Chapter 13 - Social Psychology Flashcards
attribution theory
that we explain someone else behaviour by crediting either the situation or the persons disposition
fundamental attribution theory
the tendency for observers, when analyzing others behaviour to underestimate the impact of a situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
peripheral route persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speakers attractiveness
central route persuasion
occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favourable thoughts
foot in the door phenomenon
the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a large request
role
a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
cognitive dissonance theory
theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. for example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes
conformity
adjusting our behaviour or thinking to coincide with a group standard
normative social influence
resulting from a persons desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
informational social influence
resulting from ones willingness to accept others opinions about reality
social control
power of the situation
personal control
power of the individual
social facilitation
improved performance on simple or well learned tasks in the presence of others
social loafing
the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
deindividuation
the loss of self awareness and self restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
group polarization
the enhancement of a groups prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group
groupthink
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
prejudice
an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and predisposition to discriminatory action
implicit racial association
even people who deny harboring racial prejudice may carry negative associations
unconscious patronization
assessing things differently when you know the persons race
race influenced perceptions
our expectations influence how we see things
reflexive body responses
even people who consciously express little prejudice may give off telltale signals as their body responds selectively to anothers race. this may show up in facial muscle responses and in the activation of their emotion processing amygdala
violent criminals
have diminished activity in the frontal lobes
what does high testosterone result in?
aggression
