Knowledge and Action

Understanding the relationship between knowledge and action is vital, because without knowledge there is often no action and because knowledge can strongly influence actions. However, there is often considerable inconsistency between knowledge and action, and the research available on this relationship is not widely known. This intriguing volume provides help, by summarizing the findings of the research group "Knowledge and Action," which was funded by the German Science Foundation and includes leading scholars from relevant areas such as social psychology, cognitive psychology, work and organizational psychology, educational psychology and developmental psychology.

The chapters included in this book therefore examine the action-relevant function of knowledge in different areas, as well as investigating the effects that the acquisition of knowledge has on action in certain fields.

Doody's Listings and Reviews of Your Books, October 2006 Gary B Kaniuk, Psy.D.(Cermak Health Services) **Description** This book describes the relationship between knowledge and action, summarizing the findings of research at the University of Munich. **Purpose** In the introduction, the editors state their purpose: "In this volume, we summarize the findings of a research group on the topic of knowledge and action, supported by the German Science Foundation, at the University of Munich. The joint endeavor of the research group was to investigate the action-relevant function of knowledge in different areas, as well as to investigate the effect that the acquisition of knowledge has on action in certain fields. The disciplines involved were social psychology, cognitive psychology, work and organizational psychology, educational psychology and developmental psychology." **Audience** Although the editors do not state who the target audience is, it appears it is written for graduate students and researchers in cognitive science and social psychology. **Features** The book contains many studies on how learning takes place and is changed into action. The experiments involved students (writing reports, studying for exams, completing assignments), decision making, speech-receptive action, veridical causal knowledge, and self-management training. The book ends with a good chapter revealing relationships between knowledge, experience, and action. The many tables and figures go a long way toward explaining the written material. The authors of each chapter discuss theory and research in depth. This is not an easy book to read, but it seems to address the topic fairly well. With this material, programs could be developed to help students improve school performance or people in leadership roles improve decision-making. **Assessment** This book is really for social psychology or cognitive science researchers, academicians, or students interested in how knowledge is related to action. It is full of theory and research and, although it is not an easy read, the tables and figures do help to organize the material. The topic itself can be somewhat dry. Thus lies the difference between researchers and clinicians (myself included). For theoreticians and researchers in this field, this book is important reading. -----------------------------------------------------------