Mastering Social Psychology

by Robert A. Baron, Donn R. Byrne, Nyla R. Branscombe

Finally, a briefer version of one of the best-selling books in social psychology, for those who prefer less detail. Baron and Byrne set the standard with their original book, and new co-author Nyla Branscombe has brought freshness and new insights with her expertise in topics such as prejudice, the self, gender and group processes. The briefer version retains all the hallmarks of the up-to-date coverage of the quickly evolving area of social psychology--balanced in its coverage of fundamentals with current research--and written in a lively, engaging style.

Genres: Psychology

464 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mastering Social Psychology is a good introductory book on social psychology, which may make its title of ‘mastering’ it a bit misleading. It gives a pretty good overview of the field, provides fine case studies, and breaches all topics needed in order to understand just what social psychology is and what it all includes. It’s definitely a solid textbook for beginners, and quite easy to get into.

It covers the general field of social psychology, social cognition, social perception, attitudes, the self, prejudice, interpersonal attraction, close relationships, social influence, pro-social behaviour, aggression, and eventually groups and individuals in a chapter together. Different viewpoints and theories are covered and detailed throughout the chapters, giving the reader a proper viewpoint on certain topics.

The design of the book is also efficient: it’s clear and clean, making it both easy to study and easy to use as a reference book. There’s lists of key points and key terms in every chapter, and bolded key terms are usually specified in the margins, right next to the point in the text where they’ve popped up.

All that said, it does come across as a somewhat ‘simple’ academic textbook, especially since it often defines and/or explains terms that are already known to practically everyone. As I said, it really is just a beginner’s book, and probably can’t be used for more than just that. As another reviewer here on Goodreads already mentioned, the somewhat repetitive nature of this book, plus the fact that it starts to define well-known words, and the simple structure of the text add to the belief that social psychology is simply all about common sense. And that is indeed a pity.

In short, this is recommended for anyone who’s interested in or needs an introductory on social psychology that reads easily, but does provide a complete overview of the field.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was assigned Mastering Social Psychology for the community college class I'm teaching. I'm not overly impressed, but it's certainly not a bad or unworkable text. It's very clear and organized (though I think some sections could be reordered to cut down on repetition), and it includes pretty much everything you'd expect in a survey of Social Psychology. The major familiar studies are all there along with some some interesting recent research. But I disagreed with some of their interpretations of hypothetical situations and actual studies, which is troubling. It's also overly elementary in some areas, contributing to the accusation that social psychology is nothing more than common sense. Similarly, some of the terms that are put in bold and officially defined are laughably simple: if my students don't already know that cooperation is "working together to attain shared goals" and staring is "a form of eye contact in which one person continues to gaze steadily at another," I give up. But organizing a survey of social psychology at this level is not an easy task, and this textbook will certainly work as a solid starting point.

[Scott Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this class and the discussions which the material in the book has initiated. I also like the layout of the book and the way the material is presented. It is easy for a beginning psychology student to understand.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

a high school level text

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

what i've read so far is good.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Overall not a bad textbook.