Roger Hock's book reviews forty studies which have heavily influenced the direction of psychology. Many will be familiar to even a first-year psychology major. And you may feel he has left out a few--I was surprised not to find George Miller's "The Magic Number Seven Plus or Minus Two" in the Intelligence, Cognition and Memory chapter, for example. The studies he has chosen are good ones, though.
My five favorites among the chapters:
"Little Emotional Albert" is based on Watson, J.B. and Raynor, R. (1920). Conditioned emotional responses. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 1-14. This article describes applied research that scared a little boy with a loud noise while he was looking at a white rat. The researchers then documented how this fear generalized to similar objects. The study was groundbreaking in its time and a good stimulus for a discussion of research ethics.
"What You Expect is What You Get" is based on Rosenthal, R. and Jacobson, L. (1968). Teachers' expectancies: Determinates of pupils' IQ gains. Psychological Reports, 19, 115-118. The study shows that students may become more or less intelligent depending on what their teacher's have been told about their intelligence.
"In Control and Glad of It!" is based on Langer, E.G. and Rodin, J. (1976). The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: A field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 191-198. The article shows the benefits of choice and self-determination in elder care. It is an early produce of Jean Langers work on Mindfulness and its effects in a number of settings.
"Learning to be Depressed" is based on Seligman, M.E.P. and Maier, S.F. (1967). Failure to escape traumatic shock. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 74, 1-9. This study shows that dogs which cannot escape an electrical shock will stop trying, even when conditions are changed so that escape is not possible. It is an early piece of Seligman's research (See Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life) which has led to effective diagnosis and treatment of depression.
"To Help or Not to Help" is based on Darley, J. M. and Latane, B. (1968). Bystander intervention in emergencies: Diffusion of responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 8, 371-378. It links failure to respond to those needing help to the number of people available to respond.
WARNING: Contrary to what you may expect, the book does NOT reprint the actual studies. I found this initially annoying since the title implies otherwise. It does contain a reference to each study, a review of its contents and significance, and pointers to other related references. The book is useful as a guide to supplemental readings in an introductory psychology class. The professor just needs to supply copies of or links to the studies themselves.
