Social science experiments on a few individuals from similar backgrounds can give rise to strategies for coping with social problems, ranging from intergroup conflict to women's inequality in the workplace. How does research on such narrow groups contribute to broad social understanding and insight?
References
1.
American Sociological Review. “Employment, Marriage, and the Deterrent Effect of Arrest for Domestic Violence: Replications and Re-Analyses,”57 (1992): 679–708. Three research articles analyze follow-up studies to the original Sherman and Berk experiment on police responses to domestic violence.
2.
BergerJosephZelditchMorrisJr., eds. Status, Rewards and Influence.San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985. An overview of research on status processes in task groups.
3.
CohenBernard P.Developing Sociological Knowledge: Theory and Method.Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1989. A classic text that describes social science as a reciprocal process in which research tests theory and theory develops through the interpretation of research.
4.
LovagliaMichael J.Knowing People: The Personal Use of Social Psychology.New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. An accessible overview of social psychological research useful for individuals in their personal lives.
5.
LovagliaMichael J.LucasJeffery W.HouserJeffrey A.ThyeShane R.MarkovskyBarry. “Status Processes and Mental Ability Test Scores.”American Journal of Sociology104 (1998): 195–228. A research article demonstrating the adverse effect of a negative stereotype on the standardized test scores of white students.
6.
RidgewayCecilia. “Status in Groups: The Importance of Motivation.”American Sociological Review47 (1982): 76–88. An important research article that suggests a way for women to achieve equal status in the workplace.
7.
SherifMuzaferHarveyO. J.Jack WhiteB.HoodWilliam R.SherifCarolyn W.. The Robbers Cave Experiment: Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, [1961] 1988. The classic study on the origins of conflict between groups and a method for bringing together competing groups.
8.
SteeleClaude M.“Thin Ice: ‘Stereotype Threat’ and Black College Students.”Atlantic Monthly. August, 1999. An accessible overview of research and applied programs for reducing the disadvantage of black college students.
