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Contents
Preface xiii New Frontiers in Social Psychological Research 43
About the Authors XIX Culture and Social Psychology 43
Special Tips for Students xxi Social Neuroscience 44
Ethical Issues in Social Psychology 45
1 Introducing Social Psychology 1 Summary 48 • Test Yourself 49

Defining Social Psychology 3

TRY IT! Conflicting Social Influences 4 3 Social Cognition: How We Think
Social Psychology, Philosophy, Science, About the Social World 51
and Common Sense 4 On Automatic Pilot: Low-Effort Thinking 53
Ho\,• Social Psychology Differs From Its People as Everyday Theorists: Automatic
Closest Cousins 5 Thinking With Schemas 53
TRY IT! Social Situations and Shyness 7 Whlch Schen1as Do We Use? Accessibility
The Power of the Situation 9 and Priming 55
Underestin1ating the Po\,•er of the Situation 10 Making Our Schemas Con1e True: The
The Importance of Construal 11 Self-Fulfilling Prophecy 57
#trending What's in a Name? 14 #trending Do You Believe in Astrology? 59
Where Construa ls Come Fron1: Basic Hun1an Motives 15 Types of Automatic Thlnking 61
The Self-Esteem Motive: The Need to Feel Good Auton1atic Goal Pursuit 61
About Ourselves 16 Auton1atic Thinking and Metaphors About the
SUFFERING AND SELF-JUSTIFICATION Body and the Mind 62
The Social Cognition Motive: The Need Mental Strategies and Shortcuts: Judgmental
to Be Accurate 17 Heuristics 63
HOW EASILY DOES IT COME TO MIND? THE AVAILABILITY
Why Study Social Psychology? 19 HEURISTIC • HOW SIMILAR IS A TO B? THE
Summary 20 • Test Yourself 21 REPRESENTATIVENESS HEURISTIC •
PERSONALITY TESTS AND THE REPRESENTATIVENESS HEURISTIC

2 Methodology: How Social TRY IT! Reasoning Quiz 68

Psychologists Do Research 23 Cultural Differences in Social Cognition 69
Cultural Determinants of Schemas 70
Socia l Psychology: An Empirical Science 24 Holistic Versus Analytic Thlnking 70
TRY IT! Social Psychology Quiz: What's Your Prediction? 25
Controlled Social Cognition: High-Effort Thinking 72
Fom1ulating Hypotheses and Theories 26 Controlled Thinking and Free Will 73
INSPIRATION FROM PREVIOUS THEORIES AND RESEARCH •
HYPOTHESES BASED ON PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
TRY IT! Can You Predict Your (or Your Friend's) Future? 74
Mentally Undoing the Past: Counterfactual Reasoning 75
Research Designs 27
Improving Human Thinking 76
The Observational Method: Describing Social Behavior 28
ETHNOGRAPHY • ARCHIVAL ANALYSIS • LIMITS OF TRY IT! How Well Do You Reason? 77
THE OBSERVATIONAL METHOD Watson Revisited 78
The Correlational Method: Predicting Social Behavior 29 Summary 80 • Test Yourself 81
SURVEYS • LIMITS OF THE CORRELATIONAL
METHOD: CORRELATION DOES NOT EOUAL CAUSATION

TRY IT! Correlation and Causation: Knowing the 4 Social Perception: How We Come to
Difference 33 Understand Other People 83
The Experin1ental Method: Ans\,•ering
Nonverbal Conm1unication 85
Causal Questions 34
INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES •
TRY IT! Using Your Voice as a Nonverbal Cue 86
INTERNAL VALIDITY IN EXPERIMENTS • EXTERNAL VALIDITY Facial Expressions of Emotion 86
IN EXPERIMENTS • FIELD EXPERIMENTS • REPLICATIONS EVOLUTION AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS • WHY IS
AND META-ANALYSIS DECODING SOMETIMES DIFFICULT?
#trending Correlation Does Not Equal Causation 41 Culture and the Channels of Nonverbal
BASIC VERSUS APPLIED RESEARCH Con1munication 89
vii
viii Contents

First Impressions: Quick But Long-lasting 91

#trending First Impressions Formed Online 92
6 Cognitive Dissonance and the
Need to Protect Our Self-Esteem 149
The Lingering Influence of lnitial
lmpressions 93 The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance: Protecting
Causal Attribution: Ansv,ering the "Why" Question 96 Our Self-Esteem 150
The Nature of the Attribution Process 97 Decisions, Decisions, Decisions 153
The Covariation Model: Internal Versus External DISTORTING OUR LIKES AND DISLIKES • THE
PERMANENCE OF THE DECISION • CREATING THE
Attributions 98
ILLUSION OF IRREVOCABILITY
The Fundamental Attribution Error: People
as Personality Psychologists 100 The Justification of Effort 155
THE ROLE OF PERCEPTUAL SALIENCE IN THE Counterattitudinal Behavior 157
FUNDAMENTAL ATIRIBUTION ERROR • THE TWO-STEP COUNTERATIITUDINAL BEHAVIOR TOWARD CONSEQUENTIAL
ATTRIBUTION PROCESS ISSUES • THE BEN FRANKLIN EFFECT: JUSTIFYING ACTS
OF KINDNESS • DEHUMANIZING THE ENEMY: JUSTIFYING
Self-Serving Attributions 106
CRUELTY
The "Bias Blind Spot" 107
TRY IT! The Internal Consequences of Doing Good 161
Culture and Social Perception 110 JUSTIFYING OUR OWN IMMORAL ACTS
Holistic Versus Analytic Thinking 110 Avoiding Ten1ptations 163
SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE EVIDENCE
The Hypocrisy Paradigm 165
Cultural Differences in the Fundamental
Dissonance Across Cultures 166
Attribution Error 112
Culture and Other Attributional Biases 113 Advances and Extensions of Cogrutive Dissonance
Theory 167
Summary 115 • Test Yourself 117
Self-Affim1ation Theory 167
5 The Self: Understanding Ourselves TRY IT! Values Affirmation Writing Exercise 169
in a Social Context 119 Dissonance in Close Relationships: Self-Evaluation
Maintenance Theory 169
The Origins and Nature of the Self-Concept 120 Some Concluding Thoughts on Dissonance and
Cultural Influences on the Self-Concept 122 Self-Esteem 172
TRY IT! A Measure of Independence and #trend ing Politics and Cognitive Dissonance 172
Interdependence 123 Overcoming Dissonance 174
Functions of the Self 124 Narcissism and the Dangers of Too Muell
Self-Knowledge 125 Self-Esteem 174
Knowing Ourselves Through lntrospection 125 TRY IT! Measuring Your Narcissism 175
FOCUSING ON THE SELF: SELF-AWARENESS THEORY
Summary 178 • Test Yourself 179
TRY IT! Measure Your Private
Self-Consciousness 127
JUDGING WHY WE FEEL THE WAY WE 00: TELLING
7 Attitudes and Attitude Change:
MORE THAN WE CAN KNOW Influencing Thoughts and Feelings 181
Knowing Ourselves by Observing Our The Nature and Origin of Attitudes 183
Own Behavior 128 Where Do Attitudes Come Fron1? 183
SELF-PERCEPTION THEORY • UNDERSTANDING OUR
COGNITIVELY BASED ATIITUDES • AFFECTIVELY BASED
EMOTIONS: THE TWO-FACTOR THEORY OF EMOTION •
ATIITUDES
FINDING THE WRONG CAUSE: MISATIRIBUTION OF
AROUSAL • INTRINSIC VERSUS EXTRINSIC TRY IT! Affective and Cognitive Bases of Attitudes 186
MOTIVATION • MIND-SETS AND MOTIVATION BEHAVIORALLY BASED ATTITUDES

#trending Growth Mindset in the Classroom 137 Explicit Versus Implicit Attitudes 187
Using Other People to Kno\,• Ourselves 137 When Do Attitudes Predict Behavior? 188
KNOWING OURSELVES BY COMPARING OURSELVES Predicting Spontaneous Behaviors 189
TO OTHERS • KNOWING OURSELVES BY ADOPTING
OTHER PEOPLE'S VIEWS
Predicting Deliberative Behaviors 189
SPECIFIC ATIITUDES • SUBJECTIVE NORMS •
Self-Control: The Executive Function of the Self 141 PERCEIVED BEHAVIORAL CONTROL
Impression Management: All the World's #trending Predicting Environmentally Friendly Action 191
a Stage 143 How Do Attitudes Change? 192
Ingratiation and Self-Handicapping 144 Changing Attitudes by Changing Behavior:
Culture, ln1pression Management, and Cognitive Dissonance Theory Revisited 193
Self-Enhancement 145 Persuasive Communications and Attitude
Summary 146 • Test Yourself 147 Change 193
 Contents ix

THE CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL ROUTES TO Other Tactics of Social Influence 245
PERSUASION • THE MOTIVATION TO PAY ATTENTION
TO THE ARGUMENTS • THE ABILITY TO PAY ATTENTION
Obedience to Authority 248
TO THE ARGUMENTS • HOW TO ACHIEVE LONG-LASTING The Milgram Study 249
ATTITUDE CHANGE The Role of Nom1ative Social Influence 252
En1otion and Attitude Change 199 The Role of Informational Social Influence 253
FEAR-AROUSING COMMUNICATIONS • EMOTIONS AS Other Reasons Why We Obey 254
A HEURISTIC • EMOTION AND DIFFERENT TYPES
ADHERING TO THE WRONG NORM • SELF·
OF ATTITUDES
JUSTIFICATION • THE LOSS OF PERSONAL
Attitude Change and the Body 201 RESPONSIBILITY

The Power of Advertising 203 The Obedience Studies, Then and No\v 256
Ho\<\' Advertising Works 204 Summary 258 • Test Yourself 260
Subliminal Advertising: A Form of Mind Control? 204
DEBUNKING THE CLAIMS ABOUT SUBLIMINAL
ADVERTISING • LABORATORY EVIDENCE FOR
9 Group Processes: Influence in Social
SUBLIMINAL INFLUENCE Groups 262
TRY IT! Consumer Brand Attitudes 206 What Is a Group? 264
Advertising and Culture 207 Why Do People Join Groups? 264
Resisting Pers uasive Messages 208 The Con1position and Functions of Groups 265
Attitude Inoculation 209 SOCIAL NORMS • SOCIAL ROLES • GROUP
Being Alert to Product Placement 209 COHESIVENESS • GROUP DIVERSITY

Resisting Peer Pressure 210 #trending Diversity Research and the Affirmative
When Persuasion Attempts Backfire: Action Controversy 268
Reactance Theory 211 Ind ividual Behavior in a Group Setting 269
Summary 213 • Test Yourself 214 Social Facilitation: When the Presence of Others
Energizes Us 269
8 Conformity and Obedience: SIMPLE VERSUS DIFFICULT TASKS • AROUSAL AND THE
DOMINANT RESPONSE • WHY THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS
Influencing Behavior 216 CAUSES AROUSAL

Conformity: When and Why 218 Social Loafing: When the Presence of Others
Informa tional Social Influence: The Need to Kno\,v Relaxes Us 272
What's "Right" 221 Gender and Cultural Differences in Social Loafing:
The Importance of Being Accurate 223 Who Slacks Off the Most? 273
Deindividuation: Getting Lost in the Cro\,•d 274
When lnfom1ational Confom1ity Backfires 224
DEINDIVIDUATION MAKES PEOPLE FEEL LESS
When Will People Conform to Infom1ational ACCOUNTABLE • DEINDIVIDUATION INCREASES
Social InfJ uence? 226 OBEDIENCE TO GROUP NORMS • DEINDIVIDUATION
WHEN THE SllUATION IS AMBIGUOUS • WHEN THE ONLINE
SITUATION IS A CRISIS • WHEN OTHER PEOl'I..E ARE EXPERTS
Group Decisions: Are Two (or More) Heads
Normative Socia l Influence: The Need to Be Accepted 228
Better Than One? 277
Conformity and Social Approval: The Asch
Process Loss: When Group Interactions Inhibit
Line-Judgment Studies 230
Good Problem Solving 277
The Importance of Being Accurate, Revisited 233 FAILURE TO SHARE UNIQUE INFORMATION •
The Consequences of Resisting Normative GROUPTHINK: MANY HEADS, ONE MIND
Social InfJ uence 235 Group Polarization: Going to Extremes 281
TRY IT! Unmasking Normative Social Influence Leadership in Groups 282
by Breaking the Rules 236 LEADERSHIP AND PERSONALITY • LEADERSHIP STYLES •

