Warren Thorngate - Böcker

These chapters represent the wide variety of fascinating contributions of world-renowned psychologists from more than a dozen nations. They are divided into eight sections: Foundational Problems; Beyond Criticism in Psychology; Theoretical Studies in Psychology; Feminist Theory in Psychology; Historical Contributions to Psychological Theory; Developmental Theory; Social Psychology and Social Distress; and Applications of Psychological Theory. The range of topics and styles included in this volume give the reader an appreciation of the diverse work currently occurring in the discipline of theoretical psychology.

Merit-based tests and contests have become popular methods for allocating rewards – from trophies to contracts, jobs to grants, admissions to licenses. With origins in jurisprudence, methods of rewarding merit seem fairer than those rewarding political or social connections, bribery, aggression, status, or wealth. Because of this, merit-based competitions are well-suited to the societal belief that people should be rewarded for what they know or do, and not for who they know or are; however, judging merit is rarely an easy task – it is prone to a variety of biases and errors. Small biases and errors, especially in large competitions, can make large differences in who or what is rewarded. It is important, then, to learn how to spot flaws in procedures for judging merit and to correct them when possible.Based on over 20 years of theory and research in human judgment, decision making and social psychology, this unique book brings together for the first time what is known about the processes and problems of judging merit and their consequences. It also provides practical suggestions for increasing the fairness of merit-based competitions, and examines the future and limits of these competitions in society.