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Peer Review

Working Psychology

Reviewed:
Mar 24, 2019 by Psychology
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Ratings

Overall Rating: 3.8 stars
Content Quality: 3.8 stars
Effectiveness: 4.0 stars
Ease of Use: 3.2 stars
Overview:

This website serves as reference material on the topic of social psychology and influence as written by Kelton Rhoads, Ph.D. It presents Dr. Rhoads' personal perspective and includes topics such as influence (including content on definitions, tactics, ethics, and structure), cults, and framing. 

Type of Material:

Reference material

Recommended Uses:

 

  • The material on this website can be used for individual knowledge exploration (along with other academic research on the topic) to compare the viewpoints of academic specialists on this subject.
  • The material could be used in class or as an assignment revolving around the positive ways we use influence (as well as the more negative ways).
Technical Requirements:

This material relies only on online text and therefore can be viewed on any web browser. It was tested on Chrome, Explorer, and IOS systems.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

 

  • Student will learn how the science of influence is applied within broad-ranging contexts (professions to cults). 
  • Students will learn how social influence can make the difference between success and failure.
Target Student Population:

 

  • The material is useful to anyone studying social psychology or persuasion within any field.
  • The material would be appropriate for use by high school or college level psychology students as a means to demonstrate an introduction to social psychology and influence.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

None, though a background in the basics of social psychology would be beneficial.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The site includes many examples of the use of persuasion (with references). It includes a discussion of the ethics and uses of influence, both positive and negative.
  • The content provided is accurate and detailed in its limited scope. The primary focus is influence, a selected area of social psychology.
  • The content is informed by scholarship.
Concerns:
  • At the time of the review (2019), some of the content appeared dated.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • The many examples across multiple disciples will help students understand how influence is a part of our everyday lives and how it can be used to benefit the group as a whole or to manipulate groups in a way that is detrimental.
  • The first page of the material provides a brief introduction to the content and provides two different directions for learners, a starting point for beginners and a recommendation for experienced individuals in the field.
  • The concepts presented on the site build on one another, and previous pages are linked back to when referenced during future discussions.
Concerns:

 

  • To use this material as a teaching tool, instructors would want to develop specific assignment instructions. 

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:

 

  • Overall, the site is easy to use, and the navigation menu can be clearly understood.
Concerns:

 

  • Overall, the text-only design makes the site less engaging or visually appealing, and it incorporates little interactivity. 
  • Some links are broken.
  • The more dated design precludes use on multiple devices. 
Other Issues and Comments:

Author: Kelton Rhoads, Ph.D., Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089 kelton@workingpsychology.com http://www.workingpsychology.com/contact_wp.html

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