Chapter 13: Social Psychology Flashcards
Social Psychology
The study of how social situations affect peoples thoughts and behaviors, and how we relate to other people
- social cognition
- social behavior
Stereotypes
A generalization about a groups characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another
Attribution Theory
The process by which we come to understand the causes of others’ behaviors and form an impression of them
Fundamental Attribution Error
The tendency to overestimate the importance of internal traits and underestimate the importance of external situations
Positive Illusions
Positive views of oneself that are not necessarily deeply rooted in reality
Self-Serving Bias
The tendency to take credit for one’s successes and to deny responsibility for one’s failures
Self-Objectification
The tendency to see oneself primarily as an object in the eyes of others
Social Comparison
The process by which individuals evaluate their thoughts, feelings, behaviors and abilities in relation to other people
Egoism
Giving to another person to ensure reciprocity; to gain self-esteem; to present oneself as powerful, competent, or caring; or to avoid social self-censure for failing to live up to society’s expectations
Bystander Effect
The tendency of an individual who observes an emergency to help less when other people are present than when the observer is alone
Conformity
A change in behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard
Informational Social Influence
The influence other people have on use because we went to be right
Normative Social Influence
The influence that other people have on us because we want them to like and approve us
Obedience
Behavior that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in authority
Social Facilitation
Improvement in an individual’s performance because of the presence of others
Social Cognition
- how we think in social situations
- how people select, interpret, remember and use social information
- — Heuristics: cognitive shortcuts that speed decision making
- ——- stereotypes: often based on irrelevant information
Social Cognition
Attributions
- explanations for why people behave the way they do
- attribution theory: attempt to discover underlying causes of behavior
- internal: personality, temperament, development, beliefs, self-efficacy
- external: society, social pressure, situation, money, weather
- Fundamental Attribution Error
- — overestimate the importance of internal traits
- — underestimate the importance of external causes
Social Behavior
- how we behave in social situations
- we tend to explain social behavior in terms of…
- — the personalities of the people
- — rather than the situation of the people
Social Behavior
Pre-Social Behavior
- The Bystander Effect
- — individuals are less likely to help in an energy when others are present
- — diffusion of responsibility
- — Kitty Genovese
Social Behavior
Social Influence
- how our behavior is influenced by others
- Conformity
- — a change in behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard
- — Asch’s Experiment (1951)
- — informational social influence
- ——- we think they know more
- ——- we want to be right
- — normative social influence
- ——- we want others to like us
- ——- we want approval
- ——- we want to be a part of a group
Social Behavior
Obedience
- behavior that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in authority
- milgram’s experiment (1960’s)
