Chapter 14: Social Behavior Key Terms

Question 1

Social facilitation:

Answer 1

A phenomenon in which the presence of others improves one’s performance.

Question 2

Social loafing:

Answer 2

A phenomenon in which the presence of others causes one to relax one’s standards and slack off.

Question 3

Social norms:

Answer 3

Rules about acceptable behavior imposed by the cultural context in which one lives.

Question 4

Conformity:

Answer 4

The tendency of people to adjust their behavior to what others are doing or to adhere to the norms of their culture.

Question 5

Informational social influence:

Answer 5

Conformity to the behavior of others because one views them as a source of knowledge about what one is supposed to do.

Question 6

Normative social influence:

Answer 6

Conformity to the behavior of others in order to be accepted by them.

Question 7

Groupthink:

Answer 7

A situation in which the thinking of the group takes over, so much so that group members forgo logic or critical analysis in the service of reaching a decision.

Question 8

Minority social influence:

Answer 8

When a small number of individuals in a larger group shifts majority opinion by presenting a consistent, unwavering message.

Question 9

Obedience:

Answer 9

A type of social influence in which a person yields to the will of another person, complying with their demands.

Question 10

Self-serving bias:

Answer 10

The tendency to make situational attributions for our failures but dispositional attributions for our successes.

Question 11

Fundamental attribution error:

Answer 11

The tendency to explain others’ behavior in dispositional rather than situational terms.

Question 12

Stereotypes:

Answer 12

Schemas of how people are likely to behave based simply on groups to which they belong; they are oversimplified perspectives of people based solely on their group membership.

Question 13

Dehumanization:

Answer 13

A tendency to portray a group of people as unworthy of human rights and traits—intended to make them feel unworthy.

Question 14

In-group/out-group bias:

Answer 14

A tendency to show positive feelings toward people who belong to the same group as we do, and negative feelings toward those in other groups.

Question 15

Out-group homogeneity:

Answer 15

The tendency to see all members of an out-group as the same.

Question 16

Prejudice:

Answer 16

A biased attitude toward a group of people or an individual member of a group based on unfair generalizations about what members of that group are like.

Question 17

Discrimination:

Answer 17

The preferential treatment of certain people, usually driven by prejudicial attitudes.

Question 18

Racism:

Answer 18

Racism occurs when one views and treats others as inferior based on the color of their skin or their ethnicity. This involves stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.

Question 19

Sexism:

Answer 19

Occurs when people are treated unfairly based on their biological sex or perceived gender. This involves stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.

Question 20

Attitudes:

Answer 20

An individual’s favorable or unfavorable beliefs, feelings, or actions toward an object, an idea, or a person.

Question 21

Cognitive dissonance:

Answer 21

The feeling of discomfort caused by information that is different from a person’s conception of himself or herself as a reasonable and sensible person.

Question 22

Persuasion:

Answer 22

The act of attempting to change the opinions, beliefs, or choices of others by explanation or argument.

Question 23

Aggression:

Answer 23

Violent behavior that is intended to cause psychological or physical harm, or both, to another being.

Question 24

Prosocial behavior:

Answer 24

Action that is beneficial to others.

Question 25

Bystander effect:

Answer 25

A phenomenon in which the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help.

Question 26

Altruism:

Answer 26

The selfless concern for and giving of aid to others.

Question 27

Kin selection:

Answer 27

The evolutionary favoring of genes that prompt individuals to help their relatives, or kin.

Question 28

Reciprocal altruism:

Answer 28

The act of helping others in the hope that they will help us in the future.

Question 29

Social exchange theory:

Answer 29

The idea that we help others when we understand that the benefits to ourselves are likely to outweigh the costs.

Question 30

Empathy:

Answer 30

The ability to share the feelings of others and understand their situations.

Question 31

Empathy-altruism hypothesis:

Answer 31

The idea that people help others selflessly only when they feel empathy for them.

Question 32

Compassion:

Answer 32

A state of relationship in which one feels concern for another who is suffering and one feels motivated to help relieve that suffering.

Question 33

Sexual strategies theory:

Answer 33

The idea that men and women face different problems when they seek out mates, so they often approach relationships in very different ways.

Question 34

Triangular theory of love:

Answer 34

Sternberg’s idea that three components (intimacy, passion, and commitment), in various combinations, can explain all the forms of human love.