Experiments with People: Revelations from Social Psychology

After reading (and thoroughly enjoying) Abelson's "Statistics as Principled Argument", I decided to look into any other textbooks he authored. I found myself pleasantly surprised with this scantly reviewed, and seemingly unheard of experimental psychology text. Every chapter begins with a breakdown of the topic at hand by providing background information. The authors then provide a brief overview of the methodology, move on to the results (in plain English, no statistics), and why the finding is important / relevant. While I felt that some of the explanations could have been better as far as the methodology was concerned, and some statistics could have made the points clearer, this was a pleasure to read. Abelson's wit is a credit to the profession of psychology, as he has a knack in making the material he covers fun by picking interesting studies which not only teach, but inspire. This text is nothing short of refreshing. Each chapter of the book focuses on a topic in social psychology which is illustrated primarily by a single article that was not only picked for its impact, but clever methodological design. The beauty of picking one article per chapter is that it allows those familiar with the research to have a single reference point for a topic area, while serving as a place to start for those just entering the world of social psychology. I also found that this book is especially well suited for those who need a refresher before entering a graduate experimental psychology program. The articles discussed in the chapters are written by of some of the most prominent modern experimental psychologists (e.g. Wegner, Dovidio, Gilbert, & Batson), as well as some of the classic giants (e.g. Asch, Milgram, Darley, & Festinger). Just as the names are numerous, so are the topics the book encompasses, spanning from processes behind attribution to suffering. Overall, a pleasant surprise. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent purchasing experience. This book seems a great supplementary textbook for a social psychology class or anyone just interested in human behavior without taking a course.