Psych City

Psych City is a book that is used as a guide to organize a simulated community. The goal of the book is not only to create a simulated community, but also to provide opportunities for those involved in the experience to learn the events and patterns of life found in the community and examine the psychological, social, and political systems that are found in the community. The book is divided into two sections. Section I is the simulation proper, and gives detailed descriptions of simulated living conditions such as geography, population, housing, government, education, finance, and taxes. The first part also assigns the participants to the different roles they have to play and gives the community problems to solve. The second part is made up of sets of readings and exercises that pertain to the different situations found in the simulated community. The text is recommended for psychology, sociology, and anthropology professors that wish to give an interactive learning experience for the entire class, as well as those who wish to further study about community and conduct social experiments.

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Section I Psych City Simulation

Chapter 1 What is Psych City?

Chapter 2 The Community

Geographical Description

Population

Economic Structure

Housing

Government

Education

Finances

Chapter 3 The Problems

1 School Integration

2 Vacant Land Usage

3 Welfare Plan

4 Citizen Protection Problem

5 Drug Program

6 Use of Downtown Land

7 Low-Income Housing

8 High School Disruption

9 Equal Employment for Women

10 Sex Education

11 Your Own Problem

12 Your Own Problem

Chapter 4 The People

Chapter 5 The Town Meeting

Procedure

The Initial Meeting

Subgroups

The Caucus

Outside Feedback

Role Playing in Psych City

Section II Readings and Exercises

Chapter 6 Role Expectancies

A Not-So-Free Association

Case Study of a Nonconscious Ideology: Training the Woman to Know Her Place

The Warm-Cold Variable in First Impressions of Persons

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 6

Chapter 7 Interpersonal Perception

Is There a Red China?

They Saw a Game: A Case Study

Readiness to Perceive Violence as a Result of Police Training

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 7

Chapter 8 Communication

Machines Take Over

Communication, A Social Tool

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 8

Chapter 9 Norms and Reference Groups

Food for All His Dead

Class and Conformity: An Interpretation

Effects of Group Pressure upon the Modification and Distortion of Judgments

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 9

Chapter 10 Social Power

Machines and Bosses

Stevenson—Tragedy and Greatness

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Excerpt)

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Group Decision Making

Election Coverage Computed

A Political Decision-Making Model

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 11

Chapter 12 Individual Change

The Illusionless Man and the Visionary Maid (Abridged)

Positive Principles

Resistance to Change

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 12

Chapter 13 Group and Community Change

Chaos Over School Busing

The Vertical Negro Plan

Two Strategies of Social Change and Their Dilemmas

"The Cost of Living" from Idiots First

Change Does Not Have to Be Haphazard

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 13

Chapter 14 Evaluation of the Psych City Experience

The Problems of Measurement of Role Playing Exercises

Exercises and Discussion Topics for Chapter 14

References and Recommended Readings