Psych City is a book that is used as a guide to organize a simulated community. The goal of the book is not only to create a simulated community, but also to provide opportunities for those involved in the experience to learn the events and patterns of life found in the community and examine the psychological, social, and political systems that are found in the community.
The book is divided into two sections. Section I is the simulation proper, and gives detailed descriptions of simulated living conditions such as geography, population, housing, government, education, finance, and taxes. The first part also assigns the participants to the different roles they have to play and gives the community problems to solve. The second part is made up of sets of readings and exercises that pertain to the different situations found in the simulated community.
The text is recommended for psychology, sociology, and anthropology professors that wish to give an interactive learning experience for the entire class, as well as those who wish to further study about community and conduct social experiments.

Contenu

List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Section I Psych City Simulation
Chapter 1 What is Psych City?
Chapter 2 The Community
Geographical Description
Population
Economic Structure
Housing
Government
Education
Finances
Chapter 3 The Problems
1 School Integration
2 Vacant Land Usage
3 Welfare Plan
4 Citizen Protection Problem
5 Drug Program
6 Use of Downtown Land
7 Low-Income Housing
8 High School Disruption
9 Equal Employment for Women
10 Sex Education
11 Your Own Problem
12 Your Own Problem
Chapter 4 The People
Chapter 5 The Town Meeting
Procedure
The Initial Meeting
Subgroups
The Caucus
Outside Feedback
Role Playing in Psych City
Section II Readings and Exercises
Chapter 6 Role Expectancies
A Not-So-Free Association
Case Study of a Nonconscious Ideology: Training the Woman to Know Her Place
The Warm-Cold Variable in First Impressions of Persons
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 6
Chapter 7 Interpersonal Perception
Is There a Red China?
They Saw a Game: A Case Study
Readiness to Perceive Violence as a Result of Police Training
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 7
Chapter 8 Communication
Machines Take Over
Communication, A Social Tool
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 8
Chapter 9 Norms and Reference Groups
Food for All His Dead
Class and Conformity: An Interpretation
Effects of Group Pressure upon the Modification and Distortion of Judgments
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Social Power
Machines and Bosses
Stevenson-Tragedy and Greatness
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Excerpt)
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 10
Chapter 11 Group Decision Making
Election Coverage Computed
A Political Decision-Making Model
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 11
Chapter 12 Individual Change
The Illusionless Man and the Visionary Maid (Abridged)
Positive Principles
Resistance to Change
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 12
Chapter 13 Group and Community Change
Chaos Over School Busing
The Vertical Negro Plan
Two Strategies of Social Change and Their Dilemmas
"The Cost of Living" from Idiots First
Change Does Not Have to Be Haphazard
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 13
Chapter 14 Evaluation of the Psych City Experience
The Problems of Measurement of Role Playing Exercises
Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 14
References and Recommended Readings