The Scientist and the Humanist
A Festschrift in Honor of Elliot Aronson
Modern Pioneers in Psychological Science: An APS-Psychology Press Series

Elliot Aronson is among the 100 most influential psychologists of the 20th Century. He is best known for his theorizing and research on cognitive dissonance theory -- one of the most provocative and enduring theories in contemporary psychology -- and for his design of the "jigsaw classroom," an applied method of reducing conflict and prejudice in multiethnic schools. Throughout his illustrious career, he has championed the application of social-psychological theory and methods for solving such pressing social problems as prejudice, energy efficiency, conflict and miscommunication in relationships, and the reasons why many people justify their mistakes rather than learn from them. Aronson is the only psychologist in the history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its top awards: for research, teaching, and writing.

In this Festschrift, friends, colleagues, and former students write with warmth, clarity, and humor about Aronson?s enduring influence on the field of social psychology and on their own professional lives as researchers, writers, and teachers. Topics covered include contemporary research on cognitive dissonance theory; the changing face of experimentation in social psychology; and applied research on energy policy, education, the legal system, intergroup conflict, and prejudice and discrimination.

M.R. Lepper, The Wizard of Santa Cruz. M.H. Gonzales, C. Tavris, J. Aronson, Editors’ Introduction. W. Mischel, A Personal Tribute. P. Zimbardo, Honoring Elliot Aronson. Part 1. Issues in Social Psychology. T.F. Pettigrew, The Ultimate Lewinian: Elliot Aronson. M.R. Lepper, Forbidden Toys and Transgressive Thoughts. L. Ross, Dealing with Conflict: Experiences and Experiments. R.F. Baumeister, Rejection, Consistency, and Interpersonal Processes. P.C. Ellsworth, The Rise and Fall of the High-Impact Experiment. Part 2. Cognitive Dissonance and Its Descendants. E. Harmon-Jones, Decisions, Action, and Neuroscience: A Contemporary Perspective on Cognitive Dissonance. J. Stone, The Power of the Self-Consistency Motive in Social Life. J. Cooper, Riding the D Train with Elliot: The Aronsonian Legacy of Cognitive Dissonance. M. Leippe, D. Eisenstadt, Self-Persuasion When It Matters to Self: Attitude Importance and Dissonance. Part 3. Research and Applications. J.A. Simpson, A Tiller in the Greening of Relationship Science. D. Davis, Lies, Damned Lies, and the Path from Police Interrogation to Wrongful Conviction. P.C. Stern. A. Greenwald. J. Aronson, Jigsaw and the Nurture of Human Intelligence. Part 4. Writing and Teaching. C. Tavris, Writing about Psychological Science. T.D. Wilson, Chance Encounters. M.H. Gonzales, The Art of Teaching: Lessons from a Teacher Who Was Never Taught How to Teach. Coda(s).Rabbi H. Cohen, Elliot Aronson and The Spirit of Yom Kippur: The Adjustment to Atrocity. E. Aronson, The Last Word. Elliot Aronson’s Awards and Publications.