This textbook is the only major introduction to social psychology that provides a conceptually and thematically integrated approach to the science of social behavior. Unlike the majority of textbooks that portray social psychology as a list of interesting -- but seemingly unrelated -- phenomena, Smith, Mackie and Claypool show how the major topics and themes in the discipline are, in reality, deeply interconnected. As such, it provides a uniquely rich, meaningful, and logical appreciation of human social behavior that students can relate to the world around them and apply to their own lives.

In addition to the unifying themes and principles that run throughout the book, there is also recognition that social processes are intertwined with cognitive processes which creates much of the tension and dynamic in real-world settings.

Finally, there is the appplication of the science of social psychology and to real-life: this not only includes the major societal institutions, such as law and business, but also to issues as diverse as interpersonal relationships, media and marketing, social support, the environment, nutrition, and international relations.

This fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and includes much richer pedagogy than its predecessors, both within the book and online.

The theories or programs of research described in the chapters of this book move beyond the traditional evaluation model of prejudice, drawing on a broad range of theoretical ancestry to develop models of why, when, and how differentiated reactions to groups arise, and what their consequences might be. The chapters have in common a re-focusing of interest on emotion as a theoretical base for understanding differentiated reactions to, and differentiated behaviors toward, social groups. The contributions also share a focus on specific interactional and structural relations among groups as a source of these differentiated emotional reactions. The chapters in the volume thus reflect a theoretical shift from an earlier emphasis on knowledge about ingroups and outgroups to a new perspective on prejudice in which socially-grounded emotional differentiation becomes a basis for social regulation.

Despite the insights afforded by traditional work on prejudice, understanding intergroup relations now appears to demand knowledge of the antecedents, nature, and consequences of much more complex, modulated, and differentiated reactions to both ingroups and outgroups. The theories or programs of research described in the chapters of this book move beyond the traditional evaluation model of prejudice, drawing on a broad range of theoretical ancestry to develop models of why, when, and how differentiated reactions to groups arise, and what their consequences might be. The chapters have in common a re-focusing of interest on emotion as a theoretical base for understanding differentiated reactions to, and differentiated behaviors toward, social groups. Emotions are seen as arising as events impinging on groups with which one socially identifies, and they regulate responses both within the group and among groups. The contributions also share a focus on specific interactional and structural relations among groups as a source of these differentiated emotional reactions. The chapters in the volume thus reflect a theoretical shift from an earlier emphasis on knowledge about ingroups and outgroups to a new perspective on prejudice in which socially-grounded emotional differentiation becomes a basis for social regulation.

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This volume presents a collection of chapters exploring the interface of cognitive and affective processes in stereotyping. Stereotypes and prejudice have long been topics of interest in social psychology, but early literature and research in this area focused on affect alone, while later studies focused primarily on cognitive factors associated with information processing strategies. This volume integrates the roles of both affect and cognition with regard to the formation, representation, and modification of stereotypes and the implications of these processes for the escalation or amelioration of intergroup tensions.
Key Features
* Reviewed Development, maintenance, and change of stereotypes and prejudice
* Interaction of affective and cognitive processes as antecendents of stereotyping and prejudice
* Affect and cognitive consequences of group categorization, preception, and interaction
* The interaction of cognitive and affective processes in social perception
* Award Winning Chapter "The Esses et al," was the 1992 winner of the Otto Klineberg award given by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, which cited the chapter as having offered, "a substantial advance in our understanding of basic psychological processes, underlying racism, stereotyping, and prejudice."

This textbook is the only major introduction to social psychology that provides a conceptually and thematically integrated approach to the science of social behavior. Unlike the majority of textbooks that portray social psychology as a list of interesting -- but seemingly unrelated -- phenomena, Smith, Mackie and Claypool show how the major topics and themes in the discipline are, in reality, deeply interconnected. As such, it provides a uniquely rich, meaningful, and logical appreciation of human social behavior that students can relate to the world around them and apply to their own lives.

In addition to the unifying themes and principles that run throughout the book, there is also recognition that social processes are intertwined with cognitive processes which creates much of the tension and dynamic in real-world settings.

Finally, there is the appplication of the science of social psychology and to real-life: this not only includes the major societal institutions, such as law and business, but also to issues as diverse as interpersonal relationships, media and marketing, social support, the environment, nutrition, and international relations.

This fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and includes much richer pedagogy than its predecessors, both within the book and online.