Emil J. Posavac - Böcker

Many authors have argued that applying social psychology to the solution of real­ world problems builds better theories. Observers have claimed, for example, that of human behavior applied social psychology reveals more accurate principles because its data are based on people in real-life circumstances (Helmreich, 1975; Saxe & Fine, 1980), provides an opportunity to assess the ecological validity of generalizations derived from laboratory research (Ellsworth, 1977; Leventhal, 1980), and discloses important gaps in existing theories (Fisher, 1982; Mayo & LaFrance, 1980). Undoubtedly, many concrete examples can be mustered in support of these claims. But it also can be argued that applying social psychology to social issues and problems builds better research methods. Special methodological problems arise and new perspectives on old methodological problems emerge when re­ searchers leave the laboratory and tackle social problems in real-world settings. Along the way, we not only improve existing research techniques but also devel­ op new research tools, all of which enhance our ability to obtain valid results and thereby to understand and solve socially relevant problems. Indeed, Campbell and Stanley's (1966) seminal work on validity in research design grew out of the application of social science in field settings. In this spirit, the principal aim of this volume is to present examples of methodological advances being made as researchers apply social psychology in real-life settings.

This volume presents the latest research on applying heuristics and biases to the areas of health, law, education, and organizations. Authors adopt a cross-disciplinary approach to study various theories.

Early studies of political behaviour examined the sociological, attitudinal, and rational determinants of political behaviour. However, none of these approaches provided a descriptive model of how people process political information and make political decisions under naturalistic conditions that involve limited cognitive capacity and motivation. Fortunately, contemporary approaches within the field of political psychology have begun to address these concerns. Inspired by advances in the area of social psychology, researchers are rapidly developing more realistic and detailed models of the psychological process that determines political judgements and behaviour. Early attempts to merely predict political behaviour have been replaced by an attempt to describe the actual process whereby individuals gather, interpret, exchange, and combine information to arrive at a political judgement or decision. This volume provides comprehensive coverage of this area of research.

Comprehensive yet accessible, this text provides a practical introduction to the skills, attitudes, and methods required to assess the worth and value of human services offered in public and private organizations in a wide range of fields. Students are introduced to the need for such activities, the methods for carrying out evaluations, and the essential steps in organizing findings into reports. The text focuses on the work of people who are closely associated with the service to be evaluated, and is designed to help program planners, developers, and evaluators to work with program staff members who might be threatened by program evaluation.

This text provides a solid foundation in program evaluation, covering the main components of evaluating agencies and their programs, how best to address those components, and the procedures to follow when conducting evaluations. Different models and approaches are paired with practical techniques, such as how to plan an interview to collect qualitative data and how to use statistical analyses to report results. In every chapter, case studies provide real world examples of evaluations broken down into the main elements of program evaluation: the needs that led to the program, the implementation of program plans, the people connected to the program, unexpected side effects, the role of evaluators in improving programs, the results, and the factors behind the results. In addition, the story of one of the evaluators involved in each case study is presented to show the human side of evaluation. This new edition also offers enhanced and expanded case studies, making them a central organizing theme, and adds more international examples. New online resources for this edition include a table of evaluation models, examples of program evaluation reports, sample handouts for presentations to stakeholders, links to YouTube videos and additional annotated resources. All resources are available for download under the tab eResources at www.routledge.com/9781138103962.

Early studies of political behavior examined the sociological, attitudinal, and rational determinants of political behavior. However, none of these approaches provided a descriptive model of how people process political information and make political decisions under naturalistic conditions that involve limited cognitive capacity and motivation. Fortunately, contemporary approaches within the field of political psychology have begun to address these concerns. Inspired by recent advances in the area of social psychology, researchers are rapidly developing more realistic and detailed models of the psychological process that determines political judgements and behavior. Early attempts to merely predict political behavior have been replaced by an attempt to describe the actual process whereby individuals gather, interpret, exchange, and combine information to arrive at a political judgement or decision. This volume provides comprehensive coverage of this pioneering era of research in political psychology.

Research on small groups played an important role in the early formulation of social psychology. The more recent `issues-oriented' approach has not only resulted in many interesting findings-it has also applied basic social psychological theory in new ways and, moreover, led to new theoretical developments that deserve more attention.

This volume presents the latest research on applying heuristics and biases to the areas of health, law, education, and organizations. Authors adopt a cross-disciplinary approach to study various theories.