Books about Assumption from Amazon.com

Whether it's musical talent, criminal tendencies, or fashion sense, we humans want to know why we have it or why we don't. What makes us the way we are? Maybe it's in our genes, maybe it's how we were raised, maybe it's a little of both--in any case, Mom and Dad usually receive both the credit and the blame. But not so fast, says developmental psychology writer Judith Rich Harris. While it has been shown that genetics is only partly responsible for behavior, it is also true, Harris asserts, that parents play a very minor role in mental and emotional development. The Nurture Assumption explores the mountain of evidence pointing away from parents and toward peer groups as the strongest environmental influence on personality development. Rather than leaping into the nature vs. nurture fray, Harris instead posits nurture (parental) vs. nurture (peer group), and in her view your kid's friends win, hands down. This idea, difficult as it may be to accept, is supported by the countless studies Harris cites in her breezy, charming prose. She is upset about the blame laid on parents of troubled children and has much to say (mostly negative) about "professional parental advice-givers." Her own advice may be summarized as "guide your child's peer-group choices wisely," but the aim of the book is less to offer guidance than to tear off cultural blinders. Harris's ideas are so thought-provoking, challenging, and potentially controversial that anyone concerned with parenting issues will find The Nurture Assumption refreshing, important, and possibly life-changing. --Rob Lightner.
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A clear, thorough and focused introduction to the key theories of personality This edition retains a distinctive presentation of theories in the framework of their underlying basic assumption. Up-to-date research and personal applications are covered in each chapter. Select theorists have been added, and a new chapter covers research methods, assessment techniques and ethical issues..
Price: $79.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Aimed at facilitating critical theoretical thinking in the behavioral sciences, What's Behind the Research? explores the main assumptions that behavioral science theories are based on and offers some alternatives to these assumptions. The book begins with a review of the major theoretical approaches in the behavioral sciences (psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanism, cognitivism, eclecticism, structuralism, and postmodernism) and examines which assumptions are made versus those that are overlooked in these theories. The next four chapters reveal and discuss the key assumptions of the theories (knowing, determinism, reductionism, and science) by tracing the intellectual history of these conceptions, followed by a presentation of contrasting options. The book concludes with an examination of possible ways to come to terms with some of the inadequacies in the assumptions of the behavioral sciences. Readers will find that this book will enable them to make better choices in doing their research and in critical theoretical thinking.

Praise for What's Behind the Research?

"Slife and Williams present a compelling and potentially controversial look at the implicit underpinnings of behavioral research. The do an admirable job of specifically describing the 'embedded ideas' of some of the most commonly accepted behavioral theories. . . . Well written, concise, and well thought out; arguments are made in readable fashion, suitable for scholar and nonscholar alike." --Choice

"The manuscript completely captivated me around the middle of Chapter 2 with 'Eclectic Theories,' where I began reading with absorption in order to process ideas for myself, instead of reading on the surface to see what the author was about. Again and again I found myself pausing to contemplate provocative one-liners. . . . Throughout, the philosophical inquiry seems to me profound and enchanting, with an original and compelling synthesis." --Maria Arrigo, Psychology Graduate Student, Claremont Graduate School
 
"These authors have an uncanny ability of identifying, as they would say, 'hidden' issues and assumptions that permeate the behavioral sciences. The arguments they marshall are most compelling and deserving of serious consideration by devoted professionals, students, or lay persons. Hopefully, with the publication of the book such consideration will at long last be realized." --Jeffrey P. Lindstrom, Fontbonne College, Missouri

"This book will stimulate more dialogue; it is long overdue. Thanks to the lucid writing style, sensible organization, and occasional recapitulations in the text, the book will also be accessible to advanced undergraduates and graduates. I plan to require the book in at least one of my courses." --Allan W. Wicker, Center for Organizational and Behavioral Science, The Claremont Graduate School
 
"This book is important for cultivating a view of behavioral sciences as something far more important than a collection of techniques for gathering and analyzing data. I would recommend it to my colleagues in educational psychology who teach psychological foundations." --Thomas A. Schwandt, School of Education, Indiana University
 
"To my mind, the finest feature of this book--at the level of a near miracle--is the author's clear and engaging explanation of complex, subtle, and counter-intuitive ideas. This amazing pedagogical achievement should stand as an example to philosophers. I am also struck by the author's affection for the reader. The prose is simple because the author wants to make a real connection with the reader; there is no feeling of condescension for the novice or the commercial market. It is a loving instead of a battering style of philosophical disclosure, which did not occur to the philosophical giants whose works the author mercifully interprets for the reader." --Maria Arrigo, Psychology Graduate Student, Claremont Graduate School