When Will People Conform to Normative THE RIGHT PERSON IN THE RIGHT SITUATION • GENDER
AND LEADERSHIP • CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP
Social Influence? 236
WHEN THE GROUP IS IMPORTANT • WHEN ONE HAS Conflict and Cooperation 286
NO ALLIES IN THE GROUP • WHEN THE GROUP'S Social Dilemmas 287
CULTURE IS COLLECTIVISTIC
TRY IT! The Prisoner's Dilemma 288
#trending Social Norms and Bigotry 239 INCREASING COOPERATION IN THE PRISONER'S
Minority Influence: When the Fe\,' Influence the Many 240 DILEMMA

Conformity Tactics 241 Using Threats to Resolve Conflict 289

The Role of Injunctive and Descriptive Norms 241 EFFECTS OF COMMUNICATION

Using Norms to Change Behavior: Beware the Negotiation and Bargaining 291
"Boomerang Effect" 244 Summary 293 • Test Yourself 294
x Contents

Situational Determinants of Prosocial Behavior:

10 A ttraction and Rela tionships: From When Will People Help? 349
Initial Impressions to Long-Term Environment: Rural Versus Urban 349
Intimacy 296 Residential Mobility 350
What Predicts Attraction? 298 The Number of Bystanders: The Bystander Effect 351
The Person Next Door: The Propinquity Effect 298 NOTICING AN EVENT • INTERPRETING THE EVENT

Similarity 300 AS AN EMERGENCY • ASSUMING RESPONSIBILITY •

KNOWING HOW TO HELP • DECIDING TO IMPLEMENT
OPINIONS AND PERSONALITY • INTERESTS AND
THE HELP
EXPERIENCES • APPEARANCE • GENETICS • SOME
FINAL COMMENTS ABOUT SIMILARITY Diffusion of Responsibility in Cyberspace 356
#trending "Hook-Up Culture" and Today's Youth 302 Effects of the Media: Video Gan1es and Music Lyrics 357
Reciprocal Liking 302 How Can Hel p ing Be Increased? 358
Physical Attractiveness 303 Increasing the Likelihood That Bystanders
WHAT IS ATIRACTIVE? • CULTURAL STANDARDS Will Intervene 358
OF BEAUTY • THE POWER OF FAMILIARITY • Increasing Volunteerism 360
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT ATIRACTIVE PEOPLE
Summary 361 • Test Yourself 363
Evolution and Mate Selection 307
EVOLUTION AND SEX DIFFERENCES • ALTERNATE
PERSPECTIVES ON SEX DIFFERENCES
12 Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other
Peop le? Can We Prevent It? 365
Making Connections in the D igital World 311
Attraction 2.0: Mate Preference in an Online Era 311 Is Aggression Innate, Learned, or Op tional? 366
The Promise and Pitfalls of Meeting People Online 312 The Evolutionary View 367
AGGRESSION IN OTHER ANIMALS
Love and C lose Relationships 314
Defining Love: Companionship and Passion 315 Culture and Aggression 369
CHANGES IN AGGRESSION ACROSS TIME AND
TRY IT! Passionate Love Scale 316 CULTURES • CULTURES OF HONOR
Culture and Love 317 Gender and Aggression 371
Attachn1ent Styles in Intimate Relationships 318 PHYSICAL AGGRESSION • RELATIONAL AGGRESSION
Your Body and Brain in Love 320 Leaming to Behave Aggressively 373
Assessing Relationships: Satisfaction and Some Physiological Influences 375
Breaking U p 322 THE EFFECTS Cf' ALCOHOL • THE EFFECTS Cf' PAIN AND HEAT
Theories of Relationship Satisfaction 322 Social Situations and Aggression 377
SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY • EQUITY THEORY
Frustration and Aggression 377
The Process and Experience of Breaking Up 327 Provocation and Reciprocation 379
Summary 330 • Test Yourself 331 TRY IT! Insults and Aggression 380
Weapons as Aggressive Cues 380
11 Prosocial Behavior: Why Do Putting the Elements Together: The Case of
People H elp? 333 Sexual Assault 381
Basic Motives Underlying Prosocial Behavior: MOTIVATIONS FOR RAPE • SEXUAL SCRIPTS AND
THE PROBLEM OF CONSENT
Why Do Peop le Help? 334
Evolutionary Psychology: Instincts and Genes 335 Violence and the Media 383
KIN SELECTION • THE RECIPROCITY NORM Studying the Effects of Media Violence 384
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES • LONGITUDINAL STUDIES
TRY IT! The Dictator Game 336
GROUP SELECTION The Problen1 of Determining Cause and Effect 386
Social Exchange: The Costs and Re\,•ards of Helping 337 How to Decrease Aggression 389
Empathy and Altruism: The Pure Motive for Helping 338 Does Punishing Aggression Reduce Aggression? 389
USING PUNISHMENT ON VIOLENT ADULTS
Personal Qualities and Prosocial Beh avior: Why
Can We Release Anger by Indulging It? 390
Do Some People Help More Than Others? 342
THE EFFECTS OF AGGRESSIVE ACTS ON SUBSEQUENT
Individual Differences: The Altruistic Personality 342 AGGRESSION • BLAMING THE VICTIM OF OUR
Gender Differences in Prosocial Behavior 343 AGGRESSION
TRY IT! Empathic Concern 344 What Are We Supposed to Do \,•ith Our Anger? 392
Cultural Differences in Prosocial Behavior 345 VENTING VERSUS SELF-AWARENESS

Religion and Prosocial Behavior 346 TRAINING IN COMMUNICATION AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

SKILLS
#trending Helping Across the Political Divide 347
TRY IT! Controlling Your Anger 393
The Effects of Mood on Prosocial Behavior 347
GETIING APOLOGIES RIGHT • COUNTERING
EFFECTS OF POSITIVE MOODS: FEEL GOOD, DO GOOD •
DEHUMANIZATION BY BUILDING EMPATHY
FEEL BAD, DO GOOD
 Contents xi

#trending "Re-accommodation": The United Inducing Hypocrisy 450

Airlines Debacle 395 Removing Small Barriers to Achieve Big Changes 452
Disrupting the Rejection-Rage Cycle 396 Happiness and a Sustainable Lifestyle 454
Summary 398 • Test Yourself 401 What Makes People Happy? 454
SATISFYING RELATIONSHIPS • FLOW: BECOMING
13 Prejudice: Causes, Consequences, ENGAGED IN SOMETHING YOU ENJOY • ACCUMULATE
EXPERIENCES, NOT THINGS • HELPING OTHERS
and Cures 402
TRY IT! Applying the Research to Your Own Life 456
Defining Prejudice 403
Do People Kno\,• What Makes Them Happy? 457
The Cognitive Component: Stereotypes 404
Summary 458 • Test Yourself 459
ARE POSITIVE STEREOTYPES GOOD?

TRY IT! Stereotypes and Aggression 406

The Affective Component: Emotions 408 Social Psychology in Action 2
The Behavioral Component: Discrimination 409 Social Psychology and Health 461
T RY IT! Identifying Your Prejudices 409 Stress and Human Hea lth 462
INSTITUTIONALIZED DISCRIMINATION • EVERYDAY
Resilience 463
DISCRIMINATION • FROM PREJUDICE TO DISCRIMINATION
Effects of Negative Life Events 464
Detecting Hidden Prejudices 414
LIMITS OF STRESS INVENTORIES
Ways of Identifying Suppressed Prejudices 414
TRY IT! The College Life Stress Inventory 465
Ways of Identifying Implicit Prejudices 415
Perceived Stress and Health 466
The Effects of Prejudice on the Victin1 417 Feeling in Charge: The Importance of Perceived
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy 417 Control 467
Social Identity Threat 419 INCREASING PERCEIVED CONTROL IN NURSING HOMES •
Causes of Prejudice 421 DISEASE, CONTROL, AND WELL-BEING

Pressures to Conform: Normative Rules 421 Coping v,ith Stress 472

#trending Everyday Discrimination in Gender Differences in Coping \,•ith Stress 472

Professional Sports 423 Social Support: Getting Help from Others 473
Social Identity Theory: Us versus Them 423 TRY IT! Social Support 474
ETHNOCENTRISM • IN-GROUP BIAS • OUT-GROUP Reframing: Finding Meaning in Traumatic Events 475
HOMOGENEITY • BLAMING THE VICTIM • JUSTIFYING
FEELINGS OF ENTITLEMENT AND SUPERIORITY
Prevention: Promoting Healthier Behavior 476
Summary 478 • Test Yourself 479
Realistic Conflict Theory 427
Reducing Prejudice 429
The Contact Hypothesis 430 Social Psychology in Action 3
WHERE CONTACT CAN GO WRONG Social Psychology and the Law 481
Cooperation and Interdependence: The Jigsaw
Eyewitness Testimony 483
Classroon1 433
WHY DOES JIGSAW WORK?
Why Are Eye\,•itnesses Often Wrong? 483
ENCODING • STORAGE • RETRIEVAL
TRY IT! Jigsaw-Type Group Study 435
THE GRADUAL SPREAD OF COOPERATIVE AND
Judging Whether Eye\vitnesses Are Mistaken 488
INTERDEPENDENT LEARNING RESPONDING QUICKLY • POST-IDENTIFICATION FEEDBACK

Summary 437 • Test Yourself 439 TRY IT! The Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony 491
The Recovered Men1ory Debate 491
Social Psychology in Action 1 Juries: Group Processes in Action 494
Using Social Psychology to Achieve a Ho\v Jurors Process Information during the Trial 494
Sustainable and Happy Future 440 Confessions: Are They Ahvays What They Seem? 495
Deliberations in the Jury Room 497
Applied Research in Social Psychology 443
Summary 498 • Test Yourself 499
Capitalizing on the Experimental Method 444
ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERVENTIONS • Glossary 501
POTENTIAL RISKS OF SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS

