Theory and Explanation in Social Psychology

"This volume provides the first authoritative explication of metatheoretical principles in the construction and evaluation of social-psychological theories. Leading international authorities review the conceptual foundations of the field's most influential approaches, scrutinizing the range and limits of theories in various areas of inquiry. The chapters describe basic principles of logical inference, illustrate common fallacies in theoretical interpretations of empirical findings, and outline the unique contributions of different levels of analysis. An in-depth look at the philosophical foundations of theorizing in social psychology, the book will be of interest to any scholar or student interested in scientific explanations of social behavior."-- "Subject Areas/Keywords: agent based models, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, cultural theories, dual process theories, embedded theories, emotion theories, empirical data, evolutionary theories, genetics of social behavior, hypotheses, interdependence theories, logical fallacies, logical inference, mathematical models, meta theoretical principles, modeling, motivation theories, personality theories, rational actor theories, scientific explanation, situated theories, social behavior, social cognitive theories, social functionalism, social psychological theories, theoretical interpretations, theory evaluation. DESCRIPTION This volume provides the first authoritative explication of meta theoretical principles in the construction and evaluation of social psychological theories. Leading international authorities review the conceptual foundations of the field's most influential approaches, scrutinizing the range and limits of theories in various areas of inquiry. The chapters describe basic principles of logical inference, illustrate common fallacies in theoretical interpretations of empirical findings, and outline the unique contributions of different levels of analysis. An in depth look at the philosophical foundations of theorizing in social psychology, the book will be of interest to any scholar or student interested in scientific explanations of social behavior"--