Chapter 11 Flashcards
social psychology
the branch of psychology that studies the effects of how individuals affect each other
social context
the combination of people, the activities and interactions among the people, the setting, and the expectations/social norms
situationism
the view that environmental conditions may influence a peoples behaviors as much as or more than personal dispositions do under certain circumstances
dispositionism
a psychological orientation the focuses primarily on the inner characteristics of an individual, such as personality, values, character, and genetic makeup
social role
a socially defined pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a setting or a group
social norms
a group’s expectations of what is appropriate and acceptable for it’s members
script
knowledge about the sequence of events and actions that is expected in a particular setting
chameleon effect
the tendency to mimic other people
asch effect
a form of conformity in which a group majority may influence individual judgments of ambiguous stimuli
conformity
the tendency of people to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, or opinions of others in the group
autokinetic effect
Muzafir Sherif’s idea of the perceived motion of a stationary dot of light in a totally dark room
social neuroscience
an area of research that uses methodologies from brain sciences to investigate various types of social behavior, such as stereotyping in prejudice, attitudes, self-control, and emotional regulation
groupthink
the term for poor judgments and bad decisions made by members of groups that are overly influenced by perceived group consensus or the leaders point of view
cohesiveness
solidarity, loyalty, and a sense of group membership
heroes
people whose actions help others in emergencies or challenge unjust corrupt systems without any reward or any thought for themselves
bystander intervention problem
laboratory and field study analogues of the difficulties faced by bystanders in real emergency situations
diffusion of responsibility
dilution or weakening of each group member’s obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared by all group members or accepted by the leader
in-group
the group with which an individual identifies
out-group
those outside the group of which an individual identifies
social reality
an individual’s subjective interpretation of other people and of one’s relationship with them
reward theory of attraction
a social learning view that predicts that we like best when given more reward at minimum cost
principle of proximity
the notion that people will make friends with people who are closer to them than with those who are farther away (next door compared to two doors down)
similarity principle
the notion that people are attracted to people most similar to themselves
self-disclosure
the sharing of personal information to another as a way of building trust
matching hypothesis
the prediction that most people will find friends/mates at their perceived same level of attractiveness
expectancy-value theory
a theory that states that people decide whether to pursue a relationship by weighing the potential value of it against their expectation of success in establishing it
cognitive dissonance
Leon Festinger’s concept of a highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognitions, especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their beliefs/values
romantic love
a temporary and highly emotional condition based on infatuation and sexual desire
triangular theory of love
Sternberg’s theory that describes various kinds of love using three components: passion (attraction), intimacy (sharing feelings), and commitment (dedication)
fundamental attribution error (FAE)
the dual tendency to overemphasize internal, dispositional causes and minimize external, situation pressures
self-serving bias
an attributional pattern in which one takes credit for success but denies responsibility for failures
prejudice
a negative attitude for an individual based solely on their membership in a group or category, often without any direct evidence
discrimination
a negative action taken against an individual based on their membership in a group or category
social distance
the perceived difference or similarity between oneself and another person
scapegoating
blaming an innocent person/group for one’s own troubles and then discriminating against and abusing them
dehumanization
the psychological process of thinking about certain other people or groups as less than human
stereotype threat
the negative effect on performance that arises when an individual becomes aware that members of their group are expected to perform poorly in that domain
system power
influences of behavior that come from top down sources in the form of creating and maintaining various situations that in turn have an impact on actions of individuals in those behavioral contexts
Stanford Prison Experiment
classic study of institutional power in directing normal, healthy college student volunteers playing randomly assigned roles of prisoners and guards to behave contrary to their dispositional tendencies, as cruel guards or pathological prisoners
Abu Ghraib Prison
prison in Iraq made famous by revelation of photos taken by Army Reserve MP guards in the acts of humiliating and torturing prisoners
Schlesinger Report
report issued by one of the official investigations of the Abu Ghraib Prison abuses, headed by James Schlesinger, former Secretary of Defense. It highlighted the social psychological factors that contributed to creating such an abusive environment
bullying
the act of tormenting others, in school, classroom, or work settings, by one or more others, for personal, sadistic pleasure. It qualifies as a form of normal or everyday evil