Social Psychology to the Rescue 446 References 507

Using Social Psychology to Aclueve a Sustainable Future 447 Credits 545
Conveying and Changing Social Norms 447
Name Index 549
TRY IT! Reducing Littering with Descriptive Norms 448
Keeping Track of Consumption 449 Subject Index 568
Introducing a Little Competitiveness 450
This page intentionally left blank
Preface
h en we began writing this book, our overriding
goal was to capture the excitement of social psy-
ch ology. We have been p leased to hear, in man y
kind notes an d messages from professors and s tudents, that
we succeeded. One of ou r favorite responses was from a
studen t who said that the book was so in teresting that she
always saved it for last, to rewa rd herself for finishing h er
o ther work. With that one studen t, a t least, we succeeded in
making our book an enjoyable, fascin ating story, not a dry
report of facts and figures.
Th ere is always room for improvement, however, and
our goal in this, the tenth edition, is to make the field of
social psych ology an even better read. When we teach the
course, there is nothing more gratifying than seeing the
s leepy students in the back row sit up vvith in terest and
say, "Wow, I didn't know that! Now tllnt's in teresting." We
hope that s tudents who read ou r book w ill have tha t same
reaction.
What's New in This Edition?
First a word about wh a t has not ch an ged. As mentioned,
we have don e ou r best to tell the story of social psychol-
ogy in an en gaging way that w ill reson a te w ith stu dents.
We also h ave retained features that h elp studen ts lea rn
and re ta in th e materia l. As before, each chap ter begins
w ith lea rning objectives, whjch a re repea ted in th e sec-
tions of the chapter tha t a re most relevant to th em and in
th e ch apter-endin g su mmary. All major sections of every
chapte r end with review quizzes. Research shows th at
students learn material better when they are tested fre-
q uently; thus, these section q uizzes, as well as the test
q uestions at the end of every chapter, should be helpful
learnin g a ids. In the Revel version of the text, ins tructors
have th e option of assignin g these quizzes and giving
course credit for correct answers. Each chap ter a lso has
our Try It! fea ture that invites s tudents to apply wh at
th ey have learned to their own lives. Several of these Try
It! features h ave been updated.
We are p leased to add severa l new features to the
tenth ed ition th a t we believe w ill appeal to s tudents
and ma ke it even easier for th em to learn the materia l.
The first is called #Surviva lTips which are brief videos
recorded by studen ts who have taken a social psychol-
ogy class. Each one tells a personal story re laying how
th e student applied social psychology to better n aviga te
or "survive" a real s ituation in their lives. For example,
one video in Chap ter 9 tells the s tory of how a studen t
learned to avoid process loss in her s tudy groups. These
videos are in the Revel version of the text, placed along-
s ide th e relevan t concepts.
A secon d new featu re, ca lled #trendin g, is a b rief
ana lysis of a curren t event tha t illustrates a key p rinci-
ple in each ch apter. In Ch apter 11 on Prosocial Behavior,
for example, we describe an incident in which a White
den tist from Texas, in town for Dona ld Trump's inaugu-
ration, left a $450 tip for an African American wa itress.
Students a re asked to thin k abou t how concep ts in the
chap ter migh t help explain why the man acted so gen-
erous ly, such as Ba tson's empathy-altruism hypothesis.
Importan tly, th ese examp les will be updated frequen tly
in the Revel version of the text, such that s tudents w ill al-
ways be able to connect wha t they are reading to cu rrent,
real-world events.
Third, every chapter now begins w ith a feature called,
"What do YOU trunk?" where s tudents answer a survey
question designed to illustra te a concept in that ch apter. In
Chapter 6, for example, students are asked, "Have you ever
joined a group that required you to do something humili-
ating or dangerous in order to gain membership?" In the
Revel version of the text, s tudents get immediate feedback
on h ow o ther s tudents h ave answered (23°/o said yes to this
question ). Then, at the end of the chapter, there is a w riting
exercise tied to the survey question that instructors can as-
sign if they wish. In Chapter 6, for example, the question
is, "How does justification of effort h elp explain wh y haz-
ing and initiation rites are common across so many d ifferent
group types?"
Lastly, we h ave expanded a feature tha t proved to be
very popular with users of the Revel version of the previ-
ous edition, namely v ideos tha t recreate classic experiments
in social psych ology. These videos, recorded exclus ively for
this book, give students a vivid and contemporary look at
h ow an experiment was done and what it found.
And, of cou rse, we have upda ted the tenth edition s ub-
stantially, vv ith numerous references to new research. Here
is a sampling of the new research that is covered:
• Chapter 1: This chapter contains updated examples,
a new Try It!, and a new section on the role of bio-
logical approaches and evolution ary theory in social
psych ology.
• Ch apter 2: A signa ture of our book continues to be a
readable, s tudent-friend ly ch apter on resea rch methods
in social psychology. This chapter has been updated
xiii
xiv Preface
for the ten th edition with new references and examples
and a discussion of the replication debate in social
psychology.
• Chapter 3, "Social Cognition: How We Think Abou t
the Social World ," has been upda ted with more than
40 new references. There is a new section on the p lan-
ning fallacy and d iscussions of recent research find-
ings, such as a study on counterfactual thinking and
people's belief in God.
• Chapter 4, "Social Perception: How We Come to
Und ers tand Other People," now includes several new
features, including a new opening drawing on the Black
Mirror television series, an in teractive photo ga llery on
using first impressions to your ad van tage, a discussion
of cross-cu ltural attitudes regarding karma and beliefs
in a just world , and a reorganized discussion of Kelley's
covariation model.
• Chapter 5, "The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a
Social Con text," has been updated with more than 35
new references. The chapter headings h ave also been
reorganized into three major sections, which should
make the material clearer to stud ents. There is a new
opening example about children raised by animals and
how they might have influenced their sense of self.
Lastly, the section on self-esteem has been upda ted and
moved to Ch apter 6.
• Chapter 6, "Cognitive Disson ance and the Need to
Protect Our Self-Esteem," is one of the most exten-
sively revised chapters in this edition. This chap·
ter has a lways been a signature of the book; we are
the only text to devote an entire chapter to cogni·
tive dissonan ce theory an d self-esteem maintenance.
We p roudly retain this chapter in our ten th ed ition,
continuing to p resen t classic work in cogni tive disso-
nance in a highly readable manner w ith compelling
examples designed to d raw students in. At the same
time we h ave updated the chapter, adding a major
new section on advances and extensions of dissonance
theory that includes discussions of self-affirmation
theory an d self-eva luation mainten ance theory. There
is also a section on n arcissism and self-esteem, wh ich
prev ious ly appeared in Chapter 5. Lastly the chapter
has two new Try It! exercises tha t studen ts will enj oy:
In on e they complete a va lues affirmation writing ex-
ercise, and in an other they can take a sh ort version of
the Narcissistic Personali ty Inventory and get feed -
back on their score.
• Chapter 7, "Attitudes and Attitude Change:
Influencing Thoughts an d Feelings," includes a new
opening story, new examples from Election 2016 in
th e discussion of affectively based attitudes, and new
discussion of how implicit versus exp lici t attitudes
can vary in p redicting outcomes when it comes to
evaluation of job resumes based on applican t name.
A new in teractive feature is also included to explain
the formula for persuasion according to the Ya le
Attitude Change app roach.
• Chapte r 8, "Conformity and Obedience: Influencing
Behavior," n ow opens with a more positive focus on
socia l influence, in the form of Pete Fra tes an d the
ALS ice bucket cha llenge. We have add ed a discus-
s ion of the proliferation of "fake news" in the section
on informationa l social influen ce. The chapte r a lso
features a new interactive video d emonstrating s tu-
dents employing var ious social influence techniques
an d added discussion of contemporary criticism of
Milgram's research.
• Chapter 9, "Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups,"
now opens with an analysis of p roblematic group deci-
sion making and stra tegizing in Hilary Clinton's 2016
campaign team. We have also added coverage of recent
research on combating the p roblematic effects on deindi-
viduation online and group polarization via social media
feeds. The chapter also includes expanded and updated
discussion of the prisoner's dilemma and a new photo
gallery regarding resource dilemmas.
• Chapter 10, "Attraction and Relationships: From
Initial Impressions to Long-Term Intimacy," has
a new title to better reflect the balanced focus be -
tween initia l a ttraction and relationship trajectory I
satisfaction . A new interactive p h oto gallery exp lores
the relationship between mere exposure and liking,
and a new inte ractive v id eo illustra tes th e ma tching
h ypoth esis in attraction. We have added coverage
(includ ing an in teractive figure) of Sternberg's
triangular theory of love and have reorganized and
upda ted the concluding section on relationship
satisfaction and b reaking up.
• In Chapter 11, "Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People
Help?" includes more than 30 new references, expanded
discussions of empathy and altruism and volunteerism,
and a revised discussion of religion and p rosocial
behavior.
• Chapter 12, "Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other
People? Can We Preven t It?," has significan t conten t
updates in addition to covering new research. Our
discussion of testosterone and aggression is more nu-
an ced, disentangling some aspects of gen der and h or-
mones and in troducing the o ther sex h ormone related
to aggression, estradiol. We also in troduce and evalu-
a te two formal evolution ar y theories of aggression:
the challenge hypothesis and d ual-hormone theory.
We also streamlined the section on sexual assault
to make this importan t section clearer. Overall, the

chapter narrative n ow emphasizes the con vergen t
evidence for th e role of impulsivity in aggression
across b iological and psychological evidence.
• In Chapter 13, "Prejudice: Causes, Consequences,
and Cures," has undergone a major organizational
and conten t u pdate. We generalized th e discussion
of prejudice from the strong focus on Black-White
and male-female relations to relate more generally
to other e thnic, gender, and stigmatized identities.
Nonetheless, we maintain an importan t dialog on
anti-Blackness, including a d iscussion of police shoot-
ings and activ ist groups. We expanded the discussion
of emotions as a core component of prejudice, throu gh
which we included more physiological research on
prejudice in to the ch apter. Und er the ways to reduce
prejudice, we have exten ded th e discussion of inter-
group con tact to teach studen ts about indirect contact,
and we have streamlined the d iscussion of the jigsaw
classroom. The entire chapter was upda ted with new
examples from recent popula r culture an d in teractive
components in Revel.
• Social Psychology in Action chapters- "Using Social
Psychology to Achieve a Sustainable and Happy
Future," "Social Psychology and Hea lth," and "Social
Psychology and the Law"- have been updated w ith
many references to new research, but remain shorter
chapters. When we teach the cou rse, we find tha t stu-
dents are excited to lea rn abou t these applied a reas.
At the same time, we recognize that some instructors
have difficulty fitting the ch apters into their courses.
As with the p revious edition, ou r approach remains to
maintain a shortened length for the applied ch apters to
make it easy to integra te these chapters in to different
parts of the course in whatever fashion an instructor
deems best. SPAl, "Using Social Psychology to Achieve
a Sustainable and Happy Future," includes an u pdated
opening example abou t the effects of climate change
and new examples of ways in which students can both
act in sustainable ways and maximize their well-being.
In SPA2, "Social Psychology and Health," we updated
coverage on perceived con trol interventions among
nursing home residents and included a new interactive
on coping with s tress. SPA3, "Social Psychology an d
Law," has a new v ideo abou t attention al blindness and
an interactive feature on best p ractices in eyewitness
identification p rocedures.
Revel for Social Psychology
RevelTM
When students are engaged deeply, they lea rn more ef-
fectively and perform better in their courses. This simp le
Preface xv
fact inspired the creation of Revel: an interactive learning
environment designed for the way today's students read ,
think, and learn. Built in collaboration with educa tors and
stu dents nationwid e, Revel is the newest, fu lly digital way
to deliver respected Pearson conten t. Revel enlivens cou rse
content with media interactives and assessments- icluding
an in teractive figure) of ntegrated directly within the au-
thors' narrative-that p rovide opportunities for students
to read abou t and p ractice course material in tandem. This
irnmersive educationa l technology boosts student engage-
ment, which leads to better understanding of concepts and
improved performance throughou t the course.
Learn More about Revel
h ttp:/ /www.pearsonhighered.com/revel/
Rather than simp ly offering opportunities to read
about and stud y social psychology, Revel facilitates
deep, engaging interactions w ith the concepts that mat-
ter most. By p roviding opportunities to improve skills
in analyzing and in terp retin g sou rces of psychological
evidence, for example, Revel engages students directly
and immediately, which leads to a better understanding
of course material. A wealth of student and instructor
resources and in teractive materia ls can be found within
Revel. Some of our favorites are mentioned in the infor-
mation that follows.
For more information about all the tools and resou rces
in Revel and access to your own Revel account for Social
Psychology, go to www.pearsonhighered.com/ revel.
Instructor Resources
We know that instructors are "tou r guides" for their stu-
dents, leading them throu gh the exciting world of social
psychology in the classroom. As such, we have invested
tremendous effort in the creation of a world-class collection
of instructor resou rces that will support p rofessors in their
mission to teach the best course possible.
Coauthor Sam Sommers gu ided the creation of this
supplements package, which has been reviewed and up·
dated for the tenth ed ition. Here are the highlights of the
supplements we are pleased to provide:
PRESENTATION TOOLS AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
• Social Psychology PowerPoint Collection (0134700732)
The PowerPoints provide an active forma t for pre-
senting concepts from each chapte r and incorpo-
ra ting relevant figures an d tables. Instructors can
choose from three PowerPoint presentations: a lec-
ture p resen tation set tha t h igh lights major topics
from th e chapters, a highly visual lecture p resenta -
tion set with embedded videos, or a PowerPoint
collection of the complete art files from the tex t. The
xvi Preface
PowerPoint files can be downloaded from www
.pearsonhighered.com.
• Ins tructor's Resource Manual (0134700694) The
Instructor's Manua l includes key terms, lecture ideas,
teaching tips, suggested readings, chapter ou tlines,
studen t p rojects an d research assignments, Try It! exer-
cises, critical-thinking topics and discussion questions,
and a media resource guide. It h as been updated for
the tenth edition with hyperlinks to ease facilita tion of
navigation within the Instructor's Resource Manual.
ASSESS MENT RESO URCES
• Tes t Bank (0134700740) Each of the more than 2,000
questions in this test bank is page-referenced to the text
and categorized by topic an d skill level. Each question
in the test bank was reviewed by several instructors
to ensure that we are providing you with the best and
most accu rate content in the industry.
• MyTest Test Bank (0134677897) This Web-based test-
generating software p rovides ins tructors "best in class"
features in an easy-to-use program. Create tests and
easily select questions with drag-and-drop or poin t-
and-click functionality. Add or modify test questions
using the built-in Question Editor, and p rin t tests in a
variety of formats. The program comes w ith full techni-
cal support.
Acknowledgments
Elliot Aronson is delighted to acknowledge the collabora-
tion of Ca rol Tavris. He would also like to acknow ledge the
con tribu tions of his best friend (who also happens to be his
wife of 60 years), Vera Aronson. Vera, as usual, provided in-
spiration for his ideas and acted as the sounding board for
and s upportive critic of many of his semiformed notions,
helping to mold them into more sensible analyses.
Tim Wilson would like to thank his gradua te mentor,
Richard E. Nisbett, who nu rtured his interest in the field
and showed him the continuity between social psychologi-
cal research and everyday life. He also thanks the many stu-
dents who have taken his course in social psychology over
the years, for asking fascin ating questions and p roviding
wonderful examples of social psychological phen omena in
their everyday lives. Lastly, he thanks the many graduate
stud en ts with whom he has h ad the p rivilege of working
for joining him in the ever-fascinating discovery of new so-
cia l psychological p h enomena.
Sam Sommers would like to acknowledge, first and fore-
most, the Sommers ladies, Marilyn, Abigail, and Sophia, for
being patient with round-the-clock revision sessions, for tol-
erating the constantly expanding mass of papers and books
on the floor of the study (he promises to clean them up before
work starts on the eleventh edition), and for frequently pro-
vjding excellent real-life examples that illustrate social psy-
chological concepts. He also gives special thanks to all of his
teachers of social psychology, for introd ucing him to the field,
for continued support, and for serving as role models as in-
structors, mentors, researchers, and writers.
No book can be written and p u blished without the
h elp of many people working with the authors behind the
scenes, and our book is no exception. We need to give a
spooal thanks to Elizabeth Page-Gould for her tremendous
h elp in rev ising two of the chapters. Her d eep knowledge
of social psychology and wond erful writing style contrib-
uted greatly to this edition. We wou ld also like to thank the
many colleagues who read one or more chapte rs of this edi-
tion and of p revious editions of the book.
Reviewers of the Tenth Edition
Jim Allen, State University of New York, College at Geneseo;
Kathryn Anderson, 011r Llldy of the Lake University; Anila
Bhagavatula, California State University- Long Beach; Amy
Bradshaw-Hoppock, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universiti;;
Ngoc Bui, University of La Verne; Bernardo Carducci, Indiana
Universiti; Southeast; Alex Czopp, Western Washington
Universiti;; Keith Davis, University of South Carolina;
Michael Dud ley, So11then1 Illinois Universiti; Edwardsville;
Heid i Eng lish, College of the Siskiyo11s; Joe Ferrari, DePau/
University; Christine Floether, Centenary College; Krista
Forrest, University of Nebraska at Kearney; Allen Gorman,
Radford University; Jerry Green, Tarrant Counti; College;
Dana Greene, University of North Caro/inn; Donnell Griffin,
Davidson County Comm11nity College; Lisa Harrison,
California State University, Sacramento; Gina Hoover, Ohio
State Universiti;; Jeffrey Huntsinger, Loyola Universiti;
Chicago; Alisha Janowsky, Universiti; of Central Florida;
Bethany Johnson, Universiti; of Nebraska- Omaha; Deborah
Jones, Columbia University; Suzanne Kieffer, University of
Hou.ston; Marvin Lee, Tennessee State University; Alexandra
Luong, University of Minnesota Duluth; Robyn Mallett,
Loyola University Chicago; Brian Meier, Getti;sburg College;
Andrea Mercurio, Boston University; Lori Nelson, Universiti;
of Iowa; Darren Petronella, Nassau Communiti; College;
Jennifer Rivers, Elms College; Kari Terzino, Des Moines Area
Community College; T. Joel Wade, Bucknell University; Angela
Walker, Quinnipiac University; Chrysalis Wright, Universiti;
of Central Florida; Garry Zaslow, Nassau Community College;
Jie Zh ang, Universiti; at Buffalo
Reviewers of Past Editions
Jeffrey B. Adams, Saint Michael's College; Bill Ad ler,
Collin County Community College; John R. Aiello, R11tgers
University; Charles A. Alexan der, Rock Va/lei; College;
Sowmya Anan d, Ohio State University; Nathan Arbuckle,

