Chapter 12 - Social Psychology Flashcards
social psychology
examines how people affect one another, and it looks at the power of the situation (how variables interact to influence behavior)
situationism
the view that our behavior and actions are determined by our immediate environment and surroundings
dispositionism
holds that our behavior is determined by internal factors
internal factor
an attribute of a person and includes personality traits and temperament
fundamental attribution error
when people fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state
individualistic culture
- a culture that focuses on individual achievement and autonomy (like the US)
- have a higher tendency to commit the fundamental attribution error
collectivistic culture
- a culture that focuses on communal relationships with others, such as family, friends, and community (like Asian)
- have a lower tendency to commit the fundamental attribution error
actor-observer bias
the phenomenon of attributing other people’s behavior to internal factors (fundamental attribution error) while attributing our own behavior to situational forces
attribution
- the process of inferring the causes of events or behaviors
- natural tendency to assign causes to the behavior of others, and is often based on whether the cause is internal or external
self-serving bias
the tendency to explain our successes as due to dispositional (internal) characteristics, but to explain our failures as due to situational (external) factors
just-world hypothesis
- the belief that people get the outcomes they deserve
- In order to maintain the belief that the world is fair, people think that good people experience positive outcomes and vice versa
social role
a pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a given setting or group
social norm
a group’s expectation of what is appropriate and acceptable behavior for its members
script
a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (like riding in an elevator)
Stanford prison experiment
- conducted by social psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University
- demonstrated the power of social roles, social norms, and scripts.
attitude
- our evaluation of a person, an idea, or an object
- attitudes are favorable or unfavorable: positive or negative
cognitive dissonance
- psychological discomfort arising from holding two or more inconsistent attitudes, behaviors, or cognitions
- ex. smoking and believing its bad for you
justification of effort
- suggests that we value goals and achievements that we put a lot of effort into
- if something is hard to achieve, its worthwhile
persuasion
- the process of changing our attitude toward something based on some kind of communication
- most comes from outside forces
central route
- logic driven and uses data and facts to convince people of an argument’s worthiness
- part of elaboration likelihood model
peripheral route
- an indirect route that uses peripheral cues (relies on association with positive characteristics) to associate positivity with the message
-part of elaboration likelihood model
foot-in-the-door
persuader gets a person to agree to bestow a small favor or to buy a small item, only to later request a larger favor or purchase of a bigger item
confederate
- a person who is aware of the experiment and works for the researcher
- used to manipulate social situations as part of the research design
conformity
the change in a person’s behavior to go along with the group, even if he does not agree with the group
Asch effect
is the influence of the group majority on an individual’s judgment
normative social influence
people conform to the group norm to fit in, to feel good, and to be accepted by the group
informational social influence
people conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, particularly when the task or situation is ambiguous
obedience
- the change of an individual’s behavior to comply with a demand by an authority figure
- People often comply with the request because they are concerned about a consequence if they do not comply
groupthink
- the modification of the opinions of members of a group to align with what they believe is the group consensus
- groupthink can hinder opposing trains of thought
group polarization
the strengthening of an original group attitude after the discussion of views within a group
social loafing
involves a reduction in individual output on tasks where contributions are pooled (in a group)
prejudice
a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group
stereotype
a specific belief or assumption about individuals based solely on their membership in a group, regardless of their individual characteristics
discrimination
negative action toward an individual as a result of one’s membership in a particular group
racism
prejudice and discrimination against an individual based solely on one’s membership in a specific racial group
sexism
prejudice and discrimination toward individuals based on their sex
ageism
prejudice and discrimination toward individuals based solely on their age
homophobia
an umbrella term referring to prejudice and discrimination of individuals based solely on their sexual orientation, which is often applied to bisexual, lesbian, gay, and other non-heterosexual people
transphobia
hatred or fear of those who are perceived to break or blur stereotypical gender roles
self-fulfilling prophecy
an expectation held by a person that alters their behavior in a way that tends to make it true
confirmation bias
we seek out information that supports our stereotypes and ignore information that is inconsistent with our stereotypes
in-group
a group that we identify with or see ourselves as belonging to
out-group
a group that we view as fundamentally different from us
in-group bias
result in prejudice and discrimination because the out-group is perceived as different and is less preferred than our in-group
aggression
what humans engage in when they seek to harm or cause pain to another person
hostile aggression
- motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain
- a type of aggression (ex. a bar fight)
instrumental aggression
- motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain
- a type of aggression (ex. a contract killer)
bullying
repeated negative treatment of another person, often an adolescent, over time
cyberbullying
repeated behavior that is intended to cause psychological or emotional harm to another person online
bystander effect
a phenomenon in which a witness or bystander does not volunteer to help a victim or person in distress
diffusion of responsibility
the tendency for no one in a group to help because the responsibility to help is spread throughout the group
prosocial behavior
voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people
altruism
people’s desire to help others even if the costs outweigh the benefits of helping
empathy
the capacity to understand another person’s perspective, to feel what they feel
homophily
the tendency for people to form social networks with others who are similar
reciprocity
- the give and take in relationships
- we contribute to relationships, but we expect to receive benefits as well
self-disclosure
- the sharing of personal information
- form more intimate connections with people with whom we disclose important information about ourselves
triangular theory of love
- there are three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment
- these three components form a triangle that defines multiple types of love
consummate love
a healthy relationship that has all three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment
companionate love
characteristic of close friendships and family relationships, consists of intimacy and commitment but no passion
romantic love
defined by having passion and intimacy, but no commitment
social exchange theory
we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others
Yale attitude change approach
describes the conditions under which people tend to change their attitudes.
elaboration likelihood model
- describes the dynamics of persuasion is the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion
- two main routes that play a role in delivering a persuasive message: central and peripheral
Stanley Milgram experiment
- experiment that tested if people would punish others if authority figure told them to do so
- Milgram wanted to see how everyday people were part of the Holocaust
deindividuation
to situations in which a person may feel a sense of anonymity and therefore a reduction in accountability and sense of self when among others
scapegoating
the act of blaming an out-group when the in-group experiences frustration or is blocked from obtaining a goal
