Chapter 13 - Social Psychology Flashcards
Social Psychology
The study of how people influence other’s behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes– for both good and bad
Social Comparison Thoery
We evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others
Mass Hysteria
A contagious outbreak of irrational behavior that spreads much like the flu virus
Collective Delusions
Many people simultanously come to be convinced of bizarre things that are false
Urban Legends
False stories repeated so many times that people believe them to be true
Social Distruption
A worsening of performance in the presence of others–occurs on tasks we find difficult
Attributes
Assigning causes to behaviors
Fundamental Attribution Error
We attribute too much of people’s behavior to who they are
Dispositional Influence
Enduring characteristics (personality traits, attitudes, intelligence)
Situational Influences
We attribute too little of their behavior to what’s going around them
Conformity
The tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure
Groupthink
An emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking
rely on “common knowledge”
Cults
Groups that exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause
Obedience
We take our marching orders from people above us in the hierarchy of authority
Bystander Effect
Bystanders in the emergencies typically want to intervene but often find themselves frozen, seemingly helpless to help
Pluralistic Ignorance
The error of assuming that no one in the group perceives things as we do
Diffusion of Responsibility
The presence of others makes each person feel less responsible for the outcome
Stereotype
A belief (positive or negative) about a group’s characteristics that we apply to most members of that group
Ultimate Attribution Error
The mistake of attributing the negative behavior of entire groups
Adaptive Conservatism
Organisms benefit from forging close alliances with insiders and mistrusting outsiders
In-Group Bias
The tendency to favor individuals inside our group relative to members outside our group
Out-Group Homogeneity
The tendency to view all people outside our group as highly similar
Discrimination
The act of treating members of out-groups differently from members of in-group
Minimal Intergroup Bias
A lab method for creating groups based on arbitrary differences
Scape Goat Hypothesis
Prejudice that arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes
Just-World Hypothesis
Many of us have a deep seated need to perceive the world as fair– to believe that all things happen for a reason.
Implicit Prejudice
Prejudice in which we are unaware
Jigsaw Classrooms
Teachers assign children separate tasks that all need to be fitted together to complete a project
Deindividuation
The tendency for people to engage in deviant behaviors when stripped of their typical identity
Self-Reference Effect
Perceiving that our own beliefs and view points are the nor, over estimating the degree to which others share our beliefs
Up-Ward Social Comparison
Comparing ourselves to others who are better than us on a trait or ability (motivate us to become better)
Down-Ward Social Comparison
Comparing ourselves to others who are worse than us on s trait or ability (feel good about ourselves)