Ohio Stnte University; Art Aron, Stnte Universiti; of Ne1u
York, Stony Brook; Danny Axsom, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute nnd State University; Joan W. Baily, Jersey Citi; State
College; Norma Baker, Belmont University; Austin Baldwin,
Universiti; of Iowa; John Bargh, Ne1u York University;
William A. Ba rnard, University of Northen1 Colorado; Doris
G. Bazziru, Appalnchinn State University; Arthur Beaman,
University of Kentuckt;; Gordon Bear, Ramapo College; Susan
E. Beers, Sweet Brinr College; Ka thy L. Bell, University of
North Carolina at Greensboro; Leon ard Berkowitz, University
of Wisconsin- Madison; Ellen S. Berscheid, University of
Minnesota; John Bickford, University of Massachusetts,
Amherst; Thomas Blass, University of Maryland; C.
George Boeree, Shippensburg Universiti;; Lisa M. Bohon,
California State University, Sncrnmento; Jenrufer Bosson, The
Universiti; of Oklahoma; Chante C. Boyd, Carnegie Mellon
Universiti;; Peter J. Brady, Clark State CommuniflJ College;
Kosha Bramesfeld, Pennsylvania Stnte Universiti;; Kelly
A. Brennan, University of Texns, Austin; Richard W. Brislin,
Enst-West Center of the University of Hawaii; Jeff Bryson,
San Diego State University; Melissa Burkley, Oklahoma State
Universiti;; Amy Bush, University of Houston; Amber Bush
Amspoker, Universiti; of Houston; Brad Bushman, lawa State
Universiti;; Thomas P. Cafferty, Universiti; of South Cnrolinn,
Columbia; Melissa A. Cahoon, Wright State University;
Frank Calabrese, Community College of Philadelphia; Michael
Caruso, University of Toledo; N icholas Christenfeld,
Universiti; of Califoniin, San Diego; Margaret S. Clark,
Carnegie Mellon Universiti;; Russell D. Clark, III, University
of North Texas; Susan D. Clayton, Allegheny College;
Megan Clegg-Kraynok, West Virginia University; Brian M.
Cohen, University of Texns, San Antonio; Florette Cohen,
Rutgers Universiti;; Jack Cohen, Camden Counti; College;
Steven G. Cole, Texas Christian University; Eric J. Cooley,
Western Oregon State University; Diana Cordova, Yale
University; Traci Cra ig, University of Idaho; Jack Croxton,
State University of Ne1u York, Fredonia; Keith E. Davis,
University of South Cnrolinn, Colu111bia; Mary Ellen Dello
Stritto, Ball State Universiti;; Dorothee Dietrich, Ha111line
Universiti;; Kate Dockery, Universiti; of Florida; Susann
Doyle, Gainesville College; Steve Duck, University of [own;
Michael G. Dudley, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville;
Karen G. Duffy, Stnte University of New York, Geneseo; Va lerie
Eastman, Drury College; Tami Eggleston, McKendree College;
Timothy Elliot, Universiti; of Alnbamn- Binningham; Steve L.
Ellyson, Youngstown Stnte University; Cin dy Elrod, Georgia
State University; Kadimah Elson, Universiti; ofCalifoniia, Snn
Diego/Grossmont College; Rebecca S. Fahrlan der, University
of Nebraska nt Omaha; Alan Feingold, Yale University;
Edward Fernandes, East Cnrolinn Universiti;; Phil Finney,
Southeast Missouri State Universiti;; Susan Fiske, University
of Massachusetts; Robin Franck, Southwesten1 College; Denise
Frank, Ramapo College of Ne1u Jersey; Timothy M. Franz,
Preface xvii
St. John Fisher College; William Rick Fry, Youngstown Stnte
University; Russell Geen, Universiti; of Missouri; Glenn
Geher, Stnte Universiti; of Ne1u York nt New Pnltz; David
Gersh, Houston Community College; Frederick X. Gibbons,
[own State University; Cyn thia Gilliland, Louisinnn Stnte
University; Genaro Gonza lez, University of Texas; Jessica
Gonza lez, Ohio State University; Sara Gorchoff, Universiti;
of Cnlifornin, Berkeley; Beverly Gray, Youngsto1un Stnte
University; Gordon Hammerle, Adrian College; H. Anna
Han, Ohio State Universiti;; Judith Harackiewicz, Universiti;
of Wisconsin- Madison; Elaine Hatfield, University of Hawaii,
Mnnon; Vicki S. Helgeson, Carnegie Mellon Universiti;; Joyce
Hemphill, Cnzenovin College; Tracy B. Henley, Mississippi
State University; Ed Hirt, Indiana University; Harold
Hunziker Jr., Coniing CommuniflJ College; David E. Hyatt,
University ofWisconsin- Oshkosh; Mari ta Ingleh art, Un iversiti;
of Michigan; Carl Kallgren, Behrend College, Pennsylvania
State University, Erie; Steph en Kilianski, Rutgers Universiti;;
Bill Klein, Colby College; James D. Johnson, University of
North Carolina, Wilmington; Lee Jussim, Rutgers Universiti;;
Stephen Kilianski, Rutgers University; Fredrick Koenig,
Tulane University; Alan Lambert, Washington UniversiflJ,
St. Louis; Emmett Lampkin, Kirk1uook Community College;
Elizabeth C. Lanthier, Northern Virginia Co111muniflJ
College; Pa tricia Laser, Bucks County Community College; G.
Darnel Lassiter, Ohio University; Dianne Leader, Georgia
Institute of Technology; John Lu, Concordia Universiti;;
Stephanie Madon, [own State Universiti;; John Ma larkey,
Wilmington College; Andrew Mamon, SI. Mary's Universiti;
of Minnesota; Allen R. McConnell, Michigan Stnte Universiti;;
Adam Meade, North Carolina State Universiti;; Joann M.
Montepare, Tufts University; Richard Morelan d, Universiti;
of Pittsburgh; Dave Na lbone, Purdue Universiti;- Calumet;
Carrie Nance, Stetson University; Todd D. Nelson, Michigan
State University; Elaine Nocks, Furman University; Matylda
Osika, Universiti; of Houston; Cheri Pa rks, Colorado Christian
University; W. Gerrod Pa rrott, Georgetawn University; David
Peterson, Mount Senario College; Mary Pritcha rd, Boise Stnte
University; Cynthia K. S. Reed, Tarrant County College; Dan
Richard, Universiti; of North Florida; Neal Roese, Universiti;
of Illinois; Darrin L. Rogers, Ohio State Universiti;; Joan
Rollins, Rhode Island College; Pau l Rose, Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville; Lee D. Ross, Stanford Universiti;;
Alex Rothman, University of Minnesota; M. Susan Row ley,
Champlain College; Delia Saenz, Arizona State Universiti;;
Brad Sagarin, Northern Illinois University; Fred Sanborn,
North Carolina Wesleyan College; Conrue Schick, Bloomsburg
University; Norbert Schwartz, University of Michigan;
Gretch en Sechris t, University at Buffalo; Richard C.
Sherman, Miami University of Ohio; Paul Silv ia, Universiti;
of North Carolina at Greensboro; Randolph A. Smith, Ouachita
Baptist University; Linda Solomon, Mnry111ount Mnnl1nttan
College; Janice Steil, Adelphi University; Ja kob Steinberg,
xviii Preface
Fairleigh Dickinson University; Mark Stewart, American
River College; Lori Stone, University of Texas at Austin;
JoNell Strough, West Virginia University; T. Ga le Thompson,
Bethany College; Scott Tindale, Loyola University of Chicago;
David M. Tom, Columbus State Community College; David
Trafimow, Ne1u Mexico State University; Ruth Wa rner, St.
Louis University; Anne Weiher, Metropolitan State College
of Denver; Gary L. Wells, Iawa State University; Jackie
White, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Paul L.
Wienir, Westen, Michigan University; Kipling D. Williams,
Universiti; of Toledo; Tama ra Williams, Hampton University;
Paul Windschitl, University of Iowa; Mike Witmer, Skagit
Valley College; Gvven Wittenbaum, Michigan State University;
William Douglas Woody, Universiti; of Northern Colorado;
Clare Zaborowski, San Jacinto College; William H . Zachry,
Universiti; of Tennessee- Martin; Leah Zinner, University of
Wisconsin- Madison
We also thank the wonderful editorial staff of Pearson
for their expertise and profession alism, including Dickson
Musslewhite (Ed itorial Director), Cecilia Turner (Con ten t
Producer), Chris topher Brown (Executive Product
Ma rketing Man ager), Louis Fierro (Editoria l Assistant),
an d Angel Chavez (Project Manager). We would especially
like to thank Thomas Finn (Developmen tal Edito r), who
provided expert guidance w ith constan t good ch eer and
insight even throu gh barrages of e-mail exchanges and a t-
tachments, and Amber Chow (Portfolio Manager), whose
smart vision for the book, and commitment to making it as
good as it can be, h ave truly made a difference. Finally, we
thank Mary Falcon, bu t for whom we never would have
begun this p roject.
Thank you for inv iting us into your classroom. We wel-
come you r suggestions, and we would be delighted to hear
you r comments abou t this book.
Elliot Aronson
elliot@cats.ucsc.edu
Tim Wilson
tdw@virginia.edu
Sam Sommers
sam.sommers@tufts.edu
About the Authors
Elliot Aronson
When I was a kid, we were the only Jew ish family in a v ir-
u len tly anti-Semitic neighborhood . I had to go to Hebrew
sch ool every day, la te in the afternoon. Being the only
youngster in my neighborhood going to Hebrew school
made me an easy ta rget for some of the older neighborhood
toughs. On my way h ome from Hebrew sch ool, after da rk,
I was frequently waylaid and roughed up by roving gangs
sh ou ting anti-Semitic epithets.
I have a v ivid memory of sitting on a cu rb after one
of these beatings, nursing a bloody nose or a split lip, feel-
ing very sorry for myself an d won dering how these kids
could hate me so much when they d idn' t even know me. I
thought abou t whether those kids were taugh t to hate Jews
o r whether, somehow, they vvere born that way. I wondered
if their hatred could be changed- if they got to know me
better, would they h ate me less? I specu lated about my own
character. What would I have done if the shoe were on the
o ther foot- that is, if I were bigger an d stronger than they,
would I be capable of beating them up for no good reason?
I didn't realize it at the time, of course, but eventually I
discovered that these were p rofound questions. And some
30 yea rs later, as an experimenta l social psychologist, I had
the great good fortune to be in a position to answer some of
those questions and to in vent techniques to redu ce the kind
of p rejudice that had claimed me as a victim.
Elliot Aronson is Professor Emeritus at the University of
Califoniia nt Santa Cruz and one of the most renowned social psi;-
clwlogists in the 1110rld. In 2002, he tuns chosen as one of the 100
most eminent psychologists of the twentieth century. Dr. Aron.son
is the only person in the 120-year history of the American Psycho-
logical Association to l1ave received all three of its major awards:
for distinguished tvriting, distinguished teaching, nnd distin-
guished research. Mnny other professional societies have honored
his research and teaching ns well. These include the American
Association for the Advance111ent of Science, tvhich gave him its
highest l1onor, the Distinguished Scientific Research award; the
American Council for the Advance111ent and Support of Educa-
tion, 1vl1ich named l1im Professor of the Year of 1989; the Society
for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, which awarded him
the Gordon Allport prize for his contributions to the reduction of
prejudice among racial nnd ethnic groups; and the William fames
Atvard from the Association for Psychological Science. In 1992,
he was named n Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sci-
ences. A collection of papers and tributes by his former students
and colleagues, The Scientist and the Humanist, celebrates his
contributions to social psychological theon; nnd its application to
real-world problems. Dr. Aronson's own recent books for general
audiences include Mista kes Were Made (bu t not by ME), with
Carol Tnvris, nnd a memoir, Not by Chance Alone: My Life as
a Social Psychologist.
Tim Wilson
One day when I was 8, a couple of older kids rode up on
their bikes to share some big news: They had d iscovered an
abandoned h ouse down a country road. "It's really neat,"
they sa id. "We broke a window and nobody cared !" My
friend and I hopped onto ou r bikes to investiga te. We had
n o trou ble finding the h ouse-there it was, sitting off by
itself, with a big, jagged hole in a first-floor window. We
got off of our bikes and looked a round. My friend foun d a
baseball-sized rock lying on the ground and threw a per-
fect strike through another firs t-floor wind ow. There was
some thing exhilarating about the smash-an d-ting le of sh at-
tering glass, especially when we knew there was nothing
wrong with what we were d oing. After a ll, the house was
abandoned, wasn't it? We b roke nearly every wind ow in
the house and then climbed through one of the first-floor
wind ows to look around.
It was then tha t we realized something was te rribly
wrong. Th e house certainly did not look aband oned. There
were pictu res on the wall, nice furniture, books in shelves.
We went home feeling frightened and confused. We soon
learned tha t the house was the h ome of an eld erly cou ple
who were avvay on vacation. Even tually, my pa rents dis-
covered what we h ad d one and paid a subs tan tial sum to
repair the wind ows. For years, I pondered this inciden t:
Why did I d o such a terrible thing? Was I a bad kid? I didn't
think so, an d neither d id my parents. How, then, could a
good kid do such a bad thing? Even though the neighbor-
h ood kids sa id the house was aban doned, wh y cou ldn't my
frien d and I see the clear signs tha t someone lived there?
How crucial was it that my frien d was there and threw
the first rock? Althou gh I didn' t know it at the time, these
reflections touched on several classic social psych ologica l
issues, such as wh ether only bad people do bad things,
whether the social situation can be powerfu l enough to
ma ke good people d o bad things, and the way in which
ou r expectations abou t an event can make it difficu lt to see
it as it really is. Fortunately, my ca reer as a vandal ended
with this one incident. It did , however, mark the beginning
of my fascination with basic questions abou t how people
und erstand themselves and the social world- questions I
contin ue to investigate to this day.
xix
xx About the Authors

