Advanced Social Psychology

This was THE best edited book reviewing social psychological research about 10 years ago (this is the text that was used when I took advanced social psych back in late 90's). So much has happened in the field since then that it is really outdated. I hope Tesser updates this book!

Abraham Tesser did a fantastic job of assembling the top names in social psychology in 1994 to write this book. Scholars such as Susan Fiske, Daniel Gilbert, and Robert Cialdini wrote a chapter each on the core topics of social psychology. They also presented a lecture, and the complete 12-part lecture series is available on video. The only problem is, this book gives a fantastic insight into where social psychology was a decade ago, but much research has since been conducted. This is such a pity, because there are few social psychology textbooks that are written for students in 3rd-year to graduate-level courses. Most social psychology books are directed to either introductory students, the general public, or academic audiences. This book filled a gap (catering for advanced students), but has now fallen a little behind the times. It gets five stars for what it was, and for the fact that most of its content is still relevant.

Tesser has gathered a formidable anthology representing the best and brightest of the field. I am impressed by the clarity and relative 'timelessness' of the research he chose and the way each author rose to the occasion to present her or his projects in such a way that a layman could grasp its significance. I have seen the text used in graduate courses, but the language is such that, although challenging, it could be digested by an upper-level undergraduate class.

     It is rare to come across a scholarly textbook of research that is relatively understandable to lay people and beginning researchers. Yet Tesser's _Advanced Social Psychology_ succeeds where others fail. It is unlike other disciplinary or subdisciplinary textbooks, written by a single author covering tons of ground. This book is an anthology of reviews describing cutting-edge research in Social Psychology by those who are doing the cutting - the most prominent researchers in the field describing the state of their specialty. So while one does not get the perfectly smooth ('processed') feel of a textbook written by a single author, one gets an intimate feel for what is really being done, and a feel for what is on the horizon, for each line of inquiry by the people who are most interested in the area.     Another outstanding facet of this anthology is the vibrance held within its pages, precisely because it was not written by a single author. Each chapter displays the personality of its author(s). And each is written with the student in mind, not only the attempt to relay information. The book, depite its relative brevity, is filled with (often humorous) examples and illustrations. Terminology, critical to any discipline, is spelled out at the beginning to assure a common ground between author and reader. And, as a book on Social Psychology, the research areas are incredibly interesting and personally relevant: Attitude Change (R. E. Petty), Social Influence (R. B. Cialdini), Attraction and Relationships (M. S. Clark & S. P. Pataki), and Prejudice (P. G. Devine), to name a few. Each chapter educates and intrigues the reader into the complexities of our daily lives that comprise modern social psychological research. This is a must-read for anyone who wishes to gain a better understanding of how the world works and appreciates intellectual challenges. And Tesser's _Advanced Social Psychology_ is the clear choice for both undergraduate and graduate courses in the area.     - Richard J. Shakarchi       Graduate Student, OSU Social Area