1 stars (Please - Stop Him Before He Writes Another Book!) - This is the second Gladwell book I've read, and unfortunately its as bad as the first (Blink!). His basic point is that little things can make a big difference. Gladwell's problem, however, is that he doesn't know what he's writing about, and it's a fatal flaw. For example, early in this book he relates how a "small change" in Brooklyn policing strategies turned into a "large drop" in crime. In reality, "broken windows," accompanied by much more data-driven and administrative follow-up policing referred to by Gladwell was a large (not small change). The reality is that "broken windows" policing ended up going far beyond simply pursuing those with minor violations (eg. fare-beating) to include studying crime patterns (location, timing, etc.), setting improvement goals, and regular high-level follow-up. Secondly, "Freakonomics" research concluded that the crime-rate decline began BEFORE the change in policing, and that much of the decline was due to increased staffing. Gladwell also attributed the decline to improved economic conditions - however, no such decline accompanied prior economic good times. Finally, Gladwell offered no explanation of why similar steep declines in crime occurred across the U.S. at the same time - without regard to any change in policing! Another of Gladwell's problems is that he doesn't seem to understand anything about statistics. The fact that a change in policing suposedly occurred at the same time as a decline in crime rates seems to be "proof" of causation for Gladwell. One of the first lessons in statistics, however, is that "correlation does not imply causation." Summarizing, the book starts out poorly, and goes downhill from there - increasingly boring, confusing, and totally lacking in credibility. Don't confuse, aggravate, misinform yourself with this book 5 stars (This Little Book will Make a Big Difference) - This fascinating book is an investigation into ... Back Bay Books :: Psychology & Psychiatry & Social Psychology :: Sociology - General :: Sociology :: Social Psychology :: Psychology :: Marketing - General :: Context effects (Psyc :: The Tipping Point- How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
4 stars (Adequate, yet not overbearing summation of modern psychology) - Schultz and Schultz offer a wonderful summation of the history of psychology. Many history of psychology texts are large and burdensome, but Schultz and Schultz sift out the waste and offer the facts. Interesting anecdotes about psychology's pioneers are offered, and the social climate surrounding the perspectives of each school of thought is also mentioned. All in all, this is a great book to have in the collection for the average historian of psychology. The authors, unfortunately, do present the information in a rather bland display. More color and layout effect would be useful and appealing. Furthermore, the chapter on the impact of women and minorities in psychology should not just be thrown on the end of the book ... it should be integrated throughout. Other than those two drawbacks, however, the book is wonderfully done. ... Wadsworth Publishing :: Psychology & Psychiatry & Social Psychology :: Textbooks :: Psychology :: History :: Sydney Ellen Schultz :: Duane P Schultz :: :: A History of Modern Psychology (with InfoTrac)
