I. New and Updated Features A framework that aids comprehension and boosts retention · Learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter guide students as they work through the text. The learning objectives are repeated in the sections of the chapter in which they are most relevant, as well as in the chapter-ending summary. · All major sections of every chapter now end with review quizzes to help students better master course material. A balanced approach to research · The Ninth Edition has been updated significantly with numerous references to new research . II. Content Updates · Chapter 2, "Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research" -a readable, student-friendly chapter on social psychology research methods-has been updated with new references and examples. · Chapter 3, "Social Cognition: How We Think About the Social World," has been reorganized to make the structure clearer to students.

There are now four major sections: "On Automatic Pilot: Low-Effort Thinking," "Types of Automatic Thinking," "Cultural Differences in Social Cognition," and "Controlled Social Thinking." There are also new sections on automatic goal pursuit and decision making. Finally, the chapter has been updated with numerous new references. · Chapter 4, "Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People," now includes a new section, "First Impressions: Quick but Long-Lasting," with new coverage of thin-slicing, belief perseverance, and the use of nonverbal communication to personal advantage (e.g., in the form of power posing). The chapter also presents updated research and conclusions regarding the universality of emotional expression, and new popular media examples from programs such as Breaking Bad, Duck Dynasty, and the podcast Serial. · Chapter 5, "The Self: Understanding Ourselves in a Social Context," has been reorganized into seven major sections instead of five, which should make the material clearer to students.

The authors also revised the opening example, added a section on affective forecasting, reorganized some of the other sections (e.g., on culture and the self and on mindsets), added two new figures, and deleted or consolidated two other figures. Nearly 50 references to recent research have been added. · Chapter 6, "The Need to Justify Our Actions," now includes a revised definition of cognitive dissonance and two-dozen new references. These updates include studies examining dissonance and cheating, hypocrisy and its consequences for self-justification, the justification of kindness in very young children, and a field study of justification of effort among participants in a religious ritual in Mauritius. · Chapter 7, "Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing Thoughts and Feelings," includes some reorganization of section order in response to reviewer suggestions and an updated analysis of advertising, stereotypes, and culture. New Try It! exercises have also been added regarding the role of automatic thought processes in consumer-related attitudes.

· Chapter 8, "Conformity: Influencing Behavior," now boasts a new section on tactics of social influence, including the foot-in-the-door and door-in-the-face technique. We have also added review of the Bond et al. (2012) election study in which the appearance of an "I Voted" button on Facebook was found to influence users'' own likelihood of voting. This chapter also discusses the role of normative social influence in the polar plunge trend and the ALS ice bucket challenge that went viral on social media in 2014. · Chapter 9, "Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups," includes a new section on the relationship between group diversity, morale, and performance. The discussion of deindividuation has also been updated to consider the tendency as it is manifested in on-line contexts. · Chapter 10, "Interpersonal Attraction: From First Impressions to Close Relationships," has a new opening vignette focusing on Tinder and other dating-related apps/websites. The authors have expanded the treatment of fertility and attraction in response to reviewer feedback, and also added new research on the relationship between genetic similarity and attraction.

· Chapter 11, "Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help?" includes substantially revised sections on religion and prosocial behavior and on positive psychology. The authors also discuss recent research by van den Bos on appraisal and bystander intervention and recent media examples, such as a mention of the movie Kick Ass. · Chapter 12, "Aggression: Why Do We Hurt Other People? Can We Prevent It?, " has undergone significant organizational changes for clarity and narrative flow. The first section now unifies various answers to the question of the origins of aggression-evolutionary, cultural, learned, physiological influences-with special attention to gender and aggression (similarities as well as the familiar differences). The authors have also added a section, "Putting the Elements Together: The Case of Sexual Assault," with updated references and the addition of the latest studies about causes of rape and sexual assault, sexual scripts, and a 2015 review of research on sexual miscommunications. · Chapter 13, "Prejudice: Causes, Consequences, and Cures," includes additional coverage of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as it relates to measuring implicit bias. The chapter also now includes more social neuroscience research on social categorization and expands its discussion of the effects of prejudice on its targets. Several new glossary entries have been added to reflect these updates.

· The Social Psychology in Action (SPA) chapters -"Making a Difference with Social Psychology: Attaining a Sustainable Future," "Social Psychology and Health," and "Social Psychology and the Law"-have been updated with many references to new research. These applied chapters remain brief to make it easy for instructors to integrate them into different parts of the course in whatever fashion he or she deems best. SPA1, "Making a Difference with Social Psychology: Attaining a Sustainable Future," has a new opening example about the effects of climate change on U.S. cities and a new discussion of how experiences make people happier than material things. In SPA2, "Social Psychology and Health," the authors revised the sections on perceived control, "tend and befriend" responses to stress, and behavioral causes of health problems. SPA3, "Social Psychology and Law," includes updated information on the role of post-identification feedback on eyewitness confidence and revised conclusions regarding the repressed memory debate. This package includes MyLabTM Psychology, an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program designed to work with this text to personalize learning and improve results.

With a wide range of interactive, engaging, and assignable activities, students are encouraged to actively learn and retain tough course concepts.