The Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP) is a scientific organization of

social scientists Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

founded in 1965 with the goal of advancing and communicating theories in

social psychology Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the r ...

. Its first chairperson was Edwin P. Hollander.Hollander, E, (1968). The Society of Experimental Social Psychology: An Historical Note. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9(3), 280-282. Retrieved from http://www.sesp.org/pdf/hollander1968.pdf. To expand the knowledge of social psychology, Edwin P. Hollander and his colleague Edgar Vinacke wrote 35 other social psychologists in the interest of a research-oriented social and personal psychology society. This focus was to develop a smaller group of research-oriented scientists with similar interests within the field of social

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

. The society meets annually for discussions that vary in topic. These topics usually include its membership, content of the society, and research interests among its members. To become a member, one must be a

social psychologist Social psychology is the scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people or by social norms. Social psychologists typically explain human behavior as a result of the re ...

, show evidence of contribution to social psychology, receive a

nomination Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In the ...

, and complete an application. SESP publishes the ''Journal of Experimental Social Psychology'' and ''Social Psychological and Personality Science''.

History

SESP was founded in 1965 by Edwin P. Hollander and his colleague Edgar Vinacke. Psychological societies of the time such as the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

, were very large. They encompassed many different fields of psychology. Hollander thought it would be beneficial to form a smaller group of social scientists, focused primarily on experimental research. Since the psychological societies of the time were so vast, this would allow a smaller organization that could have more intimate dialogue on the subject matter, and also give the organization more flexibility. Hollander and Vinacke wrote 35 other prominent social psychologists of the time. Those that shown interest in the endeavor were invited to a meeting to discuss the structure of forming the SESP. The meeting took place in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on May 1, 1965. William McGuire, Albert Pepitone, Marvin Shaw, Ezra Stotland, Fred Strodtbcck, W. Edgar Vinacke, and Edwin P. Hollander were in attendance. Some early members that are well-known social psychologists include;

Solomon Asch Solomon Eliot Asch (September 14, 1907 – February 20, 1996) was a Polish-American Gestalt psychologist and pioneer in social psychology. He created seminal pieces of work in impression formation, prestige suggestion, conformity, and many oth ...

Leon Festinger Leon Festinger (8 May 1919 – 11 February 1989) was an American social psychologist who originated the theory of cognitive dissonance and social comparison theory. The rejection of the previously dominant behaviorist view of social psychology ...

Harold Kelley Harold Kelley (February 16, 1921 – January 29, 2003) was an American social psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His major contributions have been the development of interdependence theory ...

, and

Stanley Schachter Stanley Schachter (April 15, 1922 – June 7, 1997) was an American social psychologist, who is perhaps best known for his development of the two factor theory of emotion in 1962 along with Jerome E. Singer. In his theory he states that emotions ...

Membership

Members and criteria

Members of SESP come from all over the world and include over 700 social

psychologists A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

. Membership is by nomination only and is typically exclusive. A person must meet various criteria to become a member of SESP. Since SESP focuses on advancing

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

about social psychology, nominees prove that they have had significant input to social psychology. Nominees present that they have published on the topic of social psychology in notable journals. All nominees are social psychologists and hold a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Once a member, there is an annual conference to attend, and a subscription to the society's publications ''

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

'' and ''

Social Psychological and Personality Science ''Social Psychological and Personality Science'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers research in social and personality psychology. Its editor-in-chief is Margo Monteith (Purdue University). It was established in 2010 and is published ...

'' are given. Members also pay a low annual fee.

Activities

The activities done by the Society of Experimental Social Psychology involve numerous things. The annual

conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

is a big event that all active and associate members attend. The annual conference changes location each year, with venues located all over the world. The main conference and pre-conferences do not cost extra money to attend. The topics of the conference vary depending on the theme of the convention that year. The pre-conferences are small, side presentations that are usually one hour long. These pre-conferences discuss new social psychological

theories A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

and findings. At the annual conference, SESP members talk about the purpose of the society. They discuss things like the problems involved in social psychology, how they can stay loyal to its original founders, and how to further new theories and the practice of social psychology. The annual conference also focuses on encouraging new

, tests original work, and holds panels and discussions for certain original works that are presented. Along with this annual conference, SESP also collects and evaluates statistics, conducts investigations, sponsors fund raising events, creates promotional activities, and promotes the society in a positive way.

Contributions

SESP has two publications. They are the ''Journal of Experimental Social Psychology'' and ''Social Psychological and Personality Science''. The ''Journal of Experimental Social Psychology'' is released twice a month and contains research and theories on human social behavior. It is the official journal of SESP and is one of the field's top journals. This publication helps fund the annual conference. In 2009 they announced the publication of a new journal, ''Social Psychological and Personality Science''. This journal is filled with short reports of single and multiple studies done by members. It is modeled after journals like ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

'' and ''

Psychological Science ''Psychological Science'', the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), is a monthly, peer-reviewed, scientific journal published by SAGE Publications. Publication scope ''Psychological Science'' publishes research r ...

''. The ''Social Psychological and Personality Science'' is a quarterly journal that not only SESP contributes to, but also the Association of Research in Personality, the

European Association of Social Psychology The European Association of Social Psychology (EASP), formerly the European Association of Experimental Social Psychology (EAESP) is a scientific professional organization of social psychologists. EASP currently has over 1200 members worldwide and ...

and other co-sponsors. SESP also gives out awards to those members that have produced memorable and notable work. These awards are: The Distinguished Scientist Award, The Scientific Impact Award, The Career Trajectory Award and the Dissertation Award.

References

External links

* of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology {{Authority control Social psychology