaviors and outcomes. The emergence of relational forms, such as the interaction between people and computers, is also explored. Stability and Change in Relationships will be of interest to a broad range of fields, including psychology, sociology, communications, gerontology, and counselling.

"This authoritative handbook reviews the breadth of current knowledge on the psychological processes that underlie social behavior. Leading investigators identify core principles that have emerged from the study of biological systems, social cognition, goals and strivings, interpersonal interactions, and group and cultural dynamics. State-of-the-science theories, methods, and findings are explained, and important directions for future research are highlighted"--