Applied Social Psychology: The Unfulfilled Promise

Abstract

The conflict between applied and theoretical social psychology is reviewed. It is argued both that this applied-theoretical distinction is a pernicious one which diverts attention from more basic issues of generality and validity and that the applicability of mainstream social psychology is disappointingly slight. While developments in statistical techniques and computer data processing have increased the opportunities for larger- scale, multivariate research which may reflect more accu rately the complexities of the natural world, most reports in the major journals of the field continue to be of small, laboratory experiments using college students as subjects. The prospects for future change in orientation are discussed.