Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction explores how social behavior is goal-directed and a result of interactions between the person and the situation.

In addition to a beautiful new design in the 4e, Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction has two elements that continue to set it apart from other social psychology textbooks:

A unique integrated approach to social behavior: Rather than providing a laundry list of unconnected facts and theories, the authors organize each chapter around the two broad questions: (1) What are the goals that underlie the behavior in question? (2) What factors in the person and the situation connect to each goal? The book thus presents the discipline as a coherent framework for understanding human behavior.  The new subtitle, “Goals in Interactions” underscores this integrated approach to understanding behavior. 

Opening mysteries: Each chapter begins with a mystery of social behavior, designed not only to grab student interest, but also to organize the ensuing discussion of scientific research: Why would a poor black washerwoman give away her hard-earned life-savings? What psychological forces led the Dalai Lama, the most exalted personage in Tibet, to forge a lifelong friendship with a foreign vagabond openly scorned by Tibetan peasants? Why would a boy falsely confess to murdering his own mother?

The latest scholarship, engaging writing, engrossing real-world stories and the authors' strengths as renowned researchers and expert teachers, all come together to make the fourth edition of Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction an accessible and engaging read for students, while providing a modern and cohesive approach for their teachers.