It is often said that one of the key determinants of a book's wmth is the extent to which it fulfills the reader's expectations. As such, we welcome this oppor tunity to help formulate the expectations of our readers, to express our view of what this book is and what it is not. We believe that fully appreciating this volume requires understanding its mission and how it differs from that of other books on research methodology. We have not prepared a primer on research techniques. We offer no "how to" guides for researchers-nothing on how to conduct interviews, how to design studies, or how to analyze data. We also have not prepared a partisan platform documenting "our way" of thinking about research. Very few, if any, attempts at proselytizing may be found in these pages. What we have done, we believe, is to bring together a number of recurring controversial issues about social psychological research-issues that have divided profes sionals, puzzled students, and filled the pages of our journals. Few scholars have missed reports arguing the sides of various methodological contro versies, such as those surrounding the merits or shortcomings of field research in comparison to laboratory research, the use of role playing as an alternative for studies involving deception, or the value of informed consent procedures, to name only a few examples. Our aim in preparing this volume has been to organize and summarize the salient aspects of these and other impmtant controversial issues.

Klappentext

The purpose of this book is to review for the first time the many controversial issues of research methodology that have arisen in the social psychological literature. Key issues summarized include: - the arguments favoring role-playing as an alternative to research involving deception - the value of informed consent procedures - the role of laboratory vs. field research in theory development and application - the potential value and limitations of meta-analysis. In this way, the present work captures the excitement and constant growth of social research methodology. By using this book, researchers and students can assess the latest ideas and the classic thoughts concerning their varied research methodology options. This is no ordinary text, no "how to" guide, but an extensive, unbiased review of what social scientists have to say about the research methods they use. As such, it is intended to be an essential sourcebook for all social scientists and a critical volume for use in graduate-level seminars in the social sciences, especially social psychology.

Inhalt

1. The Scientific Status of Social Psychology.- Dimensions of the Controversy.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 2. Informed Consent.- What Is Informed Consent?.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 3. Role Playing Versus Deception.- Dimensions of Deception and Role Playing.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 4. The Laboratory Experiment Versus Field Research.- Characterizing Laboratory and Field Research.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 5. Experiments Versus Quasi-experiments.- The Role of Random Assignment in Experimentation.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 6. Subject Roles.- The Context of Concern About Subject Perceptions.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 7. Experimenter Bias.- Dimensions of the Controversy.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 8. Debriefing.- The Nature of the Debriefing Process.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 9. Postexperimental Inquiries: Assessing Demand Awareness and Treatment Effectiveness.- Functions of Postexperimental Inquiries.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- 10. Meta-analysis Versus Traditional Integrations of Research.- Characterizing Alternative Types of Literature Reviews.- Controversial Issues.- Current Status of the Controversy.- References.- Author Index.