Tim Wilson did his 11ndergrndunte tvork at Willin111s College h ad watched was of an actor, and in some versions of the
and Hn111pshire College and received his PhD from the University study h e mentioned having a girlfriend. In other versions,
of Michigan. C11rrently Sherrell f. Aston Professor of Psychology h e mentioned a boyfriend. Wha t the researchers were actu-
at the University of Virginia, he fins published n11111ero11s articles a lly stud ying was h ow this social ca tegory information of
in the nrens of introspection, attitude change, self-knowledge, and sexua l orientation wou ld influence pa rticipan ts' attitudes
affective forecasting, ns tvell as n recent book, Redirect: The Sur- about the interaction.
prising New Science of Psychological Change. His research And then she took ou t a tape measure.
has received the support of the National Science Fo11ndntion and The tape measu re was to gauge h ow close to my pa rt·
the National Institute for Mental Health. He hns been elected n er 's ch air I had p laced my own chair, the hypothesis being
ttvice to the Executive Board of the SociehJ for Experi111ental So- that discomfort with a gay partner might manifest in terms
cial Psychology and is a Fellow in the A111erican Psychological of participants placing their ch airs farther away. Greater
SociehJ and the Society for PersonalihJ and Social Psychologtj. In comfort with or affirtity for the partner was predicted to
2009, he tvas named a Fellow of the A111erican Acnde111y of Arts lead to more desire for proximity.
and Sciences. In 2015 he received the William James Fellows And a t that, I was h ooked. The little voice in my head
Atvard fro111 the Association for Psychological Science. Wilson h ad grovvn from a whisper to a full-throated yell that this
has taught the Introduction to Social PsychologtJ co11rse nt the was a field I could get excited about. Firs t of a ll, the re-
University of Virginia for more thnn 30 years. In 2001 he tvns searchers had tricked me. That, alone, I thought was, for
awarded the University of Virginia All-UniversihJ 011tstnnd· lack of a better word, cool. But more important, they had
ing Teaching Atvnrd, and in 2010 wns awarded the University of done so in the effort to get me an d my fellow participants
Virginia Disting11ished Scientist Atvard. to revea l something about our attitudes, p referen ces, and
tendencies tha t we never would have admitted to (or per-
h aps even would have been aware of) h ad they just asked
Sam Sommers us directly. Here was a fascinating ly crea tive research de-
I went to college to major in Eng lish. I only found myself in sign, being used in the effort to study what struck me as an
an Intro to Psychology course as a second-semester fresh- incredibly important social issue.
man because, well, it just seemed like the kin d of thing you Like I said, I was hooked. And I look forward to help·
d id as a second-semester freshman. It was when we got to ing to introduce you to this field that caught me by surp rise
the social psychology section of the course tha t a little voice back when I was a student and con tinues to intrigue and
in my head s tarting whispering something along the Imes inspire me to this d ay.
of, Hey, yo11've gotta admit this is prethJ good st11ff It's n lot like Sn111 So111111ers earned his BA from Willin111s College nnd his
the conversations you hnve with your friends about daily life, but PhD fro111 the University of Michigan. Since 2003 he hns been a
tvith scientific dnta. faculty 111e111ber in the Depnrtnient of PsychologtJ nt Tufts Uni·
As part of the class, we h ad the opportunity to partici- versity in Medford, Massachusetts. His research examines is-
pa te in research s tudies for cou rse credit. So one day I found sues related to stereotyping, prejudice, and group diversity, with
myself in an interaction s tudy in which I was going to work n partic11/nr interest in hotv these processes play out in the legal
on solving problems with a partner. I walked in and it was do111ain. He has tvon multiple teaching awards at Tufts, includ-
clear tha t the other guy had arrived earlier- his coat and ing the Ler111an-Ne11bauer Prize for 011tstnnding Teaching and
bag were a lready hanging on the back of a cha ir. I was led to Advising and the Gerald R. Gill Professor of the Yenr Award. He
another, sma ller room and sh own a video of my soon-to-be was also ind11cted into the Tufts Hall of Diversity for his efforts
partner. Then I was given a series of written questions abou t to promote nn incl11sive cli111nte on campus for nll students. He
my perceptions of him, my expectations for our upcoming hns testified as an expert tvitness on issues related to racial bins,
session together, and so forth. Finally, I walked back into the j11ry decision 111aking, and eyewitness 111emory in cri111inal trial
main area. The experimenter h anded me a chair and told proceedings in eight states. He /ins tvritten two general audience
me to put it down anywhere next to my partner's cha ir, and books related to social psychologtJ: Situations Matter: Under-
that she wou ld go get him (he, too, was p resumably com- s tanding How Context Transforms Your World (2011) and
p leting written questionnaires in a priva te room). This Is Your Brain on Sports: The Science of Un derdogs,
So I did. I put my chair down, took a seat, and waited. the Value of Riva lry, an d What We Can Learn from the
Then the experimenter returned , bu t sh e was alon e. She T-shirt Cannon (2016). He is nlso co-a11thor of Invitation to
told me the study was over. There was n o other participant; Psychology (7th edition), along with Carole Wnde, Carol Tavris,
there would be no p roblem solving in pairs. The video I nnd Lisn Shin.
Special Tips for Students
/ / Th ere is then creative reading as well as crea-
tive w riting," said Ra lp h Wa ldo Emerson in
1837, and that aptly sums up wha t you need to
know to be a proficien t studen t: Be an active, creative con-
sumer of information. How do you accomp lish tha t feat?
Actually, it's not difficult. Like everything else in life, it jus t
takes some vvork-some clever, well-planned, p u rposeful
work. Here are some suggestions abou t h ow to do it.
Get to Know the Textbook
Believe it or n ot, in writing this book, we thought carefu lly
abou t the organization and s tructure of each chapter. Things
are presented as they are for a reason, and that reason is to
help you learn the materia l in the best way possible. Here
are some tips on what to look for in each chapter.
Key terms are in boldface type in the text s o that you'll
n otice them. We define the terms in the text, and tha t defi-
nition appears again in the margin. These marginal defini-
tions are there to help you ou t if later in the chapter you
forget wh at something means. The marginal definitions are
quick and easy to fin d. You can also look up key te rms in
the alphabetical Glossary at the en d of this textbook.
Make sure you notice the h eadings and s ubheadings. The
headings are the s keleton that holds a chapter together. They
link together like vertebrae. If you ever feel lost, look back to
the p revious heading and the headings before it- this will
give you the "big picture" of where the chapter is going. It
shou ld also help you see the connections between sections.
The summary at the end of each chapter is a succinct short-
hand presentation of the chapter information. You should read
it and make sure there are no surprises when you do so. If any-
thing in the summary doesn't ring a bell, go back to the chap-
ter and reread that section. Most important, remember that the
summary is intentionally brief, whereas your understanding
of the material should be full and complete. Use the summary
as a study aid before your exams. When you read it over, ev-
erything should be familiar. When you have that wonderful
feeling of knowing more than is in the summary, you'll know
that you are ready to take the exam.
Be sure to do the Try It! exercises. They will make concepts
from social psychology concrete and help you see how they
can be applied to your own life. Some of the Try It! exercises
replicate social psych ology experimen ts. Others reproduce
self-report sca les so you can see where you stand in relation
to o ther people. Still others are short quizzes that illustrate
social psychological concepts.
Watch the videos. Our carefully curated collection of in-
terviews, news clips, and research study reenactments is
designed to enhance, and help you better understand, the
concepts you're reading. If you can see the concept in ac-
tion, it's likely to sink in a little deeper.
Just Say No to the Couch
Potato Within
Because social psychology is abou t everyday life, you might
lull you rself into believing that the material is a ll common
sense. Don't be fooled. The ma terial presented in this book
is more complicated than it might seem. Therefore, we want
to emph asize that the best way to lea rn it is to work with it
in an active, n ot passive, fashion. You can't just read a chap-
ter once and expect it to stick with you. You have to go over
the material, wrestle with it, make your ovvn connections to
it, question it, think abou t it, in teract with it. Actively work-
ing with materia l makes it memorable an d makes it you r
own. Because it's a safe bet that someone is going to ask you
about this material later and you're going to have to p ull it
out of memory, do what you can to get it into memory n ow.
Here are some techniques to use:
• Go ahead and highlight lines in the text- you can do
so in Revel by clicking and d ragging the cursor over
a sentence; you can even choose you r own color, and
add a n ote! If you highligh t important points, you will
remember those important points bette r and can scroll
back through them later.
• Read the ch apter before the applicable class lecture, not
afterward. This way, you' ll get more out of the lecture,
which will likely introduce new ma terial in ad dition to
what is in the chapter. The ch apter will give you the big
picture, as well as a lot of detail. The lecture will en-
han ce that information and help you p u t it all together.
If you h aven't read the chapter first, you may not un-
derstand some of the points made in the lecture or real-
ize which points are most important.
• Here's a good way to study material: Write ou t a key
concept or a stud y in your own words, withou t look-
ing at the book or your notes. Or say it out loud to
yourself- again in your own words, with you r eyes
xxi
xxii Special Tips for Students
closed. Can you do it? How good was your version?
Did you omit anything important? Did you get stuck
at some point, unable to remember wha t comes next? If
so, you now know tha t you need to go over that infor-
mation in more detail. You can also study with some-
on e else, describing theories and studies to each o ther
and seeing if you're ma king sense.
• If you have troub le remembering the results of an im-
portant study, try drawing your own version of a graph
of the findings (you can use our da ta graphs for an idea
of h ow to p roceed). You will probably find that you
remember the research results mu ch better in pictorial
form than in words. Draw the information a few times
and it will stay with you.
• Remember, the more you work with the material, the
better you will learn and remember it. Write it in your
own words, talk about it, explain it to o thers, or d raw
visual representations of it.
• Last bu t not least, remember tha t this material is a
lot of fun. You h aven't even started reading the book
yet, bu t we think you're going to like it. In particu-
lar, you'll see how much socia l psychology has to tell
you abou t you r real, everyday life. As this course p ro-
gresses, you mjght want to remin d you rself to observe
the events of your daily life with new eyes- the eyes
of a social psychologist- and try to apply wha t you
a re learning to the behavior of friends, acquaintances,
s trangers, an d, yes, even you rself. In each chapter you
will see how other students h ave done this in brief
v ideos called #Su rv ivalTips. Ma ke sure you use the
Try It! exercises. You w ill fin d ou t how much social
psychology can h elp us un derstand ou r lives. When
you read the news, think about wh at social psychol-
ogy has to say about curren t events and behav iors; we
believe you will find that you r understan ding of daily
life is rich er. If you n otice a news a rticle that you think
is an especially good example of "social psychology
in action," p lease sen d it to us, with a full reference to
where you foun d it an d on wh at page. If we decide to
use it in the next edition of this book, we'll list you r
n ame in the Acknowledgments.
We realize that 10 years from now you may not re-
member a ll the facts, theories, and names you learn n ow.
Although we hope you w ill remember some of them, our
main goal is for you to take with you in to your future a
great man y of the broad social psychological concepts p re-
sented h erein- and, perhaps more important, a critica l and
scien tific way of thinking. If you open you rself to social
psych ology's magic, we believe it will enrich the way you
look at the world and the way you live in it.
Chapter 1
Introducing Social
Psychology

Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives

Defining Social Psychology Where Construals Come From: Basic Human
LO 1.1 Define social psychology and distinguish it from Motives
other disciplines. LO 1 .3 Explain what happens when people's need to feel
Social Psychology, Philosophy, Science, and Common good about themselves conflicts with their need to
Sense be accurate.
How Social Psychology Differs From Its Closest The Self-Esteem Motive: The Need to Feel Good About
Cousins Ourselves
The Social Cognition Motive: The Need to Be Accurate
The Power of the Situation
LO 1 .2 Summarize why it matters ho,v people explain and Why Study Social Psychology?
interpret events, as well as their own and others' LO 1.4 Explain why the study of social psychology is
behavior. important.
Underestimating the Power of the Situation
The Importance of Construal

1
2 Chapter 1

WHAT DO YOU TH INK?

Do you consider yourself good at predicting how people around you will behave and
react under different circumstances?

Yes
No

It is a p leasure to be your tour guides as we ta ke you on a jou rney through the world of
social psychology. As we embark on this journey, ou r h ope is to convey our excitemen t
abou t social psychology- what it is and why it matters. Not only do we, the authors,
enjoy teaching this stuff (which we've been doing, combined, for more than 100 years),
we also love contributing to the growth and development of this field. In addition to
being teachers, each of us is a scien tist who has con tribu ted to the know ledge base that
ma kes up our discipline. Thus, n ot only are we leading this tour, we also helped crea te
some of its attractions. We will travel to fascinating and exotic places like prejudice,
love, p ropaganda, education, conformity, aggression, compassion ... all the rich variety
and su rprise of human social life. Ready? OK, let's go!
Let's begin with a few examples of the heroic, touching, tragic, and puzzling
things that people do:
• Jorge Munoz is a school bus driver during the day but works a differen t "job" at
night Feeding the hungry. When h e gets h ome from his last school bus run, he
an d his family cook meals for dozens of people using donated food and their own
money. They then serve the food to people down on their luck who line up at a
s treet comer in Queens, New York. Over a 4-year period Munoz has fed more than
70,000 people. Why does he do it? "When they smile," Munoz says, "That's the
way I get paid." (http: / /www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id =1606)
• Kristen h as known Martin for 2 months an d feels tha t she is madly in love with
him. "We're soul mates!" she tells h er best friend. "He's the one!" "What are you
thinking?" says the best friend. "He's completely wrong for you! He's as d ifferent
from you as can be-different background, religion, politics; you even like differ-
ent movies." "I'm not worried," says Kristen. "Opposites attract. I know that's
true; I read it on Wikiped ia!"
• Janine and h er bro ther Oscar are arguing about fraternities. Janine's college
didn't have any, but Oscar is at a la rge sta te university in the Midwest, where he
h as joined Alph a Beta. He wen t through a severe and scary hazing ritual to join,
an d Janine cannot understand why he loves these gu ys so much. "They ma ke
the p ledges do such stupid stuff," she says. "They hu miliate you and force you
to get sick drunk and p ractica lly freeze to dea th in the m idd le of the night. How
can you possibly be h appy living there?" "You don' t get it," Oscar replies." Alpha
Beta is the best of all fra ternities. My frat brothers jus t seem more fun than most
o ther guys."
• Abraham Biggs Jr., age 19, had been posting to an online discussion board for
2 years. Unhappy about his future and that a relationship had en ded, Biggs an·
n ounced on camera tha t he was going to commit suicide. He took an overdose
of drugs an d linked to a live video feed from his bedroom. None of his hun·
d reds of observers called the police for more than 10 hours; some egged him on.
Paramedics reached him too late, and Biggs died.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 It was a long time before the sullen answer came:

"Always was afraid of him."

"Afraid of me?"

"No fear," said Arnie, with a laugh. "Not much. But I always have been
feared of Bert Mestaer."

"What?" Otis gave a kind of jump into the air. "Mestaer? That? Mestaer
coming the county gentleman? And I never knew it! You little devil, why
didn't you tell me?"

"Thought you'd know him."

Otis stood still in the dusty lane. He went from red to pale, and almost
to purple again.

"If he thinks he's done with me, he makes a mistake, that's all," he
growled; and he snarled like a wild beast.

CHAPTER XXXV

CONFESSION
"Well, I have played and lost. But that is best.
Where was my right to win and keep such glory?
Now I will let the book of living rest.
Closed is my story."
—ALICE HERBERT.
 Hubert's motor traversed the distance from the sports to Ilbersdale at a
rate so far beyond the police limit as to make limits seem ridiculous.

On his way he encountered Mr. Cooper, pushing his bicycle up hill. The
seething excitement which had gripped him that afternoon had not yet
expended itself; and he pulled up.

"Good evening, Vicar. Just a word! I hope you have not been to the
Burmesters with any of those awful lies about your niece that Otis was
getting off his chest in that field?"

The vicar assumed his most stony aspect. His cold eye said eloquently,
"Beware!" Aloud his reply was: "I fear I do not understand you, Captain
Brooke."

"Sorry; it's my slang makes me difficult to follow. I drop into it when

I'm excited. You see, I happen to know all about Otis, and I've just been
enlightening the bystanders a bit. There isn't enough of him left to make a
War Office clerk! They've hissed him off the ground, General Ayres has
washed his hands of him, and I've given him twelve hours to choose
between a libel action and a written apology."

"It is a—surely—a somewhat extraordinary proceeding on your part to

talk of libel actions on behalf of a young lady who has her own relatives to
protect her," said the vicar, fastening, in the whirl of his mind, upon a
breach of conventionalities which he might legitimately resent.

"Her own relatives didn't seem to me to be doing much protecting this

afternoon," observed Bert drily. "However, Mrs. Cooper and your daughters
will be able to tell you all about it. They saw the brute knocked out of
time."

The vicar began to be anxious to get home.

"I fancy you are under a misapprehension," he said. "I have just been to
Ilbersdale to correct a misunderstanding. I own I was disturbed this
afternoon to find that Mr. and Mrs. Helston had allowed the engagement
between Mr. Burmester and my niece to take place, without informing the
bridegroom's relatives of the serious family disabilities of the bride. I was
anxious to assure Lady Burmester that, had the affair rested with me, I
should have been quite frank; but that I naturally imagined that Miss
Lutwyche's adopted parents had supplied all the facts."

"That was very thoughtful of you. But if you were, as you say, in
possession of the facts, how is it that you did not contradict the horrible
misstatements made by Otis up at the field?"

The vicar grew still more stony.

"I have never been made acquainted with the exact truth concerning my
niece's injuries at the time of her father's death."

"Injuries?" echoed Bert. "Injuries, indeed! But I've seen her righted. She
was the darling of the Dale before; she'll be its idol now! Did you hear them
cheering her?"

The vicar stood amazed. "Cheering my niece?"

Hubert laughed mischievously.

"And who may you be, to have the intimate knowledge which I lack
concerning this young lady?" inquired the vicar.

"Hubert Brooke, late Captain in Lacy's Brigade," laughed Bert, as he

drove away.

Mr. Cooper pursued his road, in much wrath and discomfiture. His
reception at Ilbersdale had affronted him, his encounter with Bert
bewildered him. He remounted the bicycle which he was pushing at the
time of his meeting, and rode home with what speed he might.

By the Vicarage gate two men were awaiting him—Otis and the
unattractive Boer boy. Evidently they meant to speak with him.

Otis approached with the easy confidence and winning smile that he
could assume at will. He begged pardon for troubling, but he had
unthinkingly mixed himself up in what looked to him like a local scandal of
formidable dimensions, and he had come to the vicar for advice. Mr.
Cooper's anger was not altogether proof against the insidious appeal. He
was used to being ignored and left out of things, and, to one whose own
idea of his own importance, both socially and parochially, was enormous,
the way this man approached him was a salve to a wound always more or
less smarting.

After a short parley, understanding that Otis had material facts to

communicate, he invited him in.