"Each chapter consistently follows a similar outline. Introductions and conclusions genuinely assist the reader, as do references back to earlier segments. Daily life examples bring the text to life. The book is designed to engage the reader. Addressing the root metaphor of each theory is effective. Most issues that concerned me wound up being addressed as I went along (which amazed me given such a short volume written to be understood by undergraduates)." --Constance T. Fischer, Department of Psychology, Duquesne University

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Price: $44.93 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Through the use of careful explanations and examples, Berry shows the reader how to consider whether the assumptions of multiple regression are actually satisfied in a particular research project. Beginning with a brief review of the regression assumptions as they are typically presented in textbooks, Berry moves on to explore in detail the "substantive" meaning of each assumption (such as lack of measurement error, absence of specification error, linearity, homoscedasticity, and lack of autocorrelation). Aimed at improving social science applications of regression, this volume is a must for every student’s and researcher’s library.

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Price: $14.44 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This edited book will provide a critical analysis of all aspects of the discipline, including conceptions of critical thinking themselves Additionally, it exposes the profession's underlying assumptions and tacit values to serious evaluation..
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In The Human Potential for Peace: An Anthropological Challenge to Assumptions about War and Violence, renowned anthropologist Douglas P. Fry shows how anthropology--with its expansive time frame and comparative orientation--can provide unique insights into the nature of war and the potential for peace. Challenging the traditional view that humans are by nature primarily violent and warlike, Professor Fry argues that along with the capacity for aggression humans also possess a strong ability to prevent, limit, and resolve conflicts without violence. Raising philosophy of science issues, the author shows that cultural beliefs asserting the inevitability of violence and war can bias our interpretations, affect our views of ourselves, and may even blind us to the possibility of achieving security without war. Fry draws on data from cultural anthropology, archaeology, and sociology as well as from behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology to construct a biosocial argument that challenges a host of commonly held assumptions.
The Human Potential for Peace includes ethnographic examples from around the globe, findings from Fry's research among the Zapotec of Mexico, and results of cross-cultural studies on warfare. In showing that conflict resolution exists across cultures and by documenting the existence of numerous peaceful societies, it demonstrates that dealing with conflict without violence is not merely a utopian dream. The book also explores several highly publicized and interesting controversies, including Freeman's critique of Margaret Mead's writings on Samoan warfare; Napoleon Chagnon's claims about the Yanomamo; and ongoing evolutionary debates about whether "hunter-gatherers" are peaceful or warlike. The Human Potential for Peace is ideal for undergraduate courses in political and legal anthropology, the anthropology of peace and conflict, peace studies, political sociology, and the sociology of war and violence. Written in an informal style with numerous entertaining examples, the book is also readily accessible to general readers..
Price: $24.90 [Notify me when price goes down.]

We live in a complicated world, and according to PoMoSexuals, it is a lot more complicated than we thought Now that society has become accustomed to the idea that gay men and lesbians exist, Lawrence Schimel and Carol Queen have brought together 15 essays dedicated to demolishing those categories. They are not, of course, arguing that homosexuals don't exist, but simply that these categories and words cannot do justice to the wondrous complexity of human sexuality. In PoMoSexuals you can read about heterosexual women who identify as gay men, the politics of placing a transgendered personal ad, and how trendy gay male ghetto culture is less about sexual liberation than brand-name accumulation. No matter what your sexual identity is, PoMoSexuals will startle and enlighten, provoke and entertain. .
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In the papers collected in Education: Assumptions versus History, Thomas Sowell takes a hard look at the state of education in our schools and universities His imperative is to test the assumptions underlying contemporary educational policies and innovations against the historical and contemporary evidence.

In a well-reasoned and engaging style, Sowell discusses the controversies over affirmative action, race and IQ, tuition tax credits and academic tenure. The experiences of blacks and other ethnic groups in the American educational system are examined closely to identify the factors and patterns behind both success and failure. In writing of the bitter controversy over black intelligence, he asks if there "was really anything to explain? Is there anything peculiar about either the level or the pattern of black IQs? " when compared to other groups. The author addresses university education in several essays, including one that uses the insights of Thorstein Veblen's classic 1918 works. Higher Education in America, to assess the condition of the modern university..
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