Splash Biography

Most people are easy to read. – Edward Cullen Like many of you, social psychologists have an irresistible urge to explain and predict social behavior. Unlike the common misconception, however, psychologists cannot read minds. Rather, we use systematic observation and experimentation to test ideas about how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. What then can a love story between a teenage girl and a vampire tell us about human nature? Why has Twilight become such a pop culture phenomenon? Over the course of five classes, we will explore the first book of the series and its film adaptation to introduce how the research and the theories of social psychology can be applied to real life. Together, we will seek to unravel the nature and causes of behavior – the mystique of love and hate, the riddle of stereotypes and prejudice, and other situations that we encounter virtually everyday in all walks of life.