14 - Social Psychology Flashcards
The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Social Psychology
Theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition
Attribution Theory
Tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
Fundamental Attribution Error
Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
Attitude
Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
Peripheral Route Persuasion
Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
Central Route Persuasion
Tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
A set of expectations about social positions, defining how those in the position ought to behave
Role
Theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognition) are inconsistent. Ex: our attitude and actions clash, dissonance can be reduced by changing our attitudes
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard
Conformity
Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
Normative Social Influence
Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality
Informational Social Influence
Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
Social Facilitation
Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
Social Loafing
Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
Deindividuation
The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group
Group Polarization
Mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
Groupthink
Enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Culture
An understood rule for accepted and expected behavior
Norm
An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action
Prejudice