Six Degrees of Social Influence: Science, Application, and the Psychology of Robert Cialdini - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199743053 ISBN 13: 9780199743056

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Over the course of the last four decades, Robert Cialdini's work has helped spark an intellectual revolution in which social psychological ideas have become increasingly influential. The concepts presented in his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, have spread well beyond the geographic boundaries of North America and beyond the field of academic social psychology into the areas of business, health, and politics. In this book, leading authors, who represent many different countries and disciplines, explore new developments and the widespread impact of Cialdini's work in research areas ranging from persuasion strategy and social engineering to help-seeking and decision-making. Among the many topics covered, the authors discuss how people underestimate the influence of others, how a former computer hacker used social engineering to gain access to highly confidential computer codes, and how biology and evolution figure into the principles of influence. The authors break new ground in the study of influence.

About this title

About the Author

Douglas Kenrick is Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. He is author of 175 scientific articles, books, and chapters. His work integrates evolutionary psychology, cognitive science, and dynamical systems theory. He is the author of Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life: A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity are Revolutionizing our View of Human Nature, and Social Psychology: Goals in Interaction (now in its 5th edition, with Steven Neuberg and Robert Cialdini).

Noah J. Goldstein is Assistant Professor of Human Resources and Organizational Behavior at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. He conducts research on social influence and persuasion. He is co-author of a book on persuasion with Robert Cialdini and Steve Martin called Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, a New York Times bestseller that has been translated into over 25 languages.

Sanford L. Braver is Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. He has been the recipient of 17 competitively reviewed, primarily federal, research grants, which total to almost $20 million. His work has been quoted widely in the news media, including U.S. News and World Report, Kiplinger's, Redbook, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and has been featured on ABC News' 20/20.

Review

"A fascinating and fitting tribute to one of social psychology's true pioneers."
-Daniel Gilbert, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Stumbling on Happiness

"This delightful book contains a wide range of pithy, insightful essays on social influence. The volume epitomizes Bob Cialdini's concept of full-cycle psychology by moving between ideas, methods, and applications. This open-minded triangulation across diverse types of research has fostered the impressive body of knowledge on social influence that appears in this volume." -- Alice Eagly, James Padilla Chair of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University

"Robert Cialdini is the Benjamin Franklin of research on influence-- a keen observer of human nature, great writer, minter of pithy phrases, and clever experimenter who's able to capture lightning in a jar. This collection of essays, written by his fellow researchers in his honor, testifies to his wide and deep influence on the practice of social psychology." -- Chip Heath, Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die and Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

"Six Degrees of Social Influence is an eminently readable and endlessly fascinating journey through a world of intellectually and socially important ideas about social influence. Both a tribute to Robert Cialdini, a remarkable social psychologist, and a great review and overview of important research and concepts, this book is as delightful and important as the person and ideas it honors." -- Jeffrey Pfeffer, Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior and author of Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don't

"It's difficult to imagine putting Bob Cialdini between the covers of a book, but here he is. The chapters, all by leading experts in influence and social perception, present classic and novel examples of research informed by Cialdini's work. These include full-cycle social psychology, cleverly phrased influence requests that can trigger automatic acquiescence, activation of social norms, prosociality, and the ways in which understanding the weapons of influence can empower us all. This book offers an excellent introduction for those few readers not yet familiar with Cialdini's brilliant insights into social psychology. And for everyone else already familiar with his approach, the book provides an engaging, useful analysis of his major contributions." -- Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business, University of Southern California

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0199743053
• ISBN 13: 9780199743056
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208
• Editor: Kenrick Douglas T., Goldstein Noah J., Braver Sanford L.