Interpersonal Cognition

The past two decades have seen unprecedented advances in the availability of tools for studying human mental processes. No application of these methods is more compelling than their use to illuminate interpersonal cognition and its profound effects on relationships and individual well-being. This outstanding volume summarizes these extraordinary advances in our understanding of interpersonal cognition. Presenting cutting-edge research by leading scholars, it provides an indispensable resource for scholars, professionals, and students interested in linking the inner world of the individual with the outer world of social connections.--Harry Reis, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Rochester

The way we think and the way we relate to others are among the most crucial and distinctive human traits. They have also been two of the most powerful themes in social psychology. This exciting book brings them together to show how interpersonal processes shape cognition, and vice versa. The individual chapters cover a fascinating set of cutting-edge ideas and research findings that are guaranteed to expand the reader's understanding of how people understand each other--and why they sometimes fail to do so.--Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, Department of Psychology, Florida State University

Our mental representations of loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and even enemies--and corresponding thoughts and feelings about ourselves--are the topic of this book. Contributions from multiple perspectives transcend arbitrary boundaries between 'cognition,' 'affect,' and 'motivation,' clarifying the dynamic processes by which thoughts about another person trigger concerns about rejection or warm feelings of security and commitment. This is truly socialcognition: the thoughts and feelings about other people and relationships that define us as social beings.--Eliot R. Smith, PhD, Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington

One of the most important developments in social psychology in recent years has been the creative and vibrant work at the intersection of social cognition and interpersonal relationships. Thanks to Mark Baldwin, we now have in one volume definitive theoretical statements by the leading thinkers in the field. This volume is suitable as a text for graduate-level courses in relationships or social cognition, or for advanced seminars in personality and social psychology. It deserves to be on the bookshelves of anyone interested in social cognition and interpersonal relationships.--Niall Bolger, PhD, Department of Psychology, New York University
- A welcomed and well-received collection of 16 original chapters from leading researchers in the hot topic of interpersonal and social cognition....Baldwin has done an excellent job of ensuring that authors refer to chapters internal to the volume and that chapter authors are more than familiar with each other's work to promote an integration that is uncommon in large collections such as this....An excellent collection on an important topic....Relevant to all of psychology's subdisciplines and could be used for courses on social cognition. --PsycCRITIQUES, 4/22/2006