Social Psychology and Evaluation

This compelling work brings together leading social psychologists and evaluators to explore the intersection of these two fields and how their theory, practices, and research findings can enhance each other. An ideal professional reference or student text, the book examines how social psychological knowledge can serve as the basis for theory-driven evaluation; facilitate more effective partnerships with stakeholders and policy makers; and help evaluators ask more effective questions about behavior. Also identified are ways in which real-world evaluation findings can identify gaps in social psychological theory and test and improve the validity of social psychological findings; for example, in the areas of cooperation, competition, and intergroup relations. The volume includes a useful glossary of both fields' terms and offers practical suggestions for fostering cross-fertilization in research, graduate training, and employment opportunities. Each tightly edited chapter features an introduction and concluding reflection/discussion questions from the editors.

Melvin M. Mark, PhD, is Professor and Head of Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. He has served as President of the American Evaluation Association and as Editor of the American Journal of Evaluation (for which he is now Editor Emeritus). Dr. Mark\u2019s interests include the theory, methodology, and practice of program and policy evaluation, as well as the application of social psychology. Stewart I. Donaldson, PhD, is Professor and Chair of Psychology, Director of the Institute of Organizational and Program Evaluation Research, and Dean of the School of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. He currently serves on the board of the American Evaluation Association. Dr. Donaldson has been honored with Early Career Achievement Awards from the Western Psychological Association and the American Evaluation Association. Bernadette Campbell, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her research applies social psychological theories of negotiation, persuasion, and attitude change to achieve a better practical and theoretical understanding of evaluation activities and concepts such as stakeholder dialogue and evaluation influence.

Note: Each chapter is preceded by Introductory Comments and followed by Concluding Comments from the Editors. I. Background, History, and Overview 1. The Past, the Present, and Possible Futures of Social Psychology and Evaluation, Melvin M. Mark, Stewart I. Donaldson, and Bernadette Campbell II. Social Psychological Theories as Global Guides to Program Design and Program Evaluation 2. The Social and Policy Impact of Social Cognitive Theory, Albert Bandura 3. Behavioral Interventions: Design and Evaluation Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, Icek Ajzen 4. Using Program Theory to Link Social Psychology and Program Evaluation, Manuel Riemer and Leonard Bickman 5. Theory-Driven Evaluation Science and Applied Social Psychology: Exploring the Intersection, Stewart I. Donaldson and William D. Crano III. Implications of Social Psychological Theory and Research for Meeting the Challenges of Evaluation Practice 6. Planning the Future and Assessing the Past: Temporal Biases and Debiasing in Program Evaluation, Lawrence J. Sanna, A. T. Panter, Taya R. Cohen, and Lindsay A. Kennedy 7. The Social Psychology of Stakeholder Processes: Group Processes and Interpersonal Relations, R. Scott Tindale and Emil J. Posavac 8: Attitudes, Persuasion, and Social Influence: Applying Social Psychology to Increase Evaluation Use, Monique A. Fleming 9. Asking Questions about Behavior: Self-Reports in Evaluation Research, Norbert Schwarz and Daphna Oyserman IV. Evaluation–Social Psychology Links in Important Areas of Practice: The Present and Promise of Evaluation Contributing to Social Psychology 10. What Social Psychologists Can Learn from Evaluations of Environmental Interventions, Robert B. Cialdini, Noah J. Goldstein, and Vladas Griskevicius 11. Social Interdependence and Program Evaluation, David W. Johnson, Roger T. Johnson, and Laurie Stevahn 12. On Being Basic and Applied at the Same Time: Intersections between Social and Health Psychology, Blair T. Johnson, Natalie L. Dove, and Marcella H. Boynton V. Expanding the Intersection between Social Psychology and Evaluation 13. Where the Rubber Hits the Road: The Development of Usable Middle-Range Evaluation Theory, Bernadette Campbell and April L. McGrath 14. Building a Better Future, Melvin M. Mark, Stewart I. Donaldson, and Bernadette Campbell