Mrs. Cooper and her daughters were at tea; and there was a flutter of
consternation among them for they had seen the exit of Otis from the
Fransdale sports. Mrs. Cooper became unspeakably coy, blushing like a
girl, and dismissing her brood, with their tea half done, on the flimsiest of
pretexts.

"This is not surprisin', Mrs. Cooper," said Otis sadly. "I was a stranger
up there, and nobody knew me. It was my word against that of a bad and
dangerous man, who is sailin' among you all under false colours. These
young ladies heard him givin' me the lie up there. In justice, I should like to
have them hear what I want to tell you now. You may have heard Mr.
Mayne or Miss Lutwyche talk of the man Mestaer?"

"Yes, yes," gasped Madeline, at the door. "She had one letter from him
after she got here—you remember, mother, the letter she would not show
you. She said he wanted to marry her!"

"She wouldn't show you his letter?" slowly said Otis, standing by the
table, and turning his hat round in his hand as if on the point of taking
leave. "Has she ever told you that he goes now under the name of Brooke?"

"What's that you say?" sharply asked the vicar.

"He's well disguised," replied Otis. "He bluffed me, I own it. But Arnie
here, he knew him from the first; didn't you, boy?"

Arnold looked at the three tall, full-blown girls, blushed admiringly and
assented.
 Surprise deprived them all of speech.

"Now, I'm told," said Otis, "that this fine Captain Brooke is buildin'
himself a house, and that Miss Lutwyche is his—architect." He gave a little
chuckle, "Excuse me: I really got to laff," he drawled humorously. "The
idea of him an' his architect is a bit too thick—eh?"

"Miss Lutwyche is duly qualified," began the vicar, in his stateliest

manner.

"Do I doubt it? No, sir! But I hear she has been stayin' down in the
shires with him pretty near all summer, gettin' this house ready while her
lover's in Russia. Now, I couldn't help just wonderin'—we really couldn't
help it, Arnie and me—whether young Burmester knows that Brooke's her
old lover."

"Why, do you think she knows?" cried Theo excitedly.

Otis bent on her the sliest, most waggish look, and slowly closed one
eye.

"Dear young ladies, you live in Arcadia," he said. "You remind me of

three hedge-roses; an' you're doubtless as simple as you're sweet. But your
cousin, Miss Lutwyche, she wasn't born yesterday, you know. She knows a
thing or two, you may take my word for that."

The vicar was silent, struggling with mortification. That day he had
broken through his lifelong rule to do nothing hurriedly. He had gone
straight from hearing Otis's revelations to be first with Lady Burmester. He
felt sure that what was said must ultimately come to her ears. He thought
his duty was plain.

But if he had only waited! If he had only gone to Millie, armed with this
fact! If he could have charged her with knowing who Bert was, and
concealing her knowledge, how differently things might have gone!

He looked at his wife, who seemed to be still blushing. She rose from
table.
 "As you say, Mr. Otis," said she, with archness which was unutterably
comic upon her middle-aged, substantial personality, "my dear girls are
very unsophisticated. They have been carefully brought up, as English girls
usually are. I will leave you to discuss this serious matter with Mr. Cooper,
and take them away. Come, my darlings."

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile Bert drove straight to the Grange, inquired for Lance, and
found him alone in the smoking-room, sunk in profound gloom and a large
arm-chair.

"Burmester," he said abruptly, "I've come to talk to you—to tell you

something that will perhaps sever our friendship for ever. Confession is
good, they say; but I funk mine." He sank down in the opposite chair,
drawing out his cigar-case. "I funk it; make it as easy as you can, old man."

Lance was not smoking. He lifted a haggard young face from the depths
of his chair.

"Sorry," he said nervously, "but fact is, I'm feeling a bit off—
preoccupied. I must own I'm not in a sympathetic mood."

"It's about that—same thing. My confession touches the spot," said

Hubert.

"What are you talking about?"

"You are upset because you find scandal busy with the name of ... your
... the girl you love. And because you feel she hasn't been open with you.
You don't doubt her, but you feel there are things you should have known,
which she has kept back. Is that so?"

"That's precisely it," said Lance hurriedly. "I oughtn't to talk to you
about it—about her. But there must be some kind of understanding between
me and her if—if things are to go on. I feel a brute, to talk like this, but I am
all abroad, so to speak. We have had a very unpleasant scene here. Old
Cooper turned up, and said there were wild rumours flying about, on the
authority of those who claimed to have known her in Africa, to the effect
that she, Melicent, had got out of her bedroom window and gone with a
man called Mestaer, and that she had been in his house three or four weeks.
He said he came to Melicent for an authoritative contradiction. He wished
to be able to refute the story; thought he had a right to ask for the exact
facts."

He leaned forward, running his hands up through his hair.

Hubert sat very still. "And what did she say?"

"... Said it was true."

There was a pause. "Not as if she meant it?" asked Hubert tentatively.

"She was very angry. She looked splendid. She said that it was at her
uncle's own request that she had kept silence—that when she first came to
England she was anxious to tell him everything, but was forbidden to
mention the subject. If we wanted to know the truth we could write to the
Bishop: he knew. Then she got up and took her leave, and went off with the
Helstons. Of course I know this is a cock-and-bull story; but I feel ... I
ought to have been told."

"Yes," agreed his friend, "you ought to have been told."

"One thing I do wish," said Lance, clenching his fists, "that I had that
man Mestaer here to strangle."

"Well, if all our wishes could be as easily granted," said Hubert. "I'm
Mestaer."

Lance bounded from his seat, then sank back, as red as fire.

"Is this a time for your rotting?"

"No rotting here. I told you it would mean the breaking of our
friendship very likely. I am Hubert Mestaer. I took the name of Brooke
because it was English, and my mother's, and I wished to live in England
and be English. May I go on, or are you too angry to hear me?"
 Lance rose to his feet again. He stared blankly for a minute or two, then
his eyes suddenly blazed.

"You're Mestaer! Good God! Then you're the man that knows! You can
tell me ... what happened that night!"

"Yes; I can tell you: and I will. Mayne knows, she knows, I know.
Nobody else."

A shiver ran through Lancelot; he seemed on the brink of a hundred

questions; he choked them back.

"Speak, can't you?" he said.

Hubert spoke. He told his story from the beginning, making Melicent's
attitude towards himself throughout quite clear. He did not dwell on his own
feelings, but made it no secret that he had come to England solely in the
hope of being able to obtain her regard.

Lancelot listened to it all, as to information respecting some girl whom

he had never known.

"That she should have undergone all this, and never told me a word!"

"I can see where her difficulty came in," said Bert "Before she engaged
herself to you, she had guessed who I am. That altered everything. If you
can see what I mean, it turned the past into the present. She could not speak
to you of Mestaer without adding that he was here, in England, under
another name. That would have been giving me away—"

"Why couldn't she warn you that she should speak?"

"She never confessed to me that she knew. She tried to avoid intimacy."

"You ought to have told me yourself!" cried Lance.

"Well, until she engaged herself to you, it was certainly no concern of

yours," said Hubert bluntly. "Do you suppose that what you are feeling now
is anything like as bad as what I felt about you, when I heard you had
carried off the only thing that made life worth living to me?"

Lance paced the room restlessly.

"Is that still the same?" he cried. "Do you still care about her?"

"It's chronic," said Bert calmly. "There's only one woman in my world.
She might have Boer relations on every bush for aught I should care.
Nothing she could do, nothing anybody could say of her, would make any
difference to me."

"But—then—when she's my wife?" stammered Lance.

"When she's—your wife I shall never see her any more," said Bert
quietly. "It wouldn't be safe."

"Safe? No! But am I safe now?" cried the young man bitterly. "I don't
understand. What is the situation at this moment between you and her?"

Bert folded his arms tight, hunching himself together as if to keep

control over his temper.

"That's a question, surely, that you must ask her to answer," he said, in a
colourless voice.

Lance uttered an exclamation of rage.

"You ought to know without asking," went on Hubert presently. "Does

she love you? Surely you must know that, If she does ... I'm out of it, you
see."

Lancelot paused in his pacing. He leaned against the window-frame

staring out Hubert had touched the weak spot. He knew that he had
persuaded Millie into the engagement, had ever since continued to assure
her that she was happy, or that, if not, she certainly would be. He knew that,
were he sure of her love, distrust would be impossible to him. He was not
sure. He did distrust her. He was madly, wildly jealous of Hubert. Crossing
to where he sat, he seized his shoulder, shaking him violently.
 "When she promised to marry me, did she know who you are?"

"Yes."

"Then it's all right! It must be! She said she liked me better than
anybody else."

"If she said so, it was true."

"She's—she's not like most girls, you see. She's a cold nature—"

"Is she?"

Hubert closed his eyes, thinking of the lips that had clung to his, the
eyes that had looked into his, the hands that had trembled beneath his, as
they stood together in the chalky pit He got up suddenly: he had had about
as much as he could stand.

At the moment a footman entered, with a note on a salver.

"From her," said Lance, very white, as the man left the room.

"Breaking it off," said Hubert, relighting his cold cigar with a shaking
hand.

Lance read it

"Just so. She declines to give any kind of explanation of the statements
made by Mr. Cooper. She prefers to consider the engagement at an end." He
stood silent a moment, the note crumpled in his hand. "I'll go to her," he
said unsteadily. "I've simply got to have it out with her! When she hears that
I know—that you have told me"—he was half-way to the door. Then he
stopped, as if choked. "When I think that I have never known all this! When
I think that I have been shut out from her confidence, and that you—you—
have known all the time! When I think that I've been away in Russia and
you two, with this common memory between you, have been together! Day
after day! Over that confounded house-building! I feel that I have good
ground to consider myself hardly used."
 Hubert turned slowly round. He was so white that Lance considered him
attentively.

"Why have you told me now?" he cried. "Why?"

"Only because it couldn't be helped," returned Hubert, in a hard voice.

"And, but for this scoundrel turning up, she would have married me
without a word! Brooke, I can't stand it! No man could! She's right, it had
better be broken off."

"Steady on!" said Bert, getting out his words with difficulty. "Listen a
moment! She may be offering you your freedom because she believes you
desire it. She is—very proud. She may think this miserable tittle-tattle has
shaken your faith in her, and she offers you your way out. What you have to
discover, or so it seems to me, is the cost to herself. Does she want to be
free?" He took out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead. "Everyone
round here will say you have treated her badly if it's broken off now. That
doesn't matter if it isn't true. But make sure—make sure, for God's sake!"

Lance stared at him.

"You're a queer chap. You must want the engagement to be off—that

would give you your chance. Yet you send me to her!"

Bert shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," he said, with a half laugh, "I've discovered to-day that I've been
mistaken all these years. Ever since I was four-and-twenty I have believed
that most of everything on this earth I desired—her. Now I find there is
something that I desire more—her happiness. If you're the man to make her
happy, in God's name go and do it."
 CHAPTER XXXVI

WHAT CHANCED UPON THE MOORS

"What can I give thee back, O liberal
And princely giver, who hast brought the gold
And purple of thine heart, unstained, untold,
And laid them on the outside of the wall
For such as I to take or leave withal?"
—SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE.

Lancelot had gone to Glen Royd.

Bert found that he could not stay indoors. He wandered out, through the
gardens, into the long carriage drive which ran upon the side of the ravine,
among the pines, with a sheer ascent on one hand, and a sheer dip on the
other, down to where the trout stream rushed over its noisy bed.

He paced along the road, dark beneath the over-arching trees, till he
came to the lodge and gate at the end of the wood. There was no sign of
Lance returning, so he walked on, and bending to the left, came, after a
climb, out upon the highroad to Fransdale. Nobody was about. He sat down
upon a grassy hummock, watching the pretty horned sheep cropping the
short grass about him in the fragrant evening. He was so still that the sheep
grazed nearer and nearer.

He was thinking that man is strangely in the grip of circumstance.

Since that night of parting at Clunbury, he had been through deep

waters. Carol, who had been so long excluded, was summoned at last. The
final knock-out had been too serious for the champion to bear alone.

He had laid all the circumstances before the Bishop, and told him that
he would follow his advice as to the course now to be pursued—whether he
should let things go on, or make one more effort to show Melicent what he
believed to be the truth, to induce her to break her engagement.
 In the light of what he now heard—namely, that Melicent had almost at
once recognised Bert—Mayne had little difficulty in falling in with Bert's
opinion as to her reason for engaging herself to Lance. His disapproval of
the said proceeding was so grave that he felt, and said, that he really
thought it would be better for Bert to have nothing more to do with her.

"Incredible selfishness and duplicity," he mercilessly called it at first, till

warned by Bert's rising anger that strictures upon Melicent would merely
have the effect of drying up the flow of confidence.

"I began the duplicity," said Bert doggedly. "I don't see what she could
do but follow suit."

"Does that excuse your further duplicity," came the answering thrust,
"in proceeding to make love to her while Lance was in Russia?"

"I'm hanged if I see what the d—" A sudden pause. "I quite fail to see
what other course I could have taken. They were to be married when he
came back. I had got to show her before then that the thing couldn't be
done. And I succeeded, within a hair's-breadth. If it hadn't been for my d—!
Beg pardon! if it hadn't been for my—unfortunate temper, I should have
succeeded."

"From what you tell me," the Bishop opined, "it really seems as if she
does like you best, but as if her pride would not allow her to give way. The
question is—Has your violence destroyed your chance finally? I think you
ought to find out."

"You do?—you do? You think I might have another try?"

"Well, are you to be trusted to keep yourself in check? You know of old
that when you lose your temper you have no chance at all with Millie,
because she never loses hers."

Hubert grinned. "She did the other night, though."

"Do you think she said things that she will be ashamed of when she
thinks them over?"
 "Yes, I do."

"Then I think that should give you a hold of a new kind over her. If you
can only manage to put her in the wrong, old man, and be magnanimous
and forgive her—see?"

Bert's admiration was open and glowing.

"You have a genius! You ought to marry, Bishop—you ought really."

"My advice is," finally said the mentor, "that you go at once to
Fransdale, and see how the land lies. See what frame of mind Millie is in. If
she is scornful and gay, and wrapped up in Lance and her marriage, your
course will be more difficult. If she shows you, by word or look, that she
thinks she behaved ill, or wounded you, or desires your good opinion, then
to my thinking you have a chance that you ought to take. You have now
been disciplined by failure; you should have learnt something; and Melicent
also must be wiser. For if she has any feeling at all—which, as you know, I
always took leave to doubt—she must have suffered keenly during these
last few months."

It was with the ring of this advice in his ears that Bert had hurled
himself and his motor through England, and arrived at Fransdale, where in
his rage he had vowed never to set foot more.

At the first sight of Melicent he believed that he had done right to come.

And behold, an hour later, all things were changed; the chance
appearance of Otis had, as it were, altered the entire situation. Bert was no
longer suppliant, but defender of Melicent's name against all comers—even
against the man she was to marry.

It seemed to him that, whether she ever came to care for himself or no,
she must break with Lance; for, knowing her as he did, he was sure that
now she must feel that, if the engagement went on, full confession of all
that had passed was imperative; and that seemed impossible.
 Suspense grew and mounted in him till he felt desperate; yet still he sat
there, with a kind of charmed stillness, while the quiet-coloured end of
evening slowly merged in twilight.

It was growing dark when at last he saw figures moving along the path
that led up on the other side of the ridge from Glen Royd—two figures,
indistinct at first in the dusk, then clearer. It was Lancelot and Melicent
walking together. Bert felt dizzy.

Then he had lost! They were reconciled! They moved slowly along, and
he saw that Lance was pushing her bicycle.

He rose and obliterated himself hastily behind a craggy boulder.

They both turned into the road leading to the carriage drive of the
Grange, which was also a short cut to the lower parts of Fransdale. They
passed in complete silence, and he watched them along the white track of
road until they were lost in the shadows of the wood.

A light glimmered out in the lodge window. It was the only sign of
human life within his ken.

Lance must be bringing her back to dine, and intending to cycle home
with her afterwards. He lit a match and looked at his watch. A quarter to
eight. He could not meet them. He realised that he must have time.

He had done what he believed to be right—told the truth, as far as he

thought it permissible, to wipe away from his conscience the stain of his
treachery to Lance. And the result was that they were reconciled, and he
was left in outer darkness. He knew that he had not expected it.

His misery was too great for him to reflect at present. He could not tell
what he should do. He plunged down the hill-side with no thought at first
but to walk, to get away, to move fast, to fight down some overwhelming
bitterness of darkness which was clutching him.

At the bottom of the valley by the mill he turned and hastened up stream
by the fishing-path among the thick trees. Careless of his direction, he
walked on until he was at the head of Ilbersdale, and had emerged from the
woods upon the open, broken moor that lay at the feet of Fransdale. There
he lifted up his eyes, and saw far above him, perched upon the very verge of
the precipice, the lights of Ilberston Church and Vicarage.

He thought of Mr. Hall. It occurred to him to wonder whether this man,

whose personality had impressed him, as it impressed most people, would
have help or counsel for him. Anyhow, to breast that hill was something to
attempt—something that chimed in with his mood just then.

It was choir practice night, and the church door being open, the sound of
the sweet Cleveshire voices floated out over the uplands, and made
articulate the beauty of the night.

Hubert pushed his way hurriedly, yet not fast, because heedlessly, over
the broken ground, with which he was not familiar. There were short cuts,
but in the dusk he did not find them. Several times he was brought up short
by hollow ravines or boggy ground, and it was long before he struck the
road that leads up to the steep verge.

He had been walking for nearly two hours when at last he found himself
at the top. The full moon was up, and was flooding the moors with silver.
The prospect was grand. On the horizon line the Three Howes stood up
black against the radiance—the prehistoric burial-place of forgotten chiefs.
At his back the white crosses that mark the resting-places of the Dalesmen
glimmered among the neatly shorn grass of the churchyard.

He sat upon the low wall, gazing out over the silent waste. The church
was in darkness now, and closed; the village beyond showed but few lights.
The lamp over the Vicarage door beamed steadily upon the night, and
showed a lady's bicycle leaning against the Vicarage garden wall. Surely the
little brown basket on the handle-bars was familiar to him? Surely he had
seen that same machine leaning against the trees of the plantation at Lone
Ash?

He sprang from his seat and went up close. It was Melicent's bicycle.
Then she herself was within! She had not gone to dine with the Burmesters;
she had come straight up here to Mr. Hall. A wave of excitement passed
over Hubert. Should he go in, and let the priest hear both sides of the
question? What had happened—what had passed between her and Lance? If
he had not played the coward, and run away, he would have known by now.
As he hesitated, the Vicarage door opened. He saw Mr. Hall stand in the
light, with the girl beside him. For the second time that night he drew back
and hid himself.

"Don't ride the steep bit to-night," he heard Mr. Hall say, as he lit her
lamp.

"I know every inch of the way; it's really quite safe," was the
characteristic response.

"I shall feel more comfortable if you promise me. It is late for you to be
returning alone, but I cannot come with you; I must go on to poor old
Martha Hirst."

Millie's little laugh sounded sad. "You needn't be nervous about me on

these moors at night."

"I don't think I need, or I would not let you go; but the moon is glorious.
Good-night, and God bless you!"

She mounted, and rode swiftly away, past the church, along the little
level bit of road that came before the steep dip over the mountain-side. The
brief dialogue had decided Bert. Mr. Hall was not at leisure, and Millie was
riding home late, alone. His place was to follow her. He had ascertained that
there was a footpath which was far shorter than the windings she must go
down with her cycle. If she were going to walk the steep bit, he thought he
could overtake her when she dismounted to walk up the next ascent.

At the lower end of the steep hill, if you followed the road, you came to
a stone bridge; and here the Ilba flowed more silently, and deep pools
harboured many a fat trout. Trees arched over the road, growing by the
water-side; and under them were inky shadows.

Melicent's lamp gleamed brightly, but not bright enough to show the
wire fastened across the road. She was riding fast, with the impetus of the
long hill just negotiated, and she checked herself with difficulty as the
figure of a man detached itself from the shadow, waving his arms and
crying, "Stop! Danger! You'll fall!"

"What is the matter?" she cried, putting on her brakes and just managing
to alight "You!"—she stopped short, recognising Amurrica.

"We were gettin' ready for someone else," said Amurrica drily. "This is
an unexpected pleasure. Are you ridin' alone?"

"You see that I am."

"Our friend's gone home another way then, seemin'ly. But as you're
here, let's make the most of it. Give us a kiss, little Millie."

"Don't be a cad, Amurrica!" said Millie, with a most unlooked-for

gentleness. "I don't know why you stopped me, but I am glad you did, for
there are things I want to say to you. Is my brother here?"

"Yes," said Arnie, slouching out from the gloom.

"Amurrica," said Millie earnestly, "first of everything, I want to beg

your pardon. You were very cruel to me in the old days, but I have been
shown to-day that it was my fault. I was hard and insolent. If I had been a
different kind of girl, perhaps you'd not have wanted to injure me?"

Amurrica stood staring. Was this Millie? "What yer givin' us?" he
growled.

"I want to say I am sorry," said the girl steadily. "I was hard and insolent
to you again to-day. I provoked you to try and do me harm. But I—didn't
know you had Arnie with you. I—I remember Arnie when he was a dear
little curly-headed baby. I never was good to him. I was always—
disagreeable. Arnie, I—am—so—sorry! I want to say—forgive me!"

Her voice broke. She turned her head away and drew out a
handkerchief. Amurrica was stricken dumb. That Millie could humble
herself—that Millie could cry—these incidents had seemed to him utterly
out of the range of the things that happen. He had nothing to say. Arnie
giggled awkwardly.

"Amurrica," said Millie earnestly, laying a hand on his sleeve, "you

would have been a better man if you had known better women. I am one
that helped to make you worse, because I never appealed to the good in
you. There was only one of us who did the right thing all through; and that
was Bert. He saved me then, and to-day he has saved me again. He has
done more for me this day than I could ever tell anybody. Oh, Amurrica, we
ought to be so ashamed of ourselves—you and I!"

Amurrica, during this remarkable interview, had been like one bereft of
his usual faculties.

"Well, I'm d—d!" he said at last. "What kind of palaver's this? Mestaer's
playin' his own hand, same as I am—him an' his bloomin' millions!
Thought I didn't know him! Thought he was safe, did he? Bless his kind
heart, he'll find out that I'm goin' to get even with him—if not one way, then
another!"

A thought went like lightning through Millie's brain.

"Are you waiting here for him?"

They did not answer.

"What makes you think he will come this way?"

"He went up there," said Arnie.

"Up there? Up that hill? He's not there now; I've just come from there."

"Hist!" said Otis.

They all heard a footstep, clear in the night stillness, swinging down the
hill at a steady run.

"If it is he, Amurrica, now is your time to make it up," urged Millie, and
her heart began to beat faster, and sweet, wild thoughts surged up within her
at the thought that she was hearkening her lover's approaching feet.

"I'll make it up, no fear!" was the muttered reply, as Otis, who was
standing behind her, gripped her firmly by both elbows, pinioning her in his
strong hold, and backing into the deepest shadow on the farther side of the
bridge, under the trees. "Hold her!" he gasped to Arnie; "hold tight, we've
only a minute!"

The inky darkness, rendered blacker by contrast with the white wash of
moonlight on the road in front, held the struggling group invisible. Had
Millie had an inkling of her captor's plan she would have screamed, but
intent upon her peace-making desires, she still wished to try gentle
methods. Before she realised his intentions, Otis had rammed a
handkerchief forcibly against her mouth, and swiftly wound the feather boa
she wore round and round her head, forming a most excellent impromptu
gag. He was reckless now, and cared only for his revenge, consequences
had faded out of sight. Millie, sensible in a flash of her own helplessness
and Bert's danger, fought with all her strength.

The light, firm steps came on fast. They were round the corner. Hubert
hastened in the moon's full radiance to the darkness where the trap lay for
him. Just before he reached the fatal spot, a sound came to the trained ear of
the scout—a muffled, indeterminate sound, which was not running water,
nor the sound of feet upon a hard road.

Full in the light he stood, a brave target for a bullet; and even as he
paused, before he had drawn a breath, there was the report of a revolver, a
cry of some kind, a sound of scuffling, a splashing as of someone wading in
water; and silence.

He stood bewildered. The idea that somebody had tried to shoot him
never suggested itself. He thought it must be poachers, though the report
did not sound like a rifle shot, and there were no woods quite near. He at
once started to run on and see what had happened; and at once tripped and
fell, caught by the unseen wire.

Having fallen with some impetus, he came to the ground heavily; and
regained his feet with quite a new impression of some danger imminent,