San Antonio College Library

The science writer investigates the latest breakthroughs in social psychology to reveal how to guard against groupthink, build better teamwork, identify shared objectives, become more ethical, and survive moments of isolation.

This 2011 Falling Walls lecture video explores the human aversion to change. Collective histories have showcased human avoidance, and in some cases, inability, to change course and learn from mistakes. Elke Weber, whose contributions lie at the intersection of psychology and economics, sheds new light on behavioral models of judgment and decision making under risk and uncertainty. Her diverse academic career has led her to serve in leadership roles...

Are we really in control of our own thoughts? In this documentary, filmmaker Jason Brett Serle travels from the mall to the mountains to expose just how powerful the subliminal messages of advertising, politicians, and mass media really are. Arguing that "we don't perceive what's there, we change what we perceive, and we perceive what's not there," Serle simplifies complex neurological theories with the help of his young son, then explains how neuro-linguistic...

Pollster Mark Penn argues that the biggest trends in America are microtrends, the smaller trends that go unnoticed or ignored. One million people can create new market for a business, spark a social movement, or effect political change. In 1996, a microtrend identified by Penn ("soccer moms") helped re-elect Clinton. Now, Penn identifies the new microtrends sweeping the world, from Extreme Commuters and Working Retired to Old New Dads, from Bourgeois...

Looks at how brands are using the world's most powerful online celebrities, like bloggers and tweeters, to market products and shows how this same system can be used by the reader to achieve goals.

The author, an economics writer, offers a revelatory look at the power and potential of social context. As psychologists have long understood, social environments profoundly shape our behavior - sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. Less widely noted is that social influence is a two-way street: our environments are in large part themselves a product of the choices we make. Society embraces regulations that limit physical harm to others,...

With eye-opening footage, expert interviews, and many humorous anecdotes, this provocative program explores the alleged use of subliminal messages in advertising, music, film, politics, and the military. Documentarian Jeff Warrick leads viewers through the subconscious mind while examining the history, scientific validity, and potential effects of such techniques on society. From hidden sexual imagery in Disney cartoons and satanic messages in rock...

Individual human behavior is far different from human behavior in a crowd. This ABC News report takes a look at "crowd think" and the herd mentality of stampedes, where logic is forgotten. We have been socialized beyond the point of reason.

"Technology and the era of globalization have revolutionized the ways to build, keep, and assure success. To cope with these changes, adapt, and accomplish your goals, you not only must gain power, but apply it with wisdom." "In Power and Influence: The Rules Have Changed, master power broker and communications maestro Robert Dilenschneider arms you with the intellectual, technical, and moral weapons - the power tools that you need to get ahead and...

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as management thinker Margaret Heffernan shows us in this TEDTalk, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren't echo chambers - and how great research teams, relationships, and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.