Dynamical Systems in Social Psychology

ISBN-13: 9780127099903 / Angielski / Twarda / 1994 / 305 str.

Robin R. Vallacher; Andrzej Nowak

Opis

A dynamical system refers to a set of elements that interact in complex, often nonlinear ways to form coherent patterns. Because of the complexity of these interactions, the system as a whole may evolve over time in seemingly unpredictable ways as new patterns of behavior emerge. This metatheory has proven useful in understanding diverse phenomena in meteorology, population biology, statistical mechanics, economics, and cosmology. The book demonstrates how the dynamical systems perspective can be applied to theory construction and research in social psychology, and in doing so, provides fresh insight into such complex phenomena as interpersonal behavior, social relations, attitudes, and social cognition.

Recenzje

"Vallacher and Nowak's Dynamical Systems in Social Psychology presents an attempt at overcoming the ambivalent relationship between theory and phenomena that has haunted psychology for so long. The collection of essays addresses the problems of social psychology in particular, but much of what the authors are saying applies easily to other fields in psychology... Probably for the first time in social psychology, Vallacher and Nowak have brought together a number of authors who try to establish a link between the concepts and tools of dynamic systems on the one hand and the problems, data, and theories of social psychology on the other... The book, probably the first of its kind, provides a very interesting, accessible and informative introduction to a new and exciting approach to social psychology." --PAUL VAN GEERT, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in SCIENCE

Spis treści

R.R. Vallacher and A. Nowak, The Chaos in Social Psychology.
A. Nowak and M. Lewenstein, Dynamical Systems: A Tool for Social Psychology? A.J. Mandell and K.A. Selz, The New Statistical Dynamics: An Informal Look at Invariant Measures of Psychological Time Series.
F.E. Schroeck, Jr., New Mathematical Techniques for Pattern Recognition.
A. Tesser and J. Achee, Aggression, Love, Conformity and Other Social Psychological Catastrophes.
R.M. Baron, P.G. Amazeen, and P.J. Beek, Local and Global Dynamics of Social Relations.
D. Newtson, The Perception and Coupling of Behavior Waves.
K.A. Selz and A.J. Mandell, A Family of Autocorrelation Graph Equivalence Classes on Symbolic Dynamics as Models of Individual Differences in Human Behavioral Style.
J.R. Eiser, Toward a Dynamic Conception of Attitude Consistency and Change.
B. Latane and A. Nowak, Attitudes as Catastrophes: From Dimensions to Categories with Increasing Involvement.
R.R. Vallacher and A. Nowak, The Stream of Social Judgment.
A. Nowak, M. Lewenstein, and R.R. Vallacher, Toward a Dynamical Social Psychology.
Index.