Doing Social Psychology Research

Glynis M. Breakwell is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath. She is a social psychologist specializing in research and identity processes, risk communication, and military cultures. Her previous publications include Coping with Threatened Identities (1986), Interviewing (1990) and Research Methods in Psychology (with Sean Hammond and Chris Fife-Shaw, 1999).

"An indispensible volume for research training in social psychology, this book impresses for the wealth of teaching and research experience underpinning every chapter, confidently leading the student from introductory through to advanced aspects of a wide range of methods. Doing Social Psychology successfully conveys not only the rationale, key decisions and practicalities which every student should know but also communicates the excitement and commitment which makes for high quality research." Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology, LSE "With an impressive cast of contributors and a comprehensive treatment of the research approaches on offer in the discipline, this book should earn the gratitude of social psychology teachers everywhere. Doing social psychology is about using the tools of research to answer particular questions with evidence; this book will help and encourage students to open the tool box." Nick Emler, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Surrey "This revised and extended volume presents clear and practical guidance on learning how to use the research methods that are most widely used by contemporary British social psychologists. In the process, it also provides useful introductions to many of their current cutting-edge research topics." Peter Smith, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Sussex "Readers of the book would argue that the most outstanding feature of this text is its stand-alone usefulness as a source of references... Used correctly the contents of this book will prove helpful for new social psychology researchers wanting to better understand one of the particular research methods included and gain confidence through practice in its application." Psychology in Society, Issue 31, 2005

• List of Contributors. 1. Introduction: Approaches To Data Collection And Data Analysis. (Glynis M. Breakwell). 2. Experimental Research Designs. (Lorne Hulbert). 3. Measuring Optimistic Bias. (Chris Fife-Schaw And Julie Barnett). 4. A Quasi-Experimental Study Of Stereotyping. (Adam Rutland). 5. The Design And Analysis Of Quasi-Experimental Field Research. (Eamonn Ferguson And Peter Bibby). 6. The Impact Of Social Value Orientation On Decision-Making In Social Dilemmas: A Survey Exercise. (Mark Van Vugt And Richard H. Gramzow). 7. On Using Questionnaires To Measure Attitudes. (Geoffrey Haddock). 8. Modelling Identity Motives Using Multilevel Regression. (Vivian L. Vignoles). 9. The Analysis Of Equivocation In Political Interviews. (Peter Bull). 10. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. (Jonathan A. Smith And Mike Osborn). 11. Cognitive Mapping Generating Theories Of Psychological Phenomena From Verbal Accounts And Presenting Them Diagrammatically. (Tom Farsides). 12. The Multiple Sorting Procedure. (Julie Barnett). 13. The Laddering Technique. (Susan Miles And Gene Rowe). 14. Focus Groups. (Sue Wilkinson). Index